Tangram Fury � Rules of the Game

It’s really simple:

Roll the die to select a category.
Pick a card and lay it down.
First one to build the image with their puzzle pieces, wins the card.
First one to earn five cards, wins the game.

Number of Players

Tangram Fury is designed for four players to race each other individually. But, it can also be played as teams. When this happens, it’s almost as much fun to watch as it is to play – as the teams fumble over each other snatching puzzle pieces and frantically trying to coordinate their efforts to build the shape. 

Tangram Fury � Rules of the Game

The standard Tangram Fury game consists of 4 sets of tangram puzzles. Each set has 7 pieces. Each player gets a full, 7-piece set. The 4 decks of cards represent four categories of tangrams:
Blue = Fish & Birds
Red = Objects & Shapes
Yellow = People
Green = Animals
One 8-sided die is color-coded to represent the cards (each of the four colors is repeated twice).

Step-by-Step Rules

  1. Each player receives the 7 puzzle pieces that form the traditional square tangram, and must build the square tangram before play begins.
  2. The player with the nearest birthday rolls the die first.
  3. Each color on the die represents a category of tangrams. Whichever color is rolled, that is the color of card that is drawn.
  4. Without looking at the card, the roller places the card down where everyone will have a reasonably unobstructed view. The roller can choose to have the card face him or her.
  5. Play begins the moment the card is revealed. Using their puzzle pieces, the players build the shape indicated by the card as quickly as they can.
  6. The first one done declares, “Done!” and receives the card. All seven pieces must be used for each turn and no pieces may overlap.
  7. The first player to earn five cards, wins.
  8. Each turn consists of one roll of the die with one card being earned, at which time it becomes the next player’s turn. It’s not necessary to undo the figures in between turns.

Levels of Play
There are two levels of play: “Tangram Fan” and “Tangram Expert.”  These are designated by which side of the cards are laid face up during play.  The Fan play uses the side of the card that has lines indicating the locations of the 7 pieces that make up the shape to be built.  The Expert play uses the side that only shows a silhouette of the shape.  The one rolling the die must choose which side of the card to play prior to drawing the card.  All players must build the image based on that choice.

But it�s Upside Down!
Tangramming exercises the mind. It engages the brain and encourages it to think abstractly. Because players will typically sit around a table, during any given turn most players will view the card from an angle, even upside down. Viewing the image from odd angles will engage the brain and stretch your creativity even more. It�s all a part of what gives this game an edge.

The Triple Play
If any color is rolled 3 consecutive times, any player can declare “Triple!” The first player to reset their pieces back into the original, square tangram wins the triple and can declare which color of card must then be drawn.  (E.g. Although the die may have rolled green for the third consecutive time, the winner of the Triple can declare that a yellow card be drawn.  The winner of the Triple is not obligated to choose a new color, and can opt to go with the color rolled by the die. ) The winner of the Triple does NOT get to choose which side of the card will be played, only the color.  The person who rolled the die still selects the level of play for their turn.

Winning the Triple is especially useful when playing the Rainbow Version of Tangram Fury.

Rainbow Version
The Rainbow Version of Tangram Fury is played the same as above, but the winner is the first player to win at least one of each of the four colors of cards. This version can take longer or shorter than normal play. It all depends on the roll of the die, and who wins each round.

Playing Tips

When playing, one player will have the card facing them and the other players will have to look at the card upside down, or sideways. Build your puzzle in the same way you see the image. If it’s upside down, build it upside down. Don’t waste time trying to transpose it. Focus on building the image, not on figuring out what the image is.

Keep in mind that working with tangrams is supposed to stimulate the spatial reasoning centers of your brain. Viewing the image from an awkward angle encourages your brain to seek out and boldly stimulate your spatial reasoning centers even more. Embrace the challenge and with practice, you’ll gain an edge on your competition.

Also, be aware that we have included similar images that have only small tweaks made to them. This is done as an intentional distraction. Stay focused. While other players pause and ask, “Hey, haven’t we seen this one before?” you can breeze past them and complete the image before answering their question.