Triominoes Rules

Triominoes is a game derived from regular dominoes. A triomino is a triangle with three numbers written on it. The players take turns connecting triominoes together by matching an identical side. The game is played by 2 to 4 players.

Contents of the Game

• 56 triominoes
• 4 easels
• 1 rulebook

Objective of the Game

The game is played over several rounds, the first player to score 400 points is the winner.

Setting Up the Game

• On a sheet of paper, draw as many columns as there are players.
• Lay all the triominoes face down on the table and shuffle them. 
• The number of triominoes given to each player varies depending on the number of players:
  • 2 players: 9 triominoes each
  • 3 to 4 players: 7 triominoes each
• As the game progresses, points will be added to or subtracted from each player.
• Each player must place their triominoes on their easel to make sure the opponents cannot see their faces.
• The unused triominoes will be the draw pile. Set them aside.
  

How the Game Is Played

• The player who has  the highest triple (the highest triomino with 3 identical digits) starts the game. (Example: A triple 5 beats a triple 2.)

• This triomino must be placed face up on the table. This is the starting triple.
  • The player who places the starting triple scores 10 points plus the value of the tile they placed. (Example: 10 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 25)
  • There is an exception to this rule: If the starting triomino is a triple 0, the player who placed it receives 40 points. (A triple 0 can be placed as the starting triple if it’s the only triple any player has, or if the player with the highest triple also has the triple 0 and chooses to place it. In the latter case, the player must reveal the highest triple to their opponents before placing the triple 0.)
• If no player has a triple, the one with the highest regular tiromino starts. (For Example: 5 + 5 + 4)
  • That player will then score the value of their triomino. (5 + 5 + 4 = 14)
• Players take turns clockwise. Every turn, a player must place a triomino with at least two numbers identical to the triominoes on the table.

• They then score the sum of the digits written on the triomino that’s been on the table. (5 + 5 + 2 = 12)

If a Player Doesn’t Have a Matching Triomino

If a player doesn’t have a triomino that matches the ones on the table, they can do the following:

• Draw triominoes from the facedown draw pile.
• You can draw up to three triominoes.
• With each draw, 5 points will be deducted from you.
• Once you’ve found a playable triomino, you will score its value as usual.
• If after three draws you still cannot find a triomino to play, 10 additional points will be deducted from you, and the game continues.
• If the draw pile is empty, the turn passes to the next player.
  

Winning a Round

• The first player to have played all their triominoes wins the round.
  • 25 points are awarded to the winner plus the value of the remaining triominoes of their opponents.
• If the game is blocked, every player counts their triominoes and the player with the lowest total wins the round.
  • In this case, the winner’s score will be the value of their opponents’ triominoes minus the value of their own triominoes.
• To start a new round, all triominoes must be placed face down on the table and shuffled before you proceed as before.

Winning the Game

• The first player to reach 400 points wins the game.
• If a player reaches 400 points during a round, keep playing until the round ends.
• If several players reach 400 points during a round, the player who manages to play their last triomino wins.

Bonus Points

• If a player succeeds in forming a complete hexagon, they score the value of the triomino they placed plus 50 points. (In the example below, the player places 0-0-1 to complete the hexagon and so they score the following: 0 + 0 + 1 + 50 = 51)

• If a player manages to form a bridge, that is to say to connect two opposing triominoes, they score the value of the triomino the placed plus 40 points. (In the example below 1-2-5 was placed, therefore the player who placed it receives the following: 1 + 2 + 5 + 40 = 48)

• If a bridge has been formed in a previous turn and a player manages to attach an additional triomino to it, they score the value of the additional triomino plus 40 points. (In the example below 1-1-5 was added to a bridge, therefore the player receives the following score: 1 + 1 + 5 + 40 = 47)

Official rules in PDF

Explore the official Triominoes rules in PDF.