Initiating a Game
This is the easy part, so we'll run through it quickly. First of all, you'll need more than five cards to play. If you
don't, you'll need to get some cards by going out into the wilderness and using Quezacotl's Card command to turn some enemies
into cards.
Anybody who can play cards can be challenged by pressing Square while next to them. You'll then be taken to the Triple
Triad playing field. It'll tell you what rules will be used; you have a second chance to cancel your challenge if you find
the rules are bad or you decide there's something else better to do. If you continue with the challenge, both players choose
their five cards to play, and the game begins.
The Basics
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to overturn as many of
the opponent's cards as possible. When you overturn a card, you "take possession" of it for the duration of the game. The
player with the most number of cards in his possession at the end of the game wins.
The Card
Before you can understand how the game works, you must first
understand the card. Here's one for reference: It's the Ifrit, a Guardian Force card, one of the first ones you may get.
In the upper left corner is a set of four numbers. We'll designate each number by Top, Bottom, Left, and Right. Very easy
to remember. The numbers designate the strength of the card; the lower the number, the lower the strength. The highest is
10, which is designated by the letter A on the card. In this example, we see that the Ifrit card is strongest at the top with
a 9, and the weakest at the bottom, with a 2.
The upper right corner is a symbol for element. Not all cards have elements. Elements come into play only when the Elemental
rule (see below) is turned on. If not, then the element has no effect on the strength of a card. Beginning players should
not be concerned with this rule. In this case, Ifrit has the element Fire. But don't worry about it right now.
The Playing Field
The playing field is a grid of 3x3 squares, like so:
Each card can be played in any of these 9 squares. Obviously, where to place the cards is a strategic effort.
Each player's hands are placed on either side of the field. Your hand goes on the right, the opponent's go on the left.
Underneath each hand is a number that tells how many cards you have in your possession at any moment in the game (both players
start out with five -- the number of cards in their hand at the beginning of the game).
At the bottom of the field, there is a small gray box that tells the name of the card that the cursor is pointing to. Names
in white are cards you have, names in blue are cards you don't have, and names in yellow are cards you once had but now have
none of (which happens when you lose all of a certain card to opponents).
Basic Game Playing
In a standard game, both players cannot see each
other's hands. A random roll at the beginning of the game determines which player goes first; he must then choose one of the
five cards in his hand and place it anywhere on the field.
The next player then chooses where on the field to put a card. Here's where the fun begins. Each player must try to overturn,
or take possesion of, as many of their opponent's cards as possible. Your cards have a blue background; the opponents' have
a pink background. When a card is placed next to another with a different background color, the adjacent numbers are checked.
If your card's number is higher, then you overturn the other card. If it's less or equal, no overturning occurs.
Using our trusty Ifrit card as an example, let's say we put it right next to this Anacondaur card that belongs to our opponent.
The two adjacent sides that will be compared is Ifrit's right side and Anacondaur's left side. With a strength value of 6,
Ifrit's right side just beats Anacondaur's left by one, so we are able to take possession of the Anacondaur card. As you can
see, it's just about to flip over and change background colors.
It's possible to overturn more than one card at once. For instance, two adjacent cards both have less numbers -- in that
case, you overturn both cards.
When all nine spaces are filled, the player with the most cards on the board wins. If both players have the same amount
of cards, the game ends in a draw.
Gameplay Rules
Every region in the world tends to play the game in a slightly different manner, and in your travels you will come across
all sorts of different rules. Whenever you reach a "rule clash" between regions, you'll be allowed to play with a combination
of rules from both regions. You may even be able to affect the rules in the region. (See "Trade Rules," below, for details.)
Here, we'll run over how all the different rules work and how to play under those circumstances.
Open
In some areas, it is customary to play with all hands showing.
In other words, you'll be able to see each other's cards. This may make it easier on you to plan your strategy, but at the
same time, so can the opponent.
Note: This may seem quite unfair to you, but the computer-controlled players already know what cards you have even
if Open is not being used. Because of this, Open is a very good rule to spread around, as it will most likely help you rather
than hinder you.
Random
You are no longer able to choose the five cards you want to use.
Instead, your hand will be composed of five randomly drawn cards from your entire deck. This puts you at a disadvantage against
opponents whose decks consist of primarily high-level cards, because you may have the most cards in the low-level areas. Play
with caution.
Because Random limits you in the kind of strategy you can plan, it is almost always the least desired rule. Knowing how
to change the rules of a region can help in removing this rule from most regions.
Elemental
There are eight elements that cards may have: Fire, Wind,
Earth, Ice, Thunder, Poison, Water, and Holy. They are designated by a symbol shown in the upper right hand corner of the
card. It means nothing in a regular game, but in a game where the Elemental rule is in effect, the cards's element will come
into play.
