Tripolo
Tripolo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The game contains 64 playing cards. They show:
- four different colours: red, blue, purple and yellow
- four different shapes: circle, diamond (Karo), plus and star
- four different quantities: 0, 1, 2 and 3 waves
The box also contains 2 blank replacement cards and 12 chips.
Goal of the Game
Every player tries to get rid of their cards as fast 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, a column or a diagonal that all share at least one of the three properties: colour, shape or quantity. For example, three red cards, three cards with the quantity 3, or three star cards.
By forming new Triples at high speed, the players keep building on the table until someone plays their last card and wins.
Setup
Shuffle the 64 cards thoroughly. Then lay out the first 9 cards face up in the middle of the table as a 3 x 3 grid, so that all players can easily reach it.
Deal the remaining cards face down among the players so that each player receives the same number of cards. Any surplus cards are placed face up, one on top of any card of the grid.
Each player places their own cards in a face-down stack in front of them. (Do not look at them yet!)
The chips are only needed if you play several rounds. Set them out ready for that case.
Gameplay
On the call "Auf die Triple ... fetzig ... los!" ("On to the Triples ... zippy ... go!") all players try at the same time to play their cards onto the 3 x 3 grid in the middle of the table, matching them correctly. The first player to get rid of all their cards is the winner.
-
There is no hand limit. Each player decides for themselves how many cards to take from their stack into their hand, and in what way, before playing them to the middle of the table. One player may prefer to always play with only 2 or 3 cards in hand during the game, while another may prefer to choose from more cards in hand. Everyone can find the best way for themselves.
-
You may only ever play a single matching card at a time, never several at once. The new card is always placed on top of a card already lying on the table, so the 3 x 3 grid always remains, though the stacks may end up at different heights.
-
Every card you play must, together with two cards already lying on the table, 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 quantity), and that property must be a different one from the property that was already lying there before!
(See the detailed examples below.)
-
Note: If, when playing 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 another row, column or diagonal.
-
Whenever a player forms a Triple, they must name its property, for example "Red" or "Circle" or "Two" ... This keeps the other players informed and gives them the chance to check that the Triple is correct.
-
It can happen that a player cannot play any card because nobody can currently play. In that case they must wait until a new opportunity arises. If nobody can play any more, the game ends (see End of the Game).
Examples of Triples
The sheet shows a 3 x 3 grid of cards numbered 1 to 9 (top row 1-2-3, middle row 4-5-6, bottom row 7-8-9):
- Card 1 can take "Blue" or "1" placed on it.
- Card 2 can take "1" placed on it.
- Card 3 can take "Blue" placed on it.
- Card 4 can take "0" or "Blue" placed on it.
- Card 5 currently cannot take anything placed on it.
- Card 6 can take "1" placed on it.
- Card 7 can take "Circle" or "1" placed on it.
- Card 8 currently cannot take anything placed on it.
- Card 9 can take "Circle", "Purple" or "3" placed on it.
The blue 2-circle card may not be placed on cards 2, 5 or 8, because that would not change the "Circle" property in the top row or in the middle column respectively. It may, however, be placed on cards 1 or 3, because that would create a new Triple ("Blue") in the diagonal or in the right-hand column respectively. In addition, it could also be placed on cards 4 ("Blue"), 7 ("Circle") or 9 ("Circle"), but not on card 6.
Vertriplet?
Should something go wrong in the heat of the moment (a card placed incorrectly, stacks in the middle of the table that have slipped, cards that have fallen down, and so on), call "Stop!" and pause the game briefly until everything is correct again.
End of the Game
As soon as a player plays their last card, they call "Ausgetriplet!" ("Triple out!") and have won.
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 one chip. The first player to hold four chips is the overall winner.
Variant
If players of different strength are taking part, you can agree to play with a handicap. The more experienced players then simply receive more cards at the start of the game than the others.