Containers
A container is a group of pieces on the table: a pile, a row, a heap. The container’s type decides how the pieces are arranged inside it, and what you can do with them.
The types
Single
Exactly one piece. This is what you get when you drop a card on an empty part of the table.
Pile
Cards laid on top of each other with a small offset that gives them depth. A number above the pile shows how many cards there are. Face up and face down cards can be mixed in it.
Ideal for a draw pile and for any unsorted group.
Stack
Like a pile, but the cards sit at random angles, so it looks scattered. The angle is fixed per card and does not change when the container is rearranged. It shows a number just the same.
Ideal for a discard pile.
Row
Cards in a line, horizontally or vertically, at equal distance. The direction comes from the position of the first two cards. It can overlap as well, if the cards move closer together.
Ideal for cards laid out and for ordered arrangements.
Grid
Cards in a two dimensional grid. The type selector offers it for no piece type today, so you cannot make a container arranged in a grid.
Further types
Pieces other than cards have types of their own:
| Type | What for |
|---|---|
| Standalone | a board: always a single piece, and it stays where it is |
| Group | dice and figures |
| Collection | tokens, sorted by kind |
| Pouch | tokens you draw from by count |
Tapping the pouch draws pieces from it by count; pressing and holding selects all of it.
Which type suits which piece
Not every type is available for every piece. The type selector only ever offers what makes sense for that piece: a pile, a row and a stack for a card, a group for dice, standalone for a board, and a pile, a group, a collection and a pouch for tokens.
The type selector
A small window that offers the possible types. It comes up in three situations:
- on a drop, when the system has to know what the card should go into: you drop a second card on a single container, or several cards on the empty table
- when you have selected exactly one container in container selection mode and press the Container Type button on the bottom wall
- when you create an empty container on the table
Tap any of the buttons and the container is converted, and the cards rearrange themselves.
The system converts on its own too
- empty container: when you take the last piece out of it, the container ceases to exist
- one piece left: the container switches itself to “single”
- several cards dropped into a single: it turns into a pile
Container selection
The Select Containers button on the bottom wall switches it on. While it is lit:
- tapping a container selects the whole container, not the card
- flip, shuffle, lock and the type change work on the selected container
- you cannot grab the cards one by one
A locked container can only be selected with a long press in this mode as well.
Rotate
A selected container turns as one rigid body, not card by card. How the button works is described on the Toolbar page: a tap turns it by 45 degrees, and dragging from the button refines it in steps of 15. A locked container does not turn: the button appears, but the container stays where it is.
A rotated row lines its cards up in its own, turned direction. Drop a card into such a row and the card settles at 0 degrees relative to the row, exactly as in a row that was never rotated.
Holding a container over the Rotate button during a drag turns it in steps of 45 degrees, see Drag and drop.