Topas

A distant relative to Ingenious. There are 36 cards, each showing 1-3 gems in one of 4 different colors on each half. Players place these cards on the table, creating a pattern, and score points for matching gems on adjacent cards. A player always has a hand of 3 cards. On his turn, he places one on the table, adjacent to at least one other card half. He now scores points for the number of gems matching the type/color of its neighbours. Placement and scoring are limited by the fact that there may never be more than 7 gems of one kind in a continuous row. The game ends after 7 rounds. The player with the highest total points wins. An enhanced edition from Wargames Club Publishing will include a sand timer and variant rules for more tight playing.