Board Game Arena

There is something deeply satisfying about putting things in order. Whether it’s a bookshelf or a hand of cards, our brains just love it when a plan comes together. IPSO takes that feeling and turns it into a fast-paced "construction game".
 
At its heart, this acronym for Include, Plan, Score, Optimize, is about turning chaos into a masterpiece. You start with 14 cards face down, a pyramid of secrets waiting to be revealed. One by one, you’ll swap them for the numbers in the center, trying to build rows that flow perfectly from low to high.
 
The magic of the game lies in the choices you make! Do you take that blue 45 now to secure your middle row, or do you wait, hoping for a lower number to keep your options open? Every card you flip over is a moment of truth. There’s a specific kind of joy in watching a row of cards finally click into place. It’s like finding the last piece of a puzzle you didn't know you were solving.
 
And there is a cherry on top of that cake: your Star card sits there like a silent guardian. It’s your safety net. As the game nears its end, you face the ultimate "what if" moment: do you hold onto it for the guaranteed points, or do you discard it for one final swap to fix a broken row?
 
IPSO is a game that asks you to be both a strategist and a dreamer. The pyramid is waiting so let’s get ready to scratch that "just one more game" itch. Are you ready to build your legacy, one number at a time?
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=ipso
 
Our thanks to Alexandre Droit, the game designer, and the team at Gigamic for bringing this elegant challenge to BGA. A huge shoutout to darhf and BoucleMed for making the pyramids look as good as the Giza originals on the platform!
 
This is your Monday release.
Build your own stairway to numerical heaven one card at a time and as always take care and play fair.

I wrote a tutorial earlier today!

https://boardgamearena.com/tutorial?gam ... orial=2152

The rules summary fails to mention you can only replace face down cards. It's a pretty big omission.

Can we get a symbol for each colour in the bottom left of each card for those of us who are colourblind? Some colours are too similar for us.

miklomike wrote: ↑25 May 2026, 14:53 The rules summary fails to mention you can only replace face down cards. It's a pretty big omission.

When you open the “Rules summary” panel there’s a message across the top that says, “This page comes from BGA wiki, and has been written by BGA players community. Feel free to edit it!”

Be the change you want to see.

Langers wrote: ↑25 May 2026, 15:58 Can we get a symbol for each colour in the bottom left of each card for those of us who are colourblind? Some colours are too similar for us.

I’m spectating a game and there are symbols on the bottom left of each card. Yellow triangle, orange circle, blue diamond, green square… (Why do I suddenly feel I like I’m in a Lucky Charms commercial?) They are a little on the small side, I’ll grant…

BarnardsStar wrote: ↑25 May 2026, 16:42

Langers wrote: ↑25 May 2026, 15:58 Can we get a symbol for each colour in the bottom left of each card for those of us who are colourblind? Some colours are too similar for us.

I’m spectating a game and there are symbols on the bottom left of each card. Yellow triangle, orange circle, blue diamond, green square… (Why do I suddenly feel I like I’m in a Lucky Charms commercial?) They are a little on the small side, I’ll grant…

Thanks. Couldn't see them due to size.

Nekonyancer wrote: ↑25 May 2026, 14:09 I wrote a tutorial earlier today!

https://boardgamearena.com/tutorial?gam ... orial=2152

Thanks for the tutorial, @Nekonyancer. Just one correction: I believe the stars are not scored unless the row is properly ascending. (You said twice in the tutorial that they are scored anyway).

Just played for the first time... Of the 90 numerical cards, how many have one star, two stars, etc.? I couldn't find this information in the written rules, and I think it's important for players to know for strategy/calculating probabilities. Thanks!

NoTidesForPeru wrote: ↑26 May 2026, 17:50 Just played for the first time... Of the 90 numerical cards, how many have one star, two stars, etc.? I couldn't find this information in the written rules, and I think it's important for players to know for strategy/calculating probabilities. Thanks!

Being curious about this myself, I went and figured it out. I’ve put my findings in the game’s forum (where I think they’ll be more relevant and likely to be found in the future than here): https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49424