Blokus Trigon
Blokus Trigon Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- A board with 486 triangles.
- 88 pieces in four different colours (22 pieces of each colour).
Each of the 22 pieces is a different shape. There are: 1 piece with one triangle, 1 piece with two triangles, 1 piece with three triangles, 3 pieces with four triangles, 4 pieces with five triangles, and 12 pieces with six triangles (see figure 1).
Goal of the Game
Each player has to fit as many of his/her 22 pieces on the board as possible.
How to Play Blokus Trigon (Four Players)
a) Each player chooses a colour and places that set of 22 pieces in front of his/her side of the board. The order of play is as follows: blue, yellow, red, green.
b) The first piece played by each player must cover one of the starting points indicated by the triangle symbol (see figure 2).
c) Each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same colour but without contact between two sides (see figure 3).
d) There are no restrictions on how many pieces of different colours may be in contact with each other. Three colours may touch at the same intersection (see figure 4).
Once a piece has been placed on the board, it cannot be moved during subsequent turns.
End of the Game
The game ends for a player when he/she is blocked and can no longer put down any pieces or that player has run out of pieces. However, a player must play if it is possible to play.
The game ends when all the players are blocked from laying down any more of their pieces. This includes any players who have placed all of their pieces on the board.
Scores are tallied, and the player with the highest score is the winner.
Scoring: Each player then counts the number of unit triangles in his/her remaining pieces (1 unit triangle = -1 point). A player earns +15 points if all of his/her pieces have been placed on the board, plus 5 additional bonus points if the last piece placed on the board was the smallest piece (one triangle).
Figure 5 shows an example of a completed game where the blue player has won.
- The blue player has placed all his/her pieces, and the smallest piece has been played last. Score: +20 points
- The yellow player could not place 2 four-triangle pieces, 1 five-triangle piece, and 3 six-triangle pieces: -31 points
- The red player could not place 1 four-triangle piece and 1 five-triangle piece: -9 points
- The green player could not place 3 four-triangle pieces: -12 points
Duration of a Game
A game generally lasts 20 to 30 minutes.
Strategic Tips
- At the start of the game, move so as to occupy as much space as possible on the board, in every direction. If you stay confined to the area where you started, you won't be able to place many pieces.
- Try to place your biggest pieces on the board early in the game. If you save them for the end of the game, there may no longer be enough room to place them.
- Make the most of your pieces' characteristics. Depending on their shape, pieces have offensive or defensive potential, so learn to use them correctly.
- Throughout the game, always keep at least one way out on each side of the area around your colour (or colours).
- When you play, you must take into account the pieces you have left, but also those of your opponent. Your opponent may not be able to use an area that is still empty if he/she doesn't have the right pieces.
Reminder: Players who manage to place all of their pieces can earn up to 20 points. Prevent your opponent from placing all of his/her pieces on the board even if this prevents you from placing some of your own pieces.
Game Variations
Four Players (Alternate Rule)
The difficulty level can be increased by adopting the following rule: pieces of the same colour may touch only at the corners. Any contact between the corner of one piece and the side of another piece of the same colour is forbidden (see figure 6).
Three Players
- Each player chooses a colour. One colour will not be used.
- The game is played only on the bright-coloured spaces of the board. The dull-coloured spaces on the outer edge must not be used (see figure 7).
- The first piece played by each player must cover one of the starting points indicated by a triangle. There are 6 starting points and 3 players, so one starting point will be left unoccupied between each player.
- The order of play and the calculation of the final score remain the same as in a standard 4-player game.
Two Players
- The order of play remains the same: blue, yellow, red, green.
- One player controls the blue and red pieces, the other player the yellow and green pieces.
- The first piece placed on the board must cover one of the starting points indicated by a triangle. The starting pieces of the same player must be placed symmetrically on the board (see figure 2: the blue piece is placed opposite the red piece, and the yellow piece opposite the green piece).
- At the end of the game, each player calculates his/her score by adding together the points of his/her colours. The winner is the player with the highest score.
The alternate rule described above (Four Players (Alternate Rule)) can be applied to the variants below.
Teams (two teams of two players, four players total)
- The order of play remains the same: blue, yellow, red, then green.
- One team controls the blue and red pieces, the other team the yellow and green pieces.
- At the end of the game, each team calculates its score by adding together the points of its members. The winners are the players of the team that reached the highest score.
Solo Puzzle
- Eighty-Eight: Play a classic 4-player game by yourself, trying to place all 88 pieces on the board.
- You can also create patterns with the pieces.
Blokus Trigon was designed based on an original idea by Bernard Tavitian.