[Tutorial] How to play Triple Triad

[pursuited]

Well, I thought that the Triple Triad mini game would be a major hit. Well I was mistaken. Because no one seems to know how to play it. Or they have never played Final Fantasy 8. So I will write you a nice and easy tutorial on how to play this wonderful game.

Best viewed with Miner New Style. Otherwise the background of some pictures will mismatch. Not a big problem, but as I said, its best viewed.

LETS BEGIN THE TUTORIAL

Lets start with a card:


Notice the four numbers in the upper left hand corner? Well those are the numbers you will be playing with. The numbers consist of four directions.

Up
Down
Left
Right

So lets put the numbers in the right spot.

Up = 6
Down = 4
Left = 5
Right = 8

So thats how we get the numbers. Now lets add another card.

Now what would his numbers be?
Up = 7
Down = 3
Left = 5
Right = 2

Now lets put them side by side.


Now using what we know we are going to start the basic concept of playing. Of those numbers which are next to each other in releation to the cards? Well The first card (the bat looking thing) RIGHT SIDE is faced against the second cards (worm looking things) LEFT SIDE.

So again First Cards RIGHT against Seconds Cards LEFT.
So lets get the numbers
First Cards RIGHT side: 8
Second Cards Left Side: 5

Now its a matter of which number is Higher. Well, the first card has a higher number. So in this case, the First card would turn over the right card.

Now how do we know which side is fighting which? Its easy. Just think of what side a card is faceing and use that direction.

Lets use another example using two different cards:



This example the cards are up and down. So we will use the top cards BOTTOM number and the bottom cards we will use its TOP number.
Top cards BOTTOM number: 4
Bottom cards TOP number: 1

Which one of these cards will lose? Yup, the bottom card will lose because 4 is bigger than 1.

Now that we got that basic part down, lets add the playing field.



The playing field is where you will place your cards. There are a total of 9 spots on the board. Meaning only 9 cards will be played.

The object of the game is to take over as many of your opponents cards as possible.

Now before you start a match, you can select up to 5 cards to play with. You can play with any mix match of cards you want just as long as you have them. Meaning, you can play with 5 of the same cards if you liked. Assuming you had 5 of one card.

Now the game randomly picks who goes first. Lets say we go first.

Let me show you the five cards I will use for this example.


Card 5
Now looking at all our cards you will noticed that the fifth card has the letter "A" in the RIGHT side. Well, all the letter A means is that it is equal to a 10. 10 is the highest number you can get.

Lets keep this simple. I labled the cards from left to right: Card 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

This way I can say I will move Card # to playing field #.

Now before we start placing cards I must point out the WALL. The wall is the outside edge of the playing field. Lets say you place a card in playing field 1. The card that is there has its TOP and LEFT numbers facing the wall. Meaning no cards can be to the left of it or on top of it. So that means you want to place cards in playing field one that has a LOW LEFT and LOW UP number.

Same rule of thumb applyies on all the corners.

With that being said, lets place some cards down.

Lets put CARD 2 on Playing FIELD 9. Why? Because on CARD 2 the BOTTOM and RIGHT numbers are low. And since they are against the wall, they can't be 'attacked' from those two sides.

Lets show the playing field with that move.



Now its the computers turn. We can't see his cards so I will not show you them. (However, there is a game rule called "open" which shows you his cards, but he can see your cards too. So the game is alot harder then)



The computer placed a card in playingfield number 8. And did you notice that his card he placed is red? Well, there are two colors of cards. Red and Blue. Well, blue is your cards and Red are his cards. IF you also look, you will notice your card in playingfield number 9 is red too.

Why is your card red? Well, that is because the computer took over your card. Why? Well, do you remember how we do the math here? Slot 8s RIGHT SIDE is HIGHER than slot 9s LEFT SIDE. 8 is bigger than 6 so 8 wins. If you place a card that is higher than that side, you turn the card over and 'claim' it.

Remember that the objective is to have more of your color on the board in the end. Meaning you want to have more blue cards on the board that red does. And to do so, you have to turn over his cards.

