Triple³
Triple³ Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
64 playing cards, showing:
- four different colours: red, blue, purple and yellow
- four different shapes: circle, diamond, plus and star
- four different quantities: 0, 1, 2 and 3 waves
2 spare cards (blank)
12 chips
Goal
In this fast-paced game, everyone tries to get rid of their cards as quickly as possible by using them to form "triples" in the middle of the table. A triple is a combination of three cards in a row, column or diagonal that all share one of the three properties colour, shape or number, e.g. three red cards, or three 3s, or three stars, or ...
In this way the players keep forming new triples at breakneck speed with their cards, until someone plays their last card and wins.
Setup
Shuffle the 64 cards well. Then lay out the first 9 cards face up in the middle of the table as a 3 x 3 grid, so that all of you can easily reach it.
Next, deal the remaining cards face down among you so that everyone receives the same number of cards. Place any surplus cards face up on any card of the grid.
Each player places their cards in a face-down pile in front of them. (Do not look at them yet!)
The chips are only needed if you play several rounds. Keep them ready for that case.
Gameplay
After the call "On the triple ... zippy ... go!", you all try at the same time to play your cards onto the 3 x 3 grid in the middle of the table, as quickly as possible, where they match. The first player to get rid of all their cards is the winner.
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There is no hand-card limit. How many cards you take from your pile into your hand, in order to play them into the middle of the table, is up to each of you. For example, one player may prefer always to play with only 2 or 3 cards in hand, while another would rather choose from more hand cards. Everyone can find the best way for themselves ...
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You may only ever play a single matching card, never several at once. The new card is always placed on a card that is already face up, i.e. the 3 x 3 grid always remains, though with stacks of different heights.
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Every card you play must, together with two cards already face up, form a new triple, either in a row, in a column or in one of the two diagonals. That means all three cards concerned must share at least one property (colour, shape or number) — and that property must be a different one from the one that was there before!
(See the detailed examples below.)
Note: If, when placing a card in a row, column or diagonal, a second property also happens to match, this is neither helpful nor a hindrance. The same applies if a played card also forms a triple in a further row, column or diagonal.
Examples of Triples
Card 1 can be covered with "Blue" or "1". Card 2 can be covered with "1". Card 3 can be covered with "Blue". Card 4 can be covered with "0" or "Blue". Card 5 currently cannot be covered with anything. Card 6 can be covered with "1". Card 7 can be covered with "Circle" or "1". Card 8 currently cannot be covered with anything. Card 9 can be covered with "Circle", "Purple" or "3".
(Grid layout: cards 1, 2, 3 in the top row; 4, 5, 6 in the middle row; 7, 8, 9 in the bottom row.)
The card "blue 2 circle" may not be placed on cards 2, 5 or 8, because that would not change the property "Circle" in the top row or the middle column. It may, however, be placed on cards 1 or 3, because that would form a new triple ("Blue") in the diagonal or in the right-hand column respectively. It may also be placed on cards 4 ("Blue"), 7 ("Circle") or 9 ("Circle"), but not on card 6.
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Whenever a player forms a triple, they must name its property, e.g. "Red" or "Circle" or "Two" ... This keeps the other players informed and gives them the chance to confirm that the triple is correct.
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It can happen that a player cannot play any card, because at that moment none of the cards match. In that case they must wait until a new opportunity arises. If nobody can play any more, the game ends (see End of Game).
Mistriplet?
If, in the heat of the battle, something goes wrong (a card placed incorrectly, stacks in the middle of the table that have slipped, cards that have fallen down, etc.), call "Stop!" and pause the game briefly until everything is correct again.
End of Game
As soon as a player plays their last card, they call "Out-tripled!" and have won. However, the game also ends if no player can play a matching card any more. In that case, the player with the fewest remaining cards wins.
If you agreed at the start to play several rounds, each winner of a round receives a chip. The first player to hold four chips is the overall winner.
Variant
If players of different strengths are playing, you may agree to play with a "handicap": the more experienced players simply receive more cards at the start of the game than the others.