Tribulation
Tribulation Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
49 square number tokens 50 round number tokens
Game Setup
The 49 square number cards are mixed and laid out in seven rows of 7 cards on the table, with numbers face up. The round number cards are mixed and placed concealed in the box lid.
[Figure: a 7 x 7 grid of square number cards, with three adjacent cards highlighted.]
Gameplay
Designate the starting player. The first player reveals one of the round number cards from the top of the stack, so all players can see the number on it.
Everyone now tries to be the first that from will find from the 49 designed number tokens, three adjacent ones with which one can form the revealed number. Two of the three numbers are multiplied together, and the third of them subtracted or added. The three numbers may lie horizontally, vertically or diagonally next to one another, but not at an angle (see figure).
For example: 32 = 5 x 7 − 3 or: 32 = 5 x 6 + 2
The number 32 was revealed. A teammate was the first who found three valid adjacent tokens: the numbers 5, 7 and 3. He has won the round card because 5 x 7 = 35; 35 − 3 = 32. You might as well have won the card with the combination 5, 6 and 2, or 5, 8 and 8. The order of the numbers does not matter. You can also multiply the 1st and 3rd numbers and add or subtract the middle number. The only condition is that all 3 digits are side by side in the manner described above. For every number, there are so many possible combinations that almost always a solution can be found. If it really does not work to find three matching numbers next to each other, the round card is removed from the play in this game.
[Figure: the revealed number 32 with three solutions: 32 = 6 x 5 + 2; 32 = 5 x 7 − 3; 32 = 5 x 8 − 8.]
End of the Game
It is played until all the 50 round number cards are used up. The winner is the player who has collected the most round number cards at the end.
Shorten Game Duration
The round number tokens have inscribed numbers from 1 to 50. If the playing time is too long for 50 tokens, it is up to the players to set about half of the mixed tokens aside. This is especially useful for children and for kids who have to think and look long before finding a combination.