Lets continue on:

We want to place a card that can take another card and be safe in whatever number is exposed. Or place a card we feel won't get turned over.
In this case, our best bet is to put CARD 5 to SLOT 7. Lets look at the board now.




Well the card we placed in SLOT 7 has a RIGHT SIDE of A which is equal to 10. SLOT 8s LEFT VALUE is 6. So 10 is higher than 6. So that means we turned over his card and now its blue. So as of right now, BLUE is at 2 cards and RED is at 1. We are also at a advantage here. The card we turned over has a top value of 10. So there is nothing that can turn it over.
Which brings me to the question of what if I place a number that ties one? Well in the case of ties, NOTHING HAPPENS. So even if he placed a A on that card, NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN. Lets move on. Its the computers turn.



Our computer placed a pretty week card in slot 4. Now wait! Isnt SLOT 7s TOP VALUE larger than SLOT 4s BOTTOMS Value?

Your right, it is higher. BUT you cannot turn over a card UNLESS its your turn. So in the computers case, his card was not high enough to turn over slot 7.

Now, lets see what cards we have left:


I am using the same card order as I did on top.

Lets see now. What would be a good move. Well, I could place almost any card in slot 5 because all my cards LEFT VALUE is higher than a 1. But, a problem is all my RIGHT values are equal to one. So that would mean I have a good chance of losing a card. I think I am going to play defensively since the score is 2 red and 2 blue. I will place CARD 1 in SLOT 6. Why? Because the LEFT Value and TOP Value are a decent side. And probably stand a good chance of not getting taken.



Now, lets wait and see what the computer does.



The computer puts a card in SLOT 2. Which is kinda of interesting. Because its going to be a game of I flip one, he flips one.

We are going to put our CARD 4 in SLOT 5




Well Look at that! We turned over two of his cards! Why? Because our SLOT 5s LEFT SIDE IS HIGHER THAN SLOT 4s RIGHT SIDE. We turned SLOT 2 OVER BECAUSE SLOT 5s TOP VALUE IS HIGHER THAN SLOT 2s BOTTOM VALUE.

Lets see what the computer can do about that.



The computer decides to place a card in SLOT 3. Which couldn't turn any of our cards. Why? Because SLOT 3s BOTTOM AND LEFT VALUES TIE SLOTS 2 RIGHT VALUE and SLOT 6s TOP VALUE.

Okay, well we only have one more card available. So lets place it.



Our last card coulndn't turn any cards over because they were already ours. So the score was:
Blue: 7
Red: 2
We kicked the computer ass!

Now, once you win a match, depending on the rules, is dependant on what cards you can get. For a normal match, you can select to keep ONE of the opponents cards.

Now onto the SPECIAL RULES OF TRIPLE TRIAD. This information was pulled from [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

SPECIAL RULES

Triple Triad has seven optional rules which add depth and difficulty to the game. Some of these rules can make the game quite strategically challenging. Each of these optional rules is explained below, and each rule has a corresponding Rule Card which can be set beside the play area to note which rules are currently in effect. Any or all of the optional rules may be used simultaneously in any combination, except for the Same Wall rule, which can only be used if the Same rule is also in effect (see below). Note that there is also a "Rules: (None)" Card, which is not actually a Rule, so to speak, but should be displayed in a game if none of the optional rules are being used.
RULE: OPEN -- When the Open rule is in use, both players can see the contents of their opponent's hands. This is useful because it is easier to build a strategy, but take into consideration that your opponent can also see your hand, and will decide his or her actions accordingly. When playing with the Open rule, both players should lay their hand of cards face up beside the playing field as soon as the first player has been determined, and leave them face up until the round is concluded.
RULE: SAME -- The Same rule introduces an additional way to flip opponents' cards rather than simply by outranking them. If, when a card is placed, the ranks on two or more sides are exactly the same as those from adjacent cards, those adjacent cards are flipped. If this technique is used, it is possible to flip strong cards that cannot be won otherwise. For example, if red plays a card with a 3 on bottom and a 7 on the left, and the blue card below has a 3 on top, and the blue card to the left has a 7 on the right, both of the blue cards would be flipped to red by the Same rule. Note that two, three, or even four cards (though this is extremely rare) may be flipped at once using this rule, as long as all adjoining sides are exact matches.
The Same Rule also includes an additional concept called "Combo". Any cards flipped by the Same rule are treated as if they were just placed on the board, and will capture any and all adjacent cards they happen to outrank. Any of these flipped cards will also capture adjacent cards, and so on. During a Combo, additional cards can only be captured by being directly outranked; captures by Same or Plus (below) rules are not possible except as the "start" of the Combo. Also note that if a player uses one of his or her own cards, along with an opponent's card, to trigger the Same (or Plus) rule, only the opponent's card(s) are considered "flipped" and qualify as "newly placed" cards to start a Combo (i.e., red cannot use the Same rule to "flip" one of his own red cards and Combo off of it).

