My family loves games. We have acquired quite a large collection over the years. We used to have a family game night, but we have unfortunately let it disappear in the busyness of this season of our lives. We definitely need to try to add that back soon!
Loving games as I do, I was pleased to be selected to review Tri-Cross by Games for Competitors. I received two versions of the game to review: the standard edition and the eco-edition.
Tri-Cross is a game of strategy that is played with 2-4 people. The game consists of a board and tiles of 4 different colors. The tiles are marked with different numbers of +’s. There is a special Tri-Cross tile as well. The object of the game is to occupy the middle of the board for 4 turns, or to jump all of your opponents’ pieces and be the last player remaining. These videos explain the basics of game play and the more advanced levels.
The day we received our games, we opened them and starting reading the instructions. Or more accurately, I sent my 2 older children to read the instructions and try it out. They came back and said they thought they had played a game correctly, but they were a little unsure.
I read the instructions and kind of scratched my head. It is the kind of game that you just have to start playing while referring back to the instructions. Once we started playing, the game became more clear. We tried out the different variations and found that we prefer to play with 3-4 people and the pieces face down so your opponents don’t know your pieces until they challenge you. Actually, I found it challenging to remember my own pieces.
The game is both simple and complex. The rules are simple, but the complexity comes in the strategy. I have just scratched the surface of figuring out a good strategy and recognizing the strategies of my opponents. It is not as complex as chess (which none of us are big fans of) and the games are typically shorter. We all appreciate that about Tri-Cross.
I mentioned that I received 2 versions of the game. The eco-version differs from the standard in both its packaging and game board.
As you can see, the eco (or travel) version is packaged in a small bag. I like the small package because it is much easier to store and take with you.
The eco-version game board is made of cloth, but uses the same tiles as the standard version.
I like that the fabric game board it is easy to fold and stores compactly in the bag. However, we didn’t like playing the game on the cloth board as well as we did on the standard board. We had trouble with the pieces wanting to slide around due to the creases in the fabric. The problem is lessened if you play with the fabric board on a hard surface. If I were going to own only one version of Tri-Cross, it would be the standard board. But, I do foresee us taking the eco-version along on our next camping trip. Because when we camp, space is very important! Plus, when we camp it always rains, and the eco-version wouldn’t be damaged by the damp weather.
Tri-Cross is available to purchase on the Games for Competitors website. The standard version is available for $24.95, and the eco-version is only $19.95. Thank you Games for Competitors for sending us this fun new game!
Disclosure: I received this product as a member of TOS Homeschool Crew. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.
By Kristen H.
Sounds like a fun game. We are a board game family too. 🙂
That was very nice of them to send you 2 games. I think this is a game my family would enjoy.