Editing Icehouse pieces (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Icehouse pieces paper and plastic.jpg|Icehouse pieces in paper and plastic|thumb]]
The pieces are four-sided pyramids that can nest and stack with [[pip (counting)|pip]]ping from 1 to 3 at the base.  A group of three pyramids, one of each size, is called a "trio." Each "stash" or set of Icehouse pieces consists of five trios, or fifteen pyramids (variously called pieces, pyramids, or minions) of the same color and five of each three sizes:<ref name=gms/> five large 3-point pyramids (called "queens" in some games), five medium 2-point pyramids (sometimes called "drones"), and five small 1-point pyramids (or "pawns").{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} The stacked and nested feature is not used in the original Icehouse game, but is taken advantage of in some of the other Icehouse-based games listed below.<ref name=gms/>

Icehouse pieces were, for many years, sold as tubes containing one stash of durable crystal-look plastic pieces<ref name=wr/> in one of ten available colors (though cyan was only available through their promotional program or as part of the Ice Towers set).  There was also a less expensive starter set called Origami Icehouse (later called Paper Icehouse), made of cardstock in four colors, which one punched out and folded into the pyramid shapes. In 2006, [[Looney Labs]] began selling Icehouse pieces as ''Treehouse sets'', which are multicolored sets of 15 pyramids: five colors, each color having one each of the three sizes.  Looney Labs has also sold boxed sets for [[Zendo (game)|Zendo]] and [[IceTowers]]; the latter contained cyan pieces.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} The Icehouse website also has instructions for making your own pieces. Looney Labs has licensed [[Crystal Caste]] to make regulation-sized Icehouse pieces out of semiprecious [[gemstone|stone]].<ref name=wr/> Beginning with its Looney Pyramids relaunch set, IceDice, the sets are packaged in pyramid shaped nylon zipper bag<ref name=icv/> until Pyramid Arcade.