RULE: SAME WALL -- Same Wall is a modified version of the Same rule that can only be used if the Same rule is also in effect. With Same Wall, the outer border of the play field is considered to have a rank of A for the purposes of the Same rule. In other words, if the side of a placed card with an A rank is adjacent to the outer border, and one of the remaining sides has the same rank as an adjoining card, then the Same rule has been satisfied. The opponent's card(s) will be flipped, and may Combo. If Same Wall is chosen as a rule in a game where Same is not also in use, ignore the Same Wall rule.

RULE: SUDDEN DEATH -- With the Sudden Death rule, no ties are allowed. If a round ends in a draw, each player picks up the 5 cards that are currently under his or her control (i.e., under discs of his or her color), even if they are not the same 5 cards that he or she had at the start of the round, and a new round of play begins. The second player from each previous round becomes the first player for each new round of play. Play continues in this fashion until one player or the other is victorious, then card trading takes place.
RULE: RANDOM -- Instead of choosing 5 cards from their deck (or available cards) for each round, the 5 card hands are randomly selected from each player's deck (or from all the cards they have) each round. This makes it considerably more difficult to formulate strategy, and forces players to adapt their tactics to fit the hand they are dealt. If the Random rule is in effect and multiple rounds are played back-to-back, the cards won from an opponent in the previous round should be shuffled into a player's deck (or card selection) before cards for the next round are randomly chosen.
RULE: PLUS -- The Plus rule is similar to the Same rule, except instead of requiring the same ranks on adjacent sides, it requires the sum of adjoining ranks from two or more sides to give the same total when added. For example, blue plays a card with a 2 on the top and a 4 on the left. The red card above has a bottom rank of 3, making the total of the adjoining sides 5. The red card to the left has a right-side rank of 1, so the total of those adjoining sides is also 5. Since the sum of adjoining ranks from two or more sides is the same, the red cards would be flipped to blue because of the Plus rule, and would qualify to start Combos. If the card on the left (with the 1 rank on the right) had been blue instead of red, the Plus rule would still be satisfied and the red card above flipped, but the blue card would remain blue and could not make any Combo captures (it is not considered to have been "flipped").

