Review: Homeworlds and Nomids (Looney Labs)

Many game people — our family included — have a long-standing love for the Looney Labs pyramids games.

The Looney team keeps growing and experimenting with the pyramid concept, delivering games that go in new directions and deliver unexpected challenges. This time around, they released four travel-sized, stand-alone pyramid game sets, perfect for backpacks and briefcases.

Let’s gather ‘round the pyramids and take a look at what you need to know about these four new pyramid releases.

Exploring the Set

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Three of the games in this collection are classics — Homeworlds, Martian Chess, and Twin Win — and also come in the Pyramid Arcade master set. Nomids is all-new, premiering in this new smaller form.

Nomids and Ice Duo sit on the introductory side of the complexity spectrum, while Martian Chess and Homeworlds offer deeper and more challenging play experiences.

Although all four games interest us, we decided to focus on the outer ends of the complexity spectrum by looking at Nomids (the easy side, difficulty 1 out of 4) and Homeworlds (difficulty 4 out of 4).

Beginning with Nomids

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Nomids puts a strategic spin on classic push-your-luck dice games like Left Center Right.

Players start by selecting three pyramids of different sizes and colors from the bank. To win, be the first to get rid of your pieces. That part is simple and the rules are easy to teach, making this a great get-together game for lake weekends, between-class relaxation, and holiday gatherings.

The game’s strategy focuses on rolling a die to determine the action a player can take each turn. Actions include things like moving a pyramid from one player to another, dispensing a new pyramid from the bank, or swapping pyramids between players.

Since everything in Nomids can happen anywhere around the table, the game introduces a healthy dose of direct player-versus-player competition. Make sure your group is ready for it.

Raising the Depth with Homeworlds

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Looking to the opposite end of the gaming spectrum, you find Homeworlds. With its pure strategy and surprising depth, it is literally everything that Nomids isn’t.

In Homeworlds, players begin with a small fleet of ships (pyramids laying sideways) at their homeworld (two pyramids stacked). From there, they expand their fleets, explore new planets, battle their opponents, and ultimately attempt to destroy the enemy homeworld.

Homeworlds is a pyramids version of a massive galactic saga, the type of play known as a “4x game,” short for expand, explore, exploit, and exterminate. It has a steep learning curve, but the payoff comes from the years of play you’ll enjoy as you explore its depth.

Learning More

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Getting started in any game can take a bit of work (or in the case of Homeworlds, some serious effort). The team at Looney Labs does a great job supporting their players with game explanations, frequently asked questions, and video tutorials.

To find descriptions, demos, rules, and everything else you need to play, visit looneylabs.com/pyramids-rules. You can find more video training and general game info on their YouTube channel at youtube.com/LooneyLabs.

One Box, Many Games

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At their heart, pyramids are like playing cards: they’re general-purpose pieces that you can use for anything from goofy fun to serious strategy.

Nomids, for example, includes rules for three more games you can play right out of the box, plus you can find more on the Looney Labs web site (looneylabs.com/pyramids-rules).

If you aren’t sure where to start, look up the “what can I play” page at the icehousegames.org fan site. It lists all kinds of games based on the collection of pieces you have available.

Verdict

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Homeworlds is the strategic star of the collection. It’s amazing that a game this big packs so much action and mental challenge into a little box containing 36 pyramid pieces in four colors, but somehow it does. If you love abstract strategy games, you need to play Homeworlds.

As the new kid — er, pyramid — on the block, we enjoyed the spin that Nomids puts onto a classic game concept. It adds strategy to what was purely a luck-based game. Thanks to the direct competition element, the game throws in some teeth as well.

The four games in this new travel-sized release give you a great introduction to the world of pyramid gaming. With their form factor and price point, they make great additions to your collection and your gaming “go bag.”