PIP Zero

Setup

Each player places sixteen dice into a four by four grid using this pattern from top to bottom:

• Column 1: 3, 6, 4, 5
• Column 2: 4, 5, 3, 6
• Column 3: 5, 4, 6, 3
• Column 4: 6, 3, 5, 4

Shuffle the deck and choose a starting player.

Game Structure

Each hand has four phases: Deal and Program, Initiative Reveal, Action Resolution, and Cleanup.

Deal and Program

Review and select cards in your hand, assigning them face down as follows:

• Assign one card to Column 1.
• Assign one card to Column 2.
• Assign one card to Column 3.
• The remaining card is placed face down to the side as your Initiative card.

Initiative Reveal

Reveal card 4. Ace high to two low. Suits break ties in the order Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. During Action Resolution, only the Initiative winner resolves Column 4. The loser discards their card without resolution.

Action Resolution

Resolve Columns 1, 2, 3, then Column 4 if you won Initiative. Boards never interact, so players may resolve simultaneously.

Targeting a Column

A card targets its assigned column. If that column is empty, shift right to the next non-empty column. If none exist, the card fizzles.

Column Activation Limit

Each column may activate one die per hand. Once any die in that column has activated, the column becomes spent and cannot activate another die this hand. A spent column still contains dice and never causes a shift on its own. Shift occurs only when the assigned column contains no dice. When a shift occurs, the card moves to the next non-empty column and obeys the activation limit in that new column.

Die Eligibility

A die may activate once per hand. If that die later moves to another column, it remains ineligible.

Selecting a Die

• Use only dice in the targeted column.
• Use only dice that have not activated this hand.
• Use the highest pip die that is resolvable.

If no die is resolvable, the card fizzles.

Resolvable Die

A die is resolvable if the chosen action can be applied fully or partially without breaking any rule.

• Hearts on a five is allowed.
• Diamonds on a one is allowed.
• Movement requires a valid swap target.
• Face cards (J, Q, K, A) must use their suit powers.

Swap Movement (2–10 eligible)

Movement must involve two dice.

• The activated die swaps with a die to the right in the same row.
• Swap distance is unlimited.
• Empty spaces cannot be used.

The dice exchange positions and keep their pip values during the exchange. The activated die then takes −1 pip decay; the other die is unchanged.

Suit Powers

• Hearts: +2 pips, to a maximum of 6.
• Diamonds: −2 pips; remove the die at zero.
• Spades: Flip opposite faces: 1↔6, 2↔5, 3↔4.
• Clubs: Hold with no decay.

Column 4

Only the Initiative winner resolves Column 4. It follows all normal targeting and eligibility rules.

Fizzles

A card fizzles if the column has dice but none are resolvable, or if shift cannot find a non-empty column.

Cleanup

• Discard all cards.
• If needed, shuffle and complete dealing.
• Begin the next hand.

End of Game

• Elimination: remove all sixteen dice.
• Two-player deck timer: game ends after second deck exhaustion.
• Solo deck timer: ends when the last card of the first deck is dealt.

If ending by timer

• Most dice removed wins.
• If tied, lowest pip total in the 4th column wins.
• If still tied, shared victory.

Solo Mode

Solo mode plays the same as two-player with two modifications:

• After you program all 4 cards, reveal the top card from the undealt deck to determine the initiative winner; highest card wins.
• Adversary Favor: increase the lowest pip die in Column 4 by one if you lose Initiative.

Difficulty Variants

Easier

• Resolve all four cards.
• Allow one extra shuffle.

Hardcore

• Unresolved required suit powers add +1 to two of your lowest dice in two columns, maximum two dice, one per column.
• Diamonds reduce by one instead of two.

FAQ