In an Elemental game, any space on the board is randomly given an element or none at all. Placing an elemental card on
the same element raises all its strength values by +1. However, placing any card, regardless of whether or not it has an element,
on a different element lowers its values by -1. Placing any card on a non-elemental space does not change its strength values.
As you may expect, this rule involves a lot more hard thinking.
Sudden Death
Here, the game can no longer end in a draw. If draw occurs,
each player must go another round, playing with the same cards he had in his possession when the last game ended. (In other
words, you and the opponent switch whatever cards were overturned.) The game ends only when there is a winner.
Computer-controlled players love to force draws if they cannot win, hoping to take possession of any good cards you may
have so that they can be used against you in the next round. You must try to outsmart the computer by using this strategy
against him.
Same
Same occurs when a card is placed that has numbers that equal two
or more adjacent numbers on other cards surrounding it. It doesn't matter who has possession of the surrounding cards. When
a Same occurs, all surrounding cards are not in the current player's possession becomes overturned.
Plus
Plus is when a card that is placed has numbers, that when added
up to the adjacent numbers of surrounding cards, are equal to at least one of the other ones. This one is hard to explain
without a visual aid, which I hope to change soon. When Plus occurs, all surrounding cards not in the current player's possession
becomes overturned.
Combo
With the Same or Plus rules in use, Combo will apply as well.
Combo means that any card overturned by Same or Plus can potentially overturn any other surrounding card, as well. This is
decided by regarding the overturned card as one that has just been placed. If it can beat any of its surrounding cards, then
it will.
Same Wall
This rule is rarely used, but in some areas that use the Same
rule, each of the four sides of the playing field is regarded as an "A" number. This provides a slightly different twist on
the Same rule, although you must be playing with many high-level rare cards for it to be useful.
Trade Rules
Another type of rule is called the Trade Rule, which determines how the winner will take cards from the loser. The primary
trade rule is One, which means the winner can only obtain one card of his choosing. Some areas play with other trade
rules, but they are not exclusive; in other words, a certain area may have a variety of different trade rules at once, and
an opponent may switch between trade rules from one game to the next. Unlike regular game rules, trade rules do not combine
-- only one trade rule may be used per game. The following is a list of other trade rules you may encounter.
Diff
A popular trade rule, Diff allows the winner to take an amount
of cards equal to the difference between the point totals at the end of the game. If a winner wins with six cards in his possession,
the loser has only four, then the winner gets to take (six minus four equals) two cards of his choosing. If the winner wins
8-2, all five cards are automatically taken from the loser.
Direct
Direct is a lot more risky in that you don't get as much choice
of cards. With this rule, the players exchange all cards that were overturned by each other. In other words, you keep the
cards you take into possession during the game. Since both players can lose cards with this trade rule, you'd have to protect
your good cards well so that you don't lose them, even if you win the game. On the other hand, you can lose the game and still
obtain some good cards from your opponent if you were able to overturn them.
All
The winner automatically obtains all five cards from the loser.
The Spread of Rules
The only way for rules to spread across the world is when two people from different areas play.
When you enter a new area and you play someone for the first time, or you play somebody who's visiting from a different
area, the game will use a combo of all rules from both sides. After this game, one of the four following rule-changing methods
will happen randomly:
Spread
A rule from the old region, randomly chosen, is added to the
rule set of the current region, so it will be used for each subsequent game in this area. You then adopt the rules of this
region.
Abolish
A rule, randomly chosen, is removed permanently from the current
region. You then adopt the rule set of this region.
Adopt
No changes in either rule sets take place, but you fully adopt
the rules of the current region. Returning to the old region will result in "rule clash," that is, a combination playing will
occur.
Retain
No changes in either rule sets take place, and you keep the rules
you had from the old region. If you continue to play against people from the current region, a combination playing occurs
again until one of the first three options occurs. You're given a "second chance" to alter the rules.
Note: In Spread or Abolish, while the chosen rules are picked randomly, certain rules appear to have higher chances
than others. In some areas, some rules are virtually impossible to abolish, while others are almost always spread.
Because the spread of rules is not determined in advance, you can actually mold the rules to your own liking by saving
and loading your game until you get the rule you want. However, some options tend to happen more frequently than others. Most
often, either Spread or Retain will occur, because the game tends to want to force a spread of rules. (Retaining allows another
chance for Spread to occur on later playings.) Abolish may also happen, since it will change rules, but Adopt will rarely
ever happen.
Hint: The fastest way to cause a rule change from a combo game is this: Play the game, but just say Quit instead
of Play from WITHIN the card menu. Rules will still spread/abolish/etc. normally as if a game was just completed. This can
save you a lot of valuable time.
The Spread of Trade Rules
Unlike gameplay rules, trade rules are not
spread in the way described above. Trade rules appear in a region due to the presence of the Card Queen.