When multiple "capture" rules like Same and Plus are in effect simultaneously (including the default "outrank" capture), any combination of them can be used by a played card, whenever possible. For example, if red plays a card which directly outranks one adjacent card, and could also capture two other cards using the Same rule, the red player can capture the two cards using the Same rule, and also capture the other card normally. If a player could use the Same rule to capture two cards, and use the Plus rule to capture a third card in conjunction with one of the first two, then all three cards may be captured. In the case of the Plus rule, if two sets of adjoining sides both total 8, for example, but the other two sets of adjoining sides have a different total, say 6, then the player could capture all of the cards in question. Basically, any number of cards can be captured by one card play, using any combination of rules, as long as the rule being used in each case has had all of its requirements met.
RULE: ELEMENTAL -- When the Elemental rule is added to a game, some squares in the play area will be assigned Elemental attributes which may strengthen or weaken the cards played on them. Elemental Tokens will be placed on the board in the affected squares before play begins, with their number and placement randomly determined using Elemental Placement Cards. The front of each Elemental Token has an icon representing one of the 8 Elements (fire, lightning, wind, poison, ice, water, earth, or holy) with "+1" printed on it. The backs of the Elemental Tokens all have a simple "-1" printed on them. There should be an equal number of tokens for each Element (i.e., 3 of each for 24 tokens total, etc.), and these should be mixed into a bag, cup, hat, or other convenient receptacle from which they can be drawn randomly. There are nine Elemental Placement Cards, referred to hereafter as EPCs. Each EPC has two things on its face, a placement diagram on the top (a replica of the Triple Triad game board with a Moomba in one of the squares), and one or more numbers at the bottom.
After both players have selected their hand of cards for the round but before the first player is determined, shuffle the 9 EPCs together and draw one at random. The number shown on the bottom of the card is the number of Elemental Tokens that will be placed for that round. If the card drawn has the text "6 or 0" printed on it, then flip a color disc; a red flip means that 6 tokens will be used that game, while blue indicates that no Elemental tokens will be used (treat this round of play as if the Elemental rule was not in effect). Shuffle the EPCs back together and mix the Elemental Tokens well. Next, draw one token at random from the bag (hat, cup, etc.) and turn up one card from the pile of EPCs. Place the token on the board, Elemental "+1" side up, in the square indicated by the Moomba in the placement diagram (ignoring the number at the bottom; it is only used to determine how many tokens will be placed each round). Continue this process of drawing a random token and placing it using the next EPC in the pile until the pre-determined number of Elemental Tokens has been drawn and placed on the board. The first player is then determined, and play begins. If a series of games is being played using the Elemental rule, the tokens should be collected at the end of each round (after trading) and this process should be repeated from the beginning to generate a new Elementally modified board for play each round.
During play, whenever a card is played in a square with an Elemental Token, one of two things will happen. If the card has the Elemental attribute matching the token, then the token is placed face-up on the card and all 4 of the card's ranks are increased by the "+1" shown on the token. Thus, if a card with the Fire attribute and the ranks 4, 7, 6, & 3 is placed on a square with a Fire Token, its new ranks are considered to be 5, 8, 7, & 4, respectively. On the other hand, if the card has an Elemental attribute different from the token, or is a Non-Elemental card, then the token is placed on the card face-down, and all 4 of the card's ranks are decreased by the "-1" shown on the back of the token. If the same Fire card in the previous example were placed on a square with an Earth Token, its new ranks would be 3, 6, 5, & 2, respectively. These changes to card ranks are calculated before captures are resolved and last until the end of the round, so any outranking comparisons for the affected card, both immediately and on later turns or Combos, are made using the new rank values. Note that the effects of the Elemental Token modifiers apply only to direct "outranking" comparisons, during normal captures or Combos. When figuring the effects of Same, Plus, or Same Wall rules, any Elemental modifiers are ignored, and results are based on the card's original ranks. Also, a rank may be increased above A or decreased below 1, so a card with a rank of 1 and a "-1" modifier is considered a 0, and an A rank with a "+1" modifier has a value of 11.

[Redemption121]

Nice Tut Pursuited, personally, ive always loved Triple Triad since FF8 came out (what a great game). Yet I always thought nearly everyone played FF8, maybe i was wrong.

[pikoparty]

seems like a pretty fun game, got to get 150 points so i can play Y_Y

did everyone get -100 when they started or did i just piss off the wrong guy?

[z_brood]

this is fun... I'm a guy that did not play FF8
thanks for adding this mini game...

[Joena]

that must be hard to play

[Redemption121]

joena its really easy to get into and fun to play, plus it isnt hard, or at least i never thought it was hard.

[brandon11185]

Sweet, thanks alot, this is great

[Ricox]

In some screens that RPG looks like MMORPG in some screens it looks like card game.. So what it is!? MMORPG or Card Game? Or something else?
And why i need 15 posts to play it...

[lightarr0]

thsi rpg looks awesome

[houdini0118]

thanks its a nice guide but way to long