TERRAZZO · Daily hints · Guides
How do I solve a big Kinship region in Terrazzo?
Place the biggest region first, then build everything else around it. A big region has the fewest places it can fit, so it settles the board early.
- Start with the largest number on the frame's edge.
- Keep every region its own shape. Two same-coloured regions must not touch.
- Count as you go. A region is right only when it matches its size exactly.
What does Kinship actually ask for?
Stones of the same colour that touch form a region. Kinship lists the sizes those regions must have, and the finished mosaic must match them exactly.
A colour that is not listed is free. On easier days, Kinship may name only one colour. Read the day's Law cards before you place anything. The full rules are in how to play Terrazzo.
Why start with the biggest region?
A region of eight stones needs eight touching cells of one colour. Few parts of the frame can hold that. A region of two fits almost anywhere.
Place the hard piece while the frame is still open. If you fill small regions first, they often block the space the big one needs. Then you must lift stones and begin again.
How do I stop two regions from merging?
Touching is what makes a region. If two same-coloured regions meet side by side, they become one larger region, and the sizes no longer match.
Leave a gap between them. A stone of another colour is the usual gap. Corners do not count for Kinship, so two same-coloured stones that meet only at a corner stay separate regions.
What if the region will not fit?
Look at the shape, not the size. Eight cells can make a long bar, a square or an L. The frame's narrow parts often decide which one works.
Try these steps in order:
1. Find the widest open area, and test the region there first. 2. Turn the stones to the other orientation before you move them elsewhere. 3. Lift the last two or three stones, not the whole board. 4. Leave it for an hour. A fresh look often finds the gap at once.
How do other Laws change the plan?
Kinship rarely works alone. Solitude keeps sun cells apart, so a big region may need to leave room for them. The Vein asks for one unbroken path, and that path can cut straight through your big region's space.
When two Laws meet, place the most restrictive piece first. That is usually the largest Kinship region or the Vein.
Where can I get a nudge?
Every day has three hints. A nudge arrives at 00:00 UTC, the Laws in plain words at 08:00 UTC, and the answer at 16:00 UTC. Use the first, and keep the puzzle yours.
Try it on today's puzzle
Open today's puzzle page for the day's hints, then look for the largest Kinship number before you place a stone. Terrazzo is free for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.