Triad

If you are reading these rules for the first time, ignore the text along the right hand side. These rules serve as a summary to help you quickly familiarize yourself with the game.

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Triad

Overview

Triad (pronounced Tree-Ad) is an abstract game for two players which uses dice, but requires no luck to win.

Players move their dice on the board trying to create combinations called Triads.

The first player to make three Triads is the winner.

What’s in the box

1 Game board, depicting a 6x6 cell grid.
12 dice (6 orange, 6 black), each showing the values I, II, III.
This rulebook.

Setting up the game

Place the board between the players, so that each faces one of its sides.

Each player chooses a color.

Players take all dice of their color, they roll all of them once and place them on the board on two opposite sides of the grid, in ascending order from left to right (Fig. 1).

Black begins the first game. Should you decide to play more than one game in a row, alternate the starting player.

On Yucata the starting player gets randomly assigned.

Playing the game

Each turn, the active player follows these steps in order (Fig. 2):

They select any one of their own dice (even one that has been previously moved);
They change the value of the chosen die, turning it so that the upper face shows a different value;
They move the chosen die in a straight line in any one direction (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) an exact number of spaces equal to the new value of the die.

Fig. 2 - Selecting, changing and moving a die

Note: A die that cannot complete its movement cannot be moved at all (Fig. 3). While changing the value of the chosen die, the player must select a value that allows them to move the die. Should no new value of the die allow the player to move it, the die cannot be chosen. A die may never move through another die, nor may it end its movement in the same space as another die.

Note 2: In the extremely rare case a player finds themselves in such a position as to not be able to select any die (and only in such occurrence), because no value would allow the die to be moved, the player may choose to either change the value of one die without moving it or move one die without changing its value.

Making a Triad

A Triad is a line of three dice which follow these simple rules (Fig. 6):

The three dice form a straight line in any one direction, including diagonally (Fig. 4);
At least one die belongs to the active player and at least one to the opponent (you cannot make a Triad with just your own dice);
The dice have either all the same value (I-I-I, II-II-II, III-III-III) or all different values (1-II-III, III-1-II etc.). In the case of all different values, the order is not important.

Fig. 6 - Valid and invalid Triads

As soon as, after moving their die, a player forms a Triad, they declare it, choose one of their own dice that is part of the Triad, and remove it from the game (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5 - Removing a die from a Triad

Note: Should the movement of a die make two or more Triads in the same turn, the active player must choose one of the Triads from which to remove one die. A Triad that is already formed at the beginning of a player’s turn does not allow them to remove a die. A valid Triad may be part of a line of 4 or more dice.

Winning the game

The first player to make three Triads, thus removing three of their own dice from the game, is the winner.

Fig. 1 - Setting up

Fig. 2 - Selecting, changing and moving a die

Fig. 3 - Valid movement options

Fig. 4 - Making a Triad

Fig. 5 - Removing a die from a Triad

Fig. 6 - Valid and invalid Triads

Hints for handling

In the options of the game window, you may change the dice- and board colors.

There you may also acticate the display of the coordinates.