Triplica review

By Paco Garcia Jaen

Sometimes one just wants a simple game without much complications and that can be played in minutes. From time to time a respite from long and complex rules and games sessions that have to last 1/2 day for a resolution to be found.

Now if I tell you that playing Tic-Tac-Toe can be fun, you’ll probably just leave this website and never come back. So I shan’t say it, but what Triplica does is to take the basic rules of Tic-Tac-Toe, mix it with a bit of Snap and give you a really entertaining experience.

Triplica, produced by FunQ Games is a incredibly simple and fast card game for 1 to 6 players in which the players compete to create a chain of three matching symbols, either horizontally or diagonally, while trying to stop the other players from achieving theirs. The type of symbols each player has to use to create the chain of three is determined by drawing from a specific deck of cards. As you will have guessed by now, a chain of three symbols is a Triplica.

The cards decks come in a very sturdy box about twice the size of the cards themselves. Inside there is an instructions leaflet. Yep, I said leaflet. It doesn’t take more than a few words to explain the rules.

The cards are sturdy enough and will withstand a lost of play. Considering this game is pretty perfect to play with children. Anyone over 8 or 9 years of age will grasp the rules and will be able to play. There are 60 cards in the play deck, and 36 cards in the goals deck. The play cards, with a blue back, have three symbols each. The goal cards tell the players what chain of symbols they have to link, Ellipse, star, rhomboid, rectangle, cross and asterisk. The number of players will determine how many cards are laid on the table. 3 for two players game and up to 5 for a 5 or 6 players game.

The first player to create 5 Triplicas wins the game.

There isn’t much about Triplica I dislike. It is a humble and simple game that does a great job entertaining for a while and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. You will not find a huge depth of gameplay, though it does a great job of keeping things tense and entertaining for a while. It can be as frustrating to see how your opponent thwarts your move time and again, as it can be satisfying to draw the right card just when you thought you lost the round (again!).

The size means it can be taken in any pocket and can be played on pretty much any hard surface. With a game of two lasting anything between 5 and 15 minutes (if you play really slowly!), it is a great little game for a quick train journey, or to play whilst having a coffee waiting for someone to arrive while u have a solo game.

Triplica is in my rucksack and it will be coming with me pretty much anywhere from now on. Considering how little it costs, you should carry one with you too!

The game can be purchased easily in the USA, and hopefully we will have it in Europe soon enough too!