Quarta vs Heliopoly

Quarta is an original digital board game with a unique generative soundtrack, designed and created by Kennerspiel des Jahres nominated game designer Brett J. Gilbert and musician, software designer and Bloom co-creator Peter Chilvers. Two players take turns to place tiles, build areas of coloured ‘quarta’s, and claim those areas to control the three colours. Each game lasts only a few minutes, and is played until the tiles fill a 5×5 square. The winner is the player who controls the most colours at the end of the game. But Quarta is also something more. As you play, Quarta creates a totally unique piece of music – an individual soundtrack for every game – driven by the arrangement of areas built by the players. "Both challenging to the mind and relaxing at the same time, the perfect form of gaming." AppAdvice KEY FEATURES • Designed for digital: A brand new two-player tile game created especially for iOS. • Simple, engaging gameplay: Tutorial gets you playing in 60 seconds. A game takes a few minutes. • Unique generative soundtrack: A new piece of music created every time you play. • Sophisticated, dynamic AI: In ‘Solo’ mode, players will discover a strong, adaptive AI opponent, which refines its play as they improve and provides a satisfying opponent for even the most experienced players. • Listen mode: In ‘Listen’ mode players can simply watch and enjoy a unique piece of generative music. ABOUT THE CREATORS Brett J. Gilbert (game design & visual design) is a professional game designer. His first board game, Divinare, published by Asmodee in 2012, was recommended by the Spiel des Jahres 2013 jury. Elysium, published in 2015 by Space Cowboys, has been nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres award. Quarta is his first digital game. Peter Chilvers (iOS development & soundtrack design) is a musician and software designer. Best known for creating the iOS apps Bloom, Trope and Scape with Brian Eno, he has also toured with Karl Hyde (Underworld) and recorded a number of albums with vocalist Tim Bowness.

Heliopoly is orbital economics on the Mainline of our solar system (Helios): buy claims, burn propellant, duel rivals, and try not to go broke. Currency is Angzarr (⍼). Every buy, rent, and duel hits the Automated Interplanetary Asset Ledger. Last rocket flying wins — no timer, no “enough Angzarr.” THREE DOORS The first screen is three doors: • Arcade — the big door. One-minute play: Bot Evolution, Backup Fuel, and Hull Panel. Arcade never moves a charter you already started. • Journey — the full charter. Name a rocket, pick methane or hydrogen, and Launch against AI pilots from Mercury to the Saturn moons. • Lab — experiments. Gravity Duel practice, Deseret Letters, Urinal-rule Parking, and more. Lab unlocks after you finish one Arcade toy. Home brings you back to the doors without quitting a flight. In Journey, own systems, plant fuel depots, and stay solvent long enough for the ledger to write your name. ONLY ON THE MAINLINE • As of 2026, the only space game where a rogue Tesla can trash your fuel pods • Trade in Angzarr (⍼) — the ledger remembers every bad decision • Bring enough propellant, or become a very expensive monument • The only space game where “feral” doesn’t just apply to cats • Blank lane? Gravity Duel. Smile for the 2d6. • Last rocket flying. No timer. The cosmos does not care about your schedule. Got ideas? Contribute on GitHub: https://github.com/diagonalcounty/heliopoly — issues welcome, MIT, same engine as heliopoly.live. HOW AN EXPEDITION FEELS • Path — One circuit: Earth → Venus → Mercury → Mars → belt → Jupiter → Saturn → home • Claims — Buy planets and moons; own a full system and rent doubles • Stations — Trade hubs that get meaner as you collect more of them • Fuel — Landing is free; leaving a gravity well costs propellant • Parking — Sit still too often and claims can go feral back to the bank • Gravity Duel — Meet another rocket on a blank lane: secret Low/High, 2d6 PLAY YOUR WAY • 2–6 pilots (you plus AI, or full self-play) • Easy through Expert AI packs • Full Helios Ops Manual in-app: rules, glossary, rival-rocket civilopedia • iPhone and iPad NO WI‑FI NEEDED Heliopoly ships the complete game in the app package. Open the app and play — no account, no network required. Also free in the browser at heliopoly.live — same rules engine, open source (MIT). Not affiliated with Solarquest or any commercial board game.