Today we have a classic board game for you: Tri-Ominos! When was the last time you played? Or maybe this is a new game to you. Either way, I’m sure that you’ll find this an engaging game of strategy and fun.
Tri-Ominos was released in 1965 and is still sold today. With that much history you know it’s a good game and it joins other classics like UNO, Rummikub, Pit and Rack-O that have all stood the test of time and have been family favorites for years.
In this post we’ll cover how to play, the rules and how to win, and if you should add the Tri-Ominos board game to your Family Game Shelf. Let’s get to it!
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What is the Goal of Tri-Ominos?
The goal is to be the player who reaches 400 points first by placing triangle pieces that scores points.
How Do I set Up Tri-Ominos?
To start, turn all the Tri-Ominos over so there faces are hidden. Now carefully mix them up. All players now take the number of pieces needed depending on how many players there are.
For a 2 player game, each player takes 9 pieces each. If you have 3 or 4 players then they each take 7 each. For a 5 or 6 player game, you will each need 6 pieces each.
The rest of the pieces are set aside as the draw pile.
Once the pieces have been chosen, each player looks at their pieces and sets them up so that only they can see them.
The player who is keeping score will also need to start the score sheet as you score as you play and at the end of each round. To make scoring easier, we have made a Tri-Ominos score sheet that you can get in our free Fun Library. (You can get your password in the black box below.)
Each Tri-Omino is worth the sum of the numbers on the piece. For example, if you have the piece 2-4-5 this piece is worth 11 points. The piece with 0-4-5 is worth 9 points.
How Do I Play Tri-Ominos?
To start, the player with the highest triple pieces gets to go first. A triple is a piece that has all three numbers the same, for example all 5s or all 3s. The play places the Tri-Omino on the table face up and announces the score of her piece. For example, if she places the triple 4 piece, she would say 12 points. For placing the first piece she will also get a bonus 10 points. So, the triple 4 piece opener would be worth 22 points.
If the triple 0 is the opening piece, the piece is worth 0 points but the player will get an extra 30 bonus points as well as the 10 points for opening.
If no player has a triple Tri-Omino, then the player with the highest point value on a Tri-Omino goes first. He will score the number of point on the Tri-Omino but no bonus points.
At the end of your turn you do not pick up a piece. The play moves to the player on the left.
Player Two’s Turn
On your turn, you will need to place a Tri-Omino that matches two numbers on an existing Tri-Omino on the board. When you place a Tri-Omino, then you announce your score and the scorekeeper will add it to your score. For example, if you match the double four with a 2-4-4 piece then you would score 10 points.
If you can’t make a play, you keep pick up a Tri-Omino from the draw pile until you get a piece that you can play. This will cost you 5 points for each Tri-Omino that you drew into your hand. Once you have a Tri-Omino that you can play, your score is the amount of points on the piece minus your draw count. For example if you drew 3 Tri-Ominos and then placed the 4-4-5 piece your score would be 13 minus 15 for the draws for an overall score of minus 2.
Play continues like this.
If there are no more Tri-Ominos in the draw pile and you can’t play, then you will skip our turn and get a minus 10 score for that turn.
End of a Round
The winner of the round is the player who places all of their Tri-Ominos first. This player gets a bonus 25v points plus all of the points remain in the other players’ hands.
If all players have skipped their turns, the game is blocked and the player with the lowest points left int heir hand is the winner. She will get no bonus points for the win. She counts up the points left in her hand and subtracts that amount from the sum of all the other players’ points for her score.
For example, if player A has 0-2-2, player B has 2-4-5 and player C has 1-2-4 then player A wins the round. Her score is player B and C’s points 18 minus her hand (-4) for a score of 14.
At the end of the round, all of the Tri-Ominos are flipped and mixed. All players will draw a new hand and play a new round the same as before.
Is there any Special Scoring in Tri-Ominos?
Yes, there are two special ways to score that will have you scoring big.
First, if you can place a Tri-Omino that matches all three numbers and finishes a hexagon, you will score a bonus 50 points as well as the number sum of the numbers on your placed Tri-Omino.
Second, if you place a Tri-Omino that creates a bridge, you will get a bonus 40 points plus the score of the Tri-Omino. A bridge is when a Tri-Omino matches one side to an existing Tri-Omino and the point of the opposite Tri-Omino.
How Do I Win Tri-Ominos?
When a player reaches 400 points, the game is not over yet. The rest of the round is conducted. If at the end of the round only that player has 400 points or more, then they win.
If there are more than one player who reachs 400points in that round then the winner of the round, the player who places all of their Tri-Ominos first, is the winner.
What We Like
We like that at the surface, this game is very easy to learn. Do you have a ice that fits or will you have to pick up? But once you get playing, you will see that there is a strategy to it but there is also an element of luck to it. The quality (even after all these years) is still excellent. Most of all, we like that there is no early or clear winner. If it seems like one player is clearly going to win, just wait a round and the tables are most likely to turn. It’s not over until the last round.
What We Don’t Like
The biggest draw back to Tri-Ominos is the amount of math. Each time you play a piece, you have to add and then the score keeper has to add the scores constantly. This can make the job of score keeper rather tedious. Also, if can be hard to mix the tiles together without flipping them over. This is a small inconvenience but you do have to be careful.
Should You Add Tri-Ominos to your Family Game Shelf?
If you haven’t played Tri-Ominos before, then you should give it a try. It is a classic that has been a favorite with families for more than 50 years. All those people can’t be wrong all those years! We recommend adding Tri-Ominos to your Family Game Shelf. It’s great math practice as well as critical thinking and strategy.
You can get your copy of Tri-Ominos here; Canadians here.
Don’t forget to get your free score sheet in our free Fun Library. (You can get your password in the black box below.)
Be sure to visit our Family Game Shelf shop where you can find tons of fun with games like Dice Sticks, Three Strikes and Word Hunter! There’s something for everyone!
Rating:
Joel:
Julia:
For more fun games check out these posts:
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Rack-O
Rummikub
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