Chromino
Chromino Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 75 Chromino tiles, all unique, using combinations of 5 colors.
- 5 Chameleon Chromino tiles, combining 2 different colors and a central square with a symbol.
- 1 bag containing all the Chromino tiles and used to draw from.
- Game instructions and a "Conundrum" (on reverse).
Principle and Aim of the Game
The principle of the game is to play your Chromino tiles next to each other with at least two contacts between identically colored squares.
Figure 1: correct contact between two colors... — a two-square purple/red tile is played diagonally against a row of tiles reading red, red, green, with two arrows showing the tile's red square making contact with the row's two red squares: both contacts match colors, so the placement is legal.
Figure 2: correct contact between two colors, but... — a two-square purple/green tile is placed against a row of three red squares, so that the purple square would touch one red square and the green square would touch another. This position is forbidden because different colors cannot be in contact (in this case, green and purple against red).
As well as the 75 basic tiles, there are also 5 "Chameleon" Chromino tiles. Their central square with symbol is surrounded by 2 normal colored squares.
The central square of a Chameleon Chromino can be placed in contact with any other color. This means it can therefore be in contact with one color on one side and a different color on the other!
Each player attempts to be the first to play all the Chromino tiles dealt at the beginning or drawn during the game.
The winner is the first player to play all their Chromino tiles.
Setting Up the Game
- Before the game begins, the players should look for a Chameleon Chromino tile. This first tile should be placed color-side-up in the center of the table. This Chromino tile will be the base around which the game will be built.
- All the remaining Chromino tiles are placed in the bag.
- Next, each player in turn draws eight tiles from the bag at random and places them on the table in front of him without showing them to the other players.
The game can then begin.
Playing the Game
The youngest player begins (or the first player is randomly picked).
The game is then played clockwise.
When it is a player's turn to play, two situations can occur:
- The player has a Chromino tile he can place on the table according to the minimum two contacts rule. He plays his Chromino, and the turn passes to the player on his left.
- The player cannot place any of his Chromino tiles: he must draw another Chromino randomly from the bag (if there are any left).
- If he can, the player must place the drawn Chromino tile. The turn passes on to the next player.
- If he can't place the Chromino tile, the player must keep it and pass his turn. The turn passes on to the next player.
It should be mentioned that the more the game spreads, the more possibilities you will have for fulfilling the two contact rule. It is in fact often possible to be able to make 3, 4, 5 or even 6 contacts when placing a single Chromino tile.
The accompanying diagram shows tiles branching outward from a central Chameleon tile in several directions at once, with curved arrows tracing the paths of contact between tiles and a few tiles labeled 3, 5, 2, and 4 - illustrating how a single Chromino placement can create several simultaneous color contacts as the layout spreads.
Ending the Game
As soon as a player is left with only one remaining Chromino, he should place it color-side-up in front of him, so it is visible to all.
A player cannot play a Chameleon Chromino as his last tile. If the last tile he has left is a Chameleon Chromino he will have to draw a new tile.
The first player to place his last Chromino tile wins the game. However, the other players should continue to play until the end of the current turn, and if any other players managed to place their last Chromino during this last turn, they will be declared joint winners.
Alternative Versions
The rules or alternative version selected at the beginning of the game should be kept for the whole game.
Drawing New Chromino Tiles
At the start of the game, players can agree to:
- follow the basic rule as stated above;
- or to continue to draw new tiles until the player draws a Chromino tile that can be placed in the game, with no limit to the maximum number of draws in a row;
- or proceed as above, but limit the number of unsuccessful draws in a row to 3, 4 or 5, for example.
Managing Your Hand of Chromino Tiles
At the start of the game, players can agree to:
- hide their Chromino tiles (as stated above);
- or - especially if the game is being played by a large number of players - to place them face up in front of each player, so the others can see what they have left.
Junior Play
If you are playing Chromino with young children, you can teach them to play by playing the game like regular Dominoes, by only making a single contact of identical color between the ends of the tiles.
By placing the Chameleon Chromino tiles perpendicularly (like doubles in the game of Dominoes), the game will be able to spread in several directions, as this is one of the specificities of Chromino.
Example (Junior): a horizontal row of ten tiles runs purple, Chameleon, yellow, yellow, green, purple, Chameleon, green, yellow, green; a branch of five tiles - yellow, blue, blue, red, green - descends perpendicularly from the second Chameleon tile, showing the game spreading in two directions from that Chameleon.
Expert Play
It is possible, and even recommended for regular players, to play Chromino by giving a score to each tile placement, depending on the complexity of the tile itself and the position it is finally placed in.
- Each Chromino is given a value equal to the number of different colors it is made up of (1, 2 or 3 points - Chameleon Chromino tiles being worth 3 points).
- As each Chromino tile is placed, add the value of the Chromino being placed to the value of all the tiles it is placed in contact with.
Example (Expert): the diagram shows two worked placements on a field of colored tiles, with arrows pointing from each newly placed tile to the tiles it touches and the resulting sum written alongside - 2+1 = 3 for one placement, and 2+1+2 = 5 together with 3+3 = 6 for two placements in the second grouping.
The Conundrums
Conundrums offer a different way to play.
The aim of this exercise is to find all the possible positions for the given Chromino tile or tiles. The number next to each one is the maximum number of different positions that can be found.
Good luck!
The conundrum diagram shows a large irregular field of colored tiles already placed on the table, including a red tile marked "5" and a blue tile marked "7" - each number is the count of legal positions to be found for placing a Chromino tile against that part of the field.