3 sided dominoes .... (Deluxe Tri Ominoes)

Member Name: competition.man

Product:	Deluxe Tri Ominoes
Date:	07/01/05 (4520 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: addictive, compulsive

Disadvantages: annoying, rules variations

-0- TriOminos by Goliath - the three sided domino game -0-

Just how many of us know of the traditional game of dominoes ? Now how many of you have played it ? No doubt 90+% of us will say yes .
Now ask yourselves the the same questions replacing the word dominoes with the word triominos , and I bet the answer is less than 5% . Yet strangly the game of Trionimos , as we know it today has been around since 1968 and has changed very little . Itself however is based on an American card game entitled Contack , that first appeared in 1938 and was released by Parker Bros. - bet most of you didn't know that !

-0- What is a triomino ? -0-

Basically a triangular tile , each corner having a number ranging from 0 - 5 inclusive . A game set comprises of 54 unique triominos , ie no one triomino is repeated .

-0- How do you play ? -0-

As with normal dominoes , the aim is to match side on side with in-play trominos , with a view to being the first to play out all of his/her triominos . Each triomino played scores points , and as a general rule , the first person to reach a total of 400 points wins the match .

-0- Rules -0-

This is the tricky part , as while the game has differed very little in appearance since its conception , the rules of the game seem to vary according to where it is played , so it is impossible to give an accurate set of rules . I will however provide the current English ( UK ) rules , and to aside list some of the known alternatives.

1) The number of players shall be between 2 and 8 in number . The recommended age for playing this game is 8 yrs. . Strangely enough though the UK deluxe version only provides tile racks for 4 players ( additional players have to use the palms of their hands to hold their triominos ) .

2) The number of players determines how many triominos you have at the start of a game . In a two player game you start with nine triominos , eight for 3 players etc. etc.

3) At the start all the triominos are placed face down on the playing surface . Each player takes a triomino and the highest starts the game first . In the case of a tie , those players involved re-draw a triomino . Once the starter has been arranged , the triominos are place face down again and all shuffled before your alloted amount of trionimos are choosen in turn . Play goes in a clockwise direction . ( We find it easier to place the triominos in a cloth bag , thus reducing the amount of space reuired to play the game) .

4) The player chosen first place down any triomino of his choice . ( A variation is to do step 3 , then the player with the highest treble triomino available starts first , if none have been drawn then the player with the highest scoring triomino in their hand starts ) . The player scores the value of the numbers on placed triomino ( In the varied game , a treble scores an additional 25 points , excepting the treble 0 which scores an additional 40 points ) .

5) Players then take it in turns to lay down their triominos , ensuring that an exact match occurs on the sides joined , ie a 5 has to joined to a 5 .

5a) A player at any time may decide not to play a held triomino , or simply may not be able to play one . In such a case that player then draws from the remaining stock pile of triominos . Each tile drawn loses the player 5 points . Should a drawn tile be playable then it can be done so immediately thus scoring its value less the 5 points for the pickup . the maximum amount of tiles a player can pick up in one go is 3 . Should this happen and the player cannot place down his triomino ( or refuses to ) then an additional ten points is also deducted from his score , making a total deduction of 25 points .

6) Play continues until either a player has no tiles left , or no player can play a legal tile , or a player reaches 400 points during play .

6a) In the case where a player has no triominos left , he scores a bonus of 25 points and play continues so that all players have had the same amount of turns , after which he also scores the value of his opponents remaining tiles ( in some varied games , a treble 0 will have a bonus of 40 points ) .
6b) In the case where no player can play , the person with the lowest total tile values will be classified the winner , but will have his tile values deducted from his score and the values of his opponents tiles added to his score. Where values are equal , the winner is decided by the lowest unique tile value of the players involved .
6c) Where a player reaches 400 points the game continues as with rules 6a/b and the player with the highest score ( not always the player who reached 400 points during the round ) at the end of the round is the winner .

7) Bonus points can be obtained by :
7a) Playing a treble tile ( This is a varied rule , 40 points for a teble 0 , score + 25 for other trebles ) .
7b) Completing a whole hexagon scores an additional 50 points : If a double hexagon is completed due to a tile being completed , then this addition score is increased to 60 points ( the varied rules change this bonus value to 100 points ) .
7c) If a bridge is completed ( ie bridging two corners rather than a straight tile edge ) then an additional 40 points are scored by the player . A bridge can be internal or external facing . ( In the varied rules if the next players imediately plays onto this bridged tile , he will also gain an additional 40 points ) .

-0- Gameplay hints and tips -0-

Treble tiles are the hardest to get rid of and it is in your best interest to play these early on . It is possible to be stuck with a treble tile and never be able to play it.
It is not always wise to play a legal triomino , and picking from the stack can be a worthwhile investment . At the same time , it can also prove to be a bad investment .
When playing a triomino weigh up the possiblity of giving away bonus point scoring opportunities , more so where their are more than 2 players playing.
Players should learn how many of a particular triomino set are in play and how many are still in other players hands or in the stack ( eg . there are six triominos with a double 0 present , these are 0 0 0 , 0 0 1 , 0 0 2 , 0 0 3 , 0 0 4 , 0 0 5 so there a 6 trionimos for other combinations as well , eg 0 0 1, 1 0 1 , 2 0 1 , 3 0 1 , 4 0 1 , 5 0 1 etc. ) . With this learnt you should never be left with an unplayable tile , or at the same time you could hold a master tile .
Gaining maximum score per play is not always the best method of play - read ahead of the game taking note of the tiles in your hand.

-0- Gameplay -0-

Whilst the above may seem a little ominous , the game is soon learnt and provides for an interesting and often competitive game . Best played by a group of adults , a round can last between 5 and 20 minutes and a full game upto an hour - it all depends on the number of players .
It can also be very frustration , when for example you find yourself with a tile that has for example ; a 0 5 face , yet only faces with 5 0 are in play , so you tile cannot be played against them ) ; a player deliberately picks from the pile knowing that you yourself cannot go on your next move , hence requiring you to pick from the pile ; a player where possible continually plays tiles so as not to leave the possiblity for other players to play any held trebles .
Sticking to one set of rules does simplify the game , however the possibilities exist to encorporate the varied rules or add your own ( for example if young children want to play , score 1 point per tile played with no penalties for picking up from the stack . Each round winner scores an additional 5 points - with the game winner the first to score 50 points ) .

-0- Availability -0-

Try a search on the web or try a major toy shop such as Toys R Us . Prices vary from arounf £7.99 to £15.99 depending upon the version you buy . Whichever version you buy the pieces / gameplay is the same , you simply pay more for a better qaulity tile . I myself have the deluxe version which has composit tiles with centre brass pin for easier pickup and shuffling . On ebay games can be bought from as little as £2.99 + P&P .

-0- Overview -0-

An unusual and exceptional game , adding a new twist to the traditional dominoes game . Well worth investing in .

Summary: