Overview

Fire and Ice is a two-player abstract strategy game played on a wooden board featuring seven raised triangular islands, each with seven holes connected in seven groups of three (a Fano Plane pattern). Players alternate placing and moving pegs to gain control of individual islands, with the goal of controlling three connected islands. The unique movement mechanic — each move introduces an opponent’s peg to the vacated hole — creates an ever-shifting balance of power across the board.

Components

• Wooden game board with 7 raised triangular islands (each island has 7 holes)
• 25 red “Fire” pegs
• 25 aqua “Ice” pegs

Setup

1. Choose colors: one player takes Fire (red), the other takes Ice (aqua).
2. Place red pegs in the pocket at the upper-left corner (under “FIRE”); aqua pegs in the upper-right pocket (under “ICE”).
3. Position the board so each player is near their opponent’s peg supply.
4. The Fire player places one red peg in the middle of the center island.

Turn Structure

Fire moves first, then players alternate turns. Each turn consists of two mandatory parts:

1. Move a Peg

Move one of your pegs from its current hole to an allowed empty hole (see Allowed Movements below).

2. Place an Opponent’s Peg

Take one of your opponent’s pegs from their supply pocket and place it into the hole your peg just vacated.

Passing is not allowed.

Actions

Allowed Movements

Only two types of movement are legal:

• Same Island — Move your peg to any open hole on the same island.
• Same Position — Move your peg to the same relative position on a different island (e.g., from “left corner” on one island to “left corner” on another island). The destination hole must be empty.

Controlling an Island

You control an individual island when three of your pegs on that island are connected by a line or by the circle (7 possible winning configurations per island). Only one player can control an island at a time.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The first player to control three islands connected by a line or by the circle wins the game. The seven islands are connected in the same Fano Plane pattern as the holes within each island, forming seven groups of three connected islands.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Board geometry: Each island has 7 holes connected in 7 groups of 3 (Fano Plane). The 7 islands are also connected to each other in the same pattern.
• Mutual exclusion: If you control an island (three pegs in a connected line), your opponent cannot simultaneously hold a controlling triplet on that same island.
• Extra pegs on controlled islands: If you have additional pegs beyond the controlling three on an island, you can safely move them elsewhere while retaining control.
• Handicap variant: If one player is stronger, place a few of the weaker player’s pegs on the board at setup (no more than one per island).
• Solitaire variant: Place 14 pegs of each color randomly. Alternate colors, moving pegs by the same rules but each move must capture and replace an opposite-color peg (no moves to empty holes). Win by reducing to one peg.

Player Reference

Item	Details
Players	2
Ages	8+
Play time	20-30 minutes
Board	7 islands, 7 holes each (49 total holes)
Pegs	25 Fire (red), 25 Ice (aqua)
Movement types	Same island or same position
Island control	3 pegs in a connected line/circle
Win condition	Control 3 connected islands
Pattern	Fano Plane (finite projective plane)