Tri-Cross Game Review

Checkers meets Stratego… That’s how D described this fun game of strategy called Tri-Cross.

When the game arrived at the house, we all read through the instructions of this completely new to us game, but it didn’t really “click” until we watched the video on how to play.

There are different versions of the game which have varying degrees of difficulty. We decided to stick with the beginner version as we got use to the game play.  (The beginner version is shown above, and the more advanced version is shown below.)

It was soon very apparent that this was Daddy’s type of game. He naturally thinks several moves ahead, so this game came fairly easily to him. After a couple of games, Munchkin and I realized that our goal was more to keep Daddy from winning than it was for us to win. **grin** We decided that we had to team up to try to defeat him. Each game found us getting closer to beating him, but it never actually happened. Maybe in time, we might be able to beat Daddy. **wink**  Who knows, we may even move on to the more advanced version of the game.

The game can be played with 2-4 players.  The number of game pieces used drops with the more players you add to the equation.  Once you get use to the game play and rules, the game becomes all about strategy.  Just like a game of chess, you need to plan out your moves from the very beginning.  Some of us are better at that than others.  Even though Munchkin and I were not winning the game, we had fun playing.  I thought it was great that you could have a true strategy game that didn’t last for extended periods of time.  The games last less than 20 minutes due to the setup of the board and style of game play.

Tri-Cross is available in three different editions:

• The travel/eco-edition ($19.95) features a wonderful organic cloth carrying case, an organic cloth game board, game pieces with organic storage bag, and instructions.  The inks are non-toxic soy-based.  They also make a 10% donation to the Captain Planet Foundation for each edo-edition game purchased. This is perfect for those times when space is at a premium.  You can take it with you camping and not have to worry about space or it getting ruined if it gets wet.  (Well, except for the instructions which you could laminate if needed.)
• The standard edition ($24.95) features a hard cardboard storage box, a sturdy game board, game pieces with storage bag, and instructions.  This edition is perfect for those family game nights where you are all sitting around the table having a great time.
• The wood edition ($35.95) features a wood game board, games pieces with storage bag, and instructions.  I do not have all of the specs on this particular edition as it’s not technically part of this review, but I wanted to point it out as I think it would be a very nice edition for game enthusiasts who like to have a game that will probably last for several generations.

If I had to pick one edition to recommend the most, I would probably go with the eco-edition as I really like the portability of the product, any of these game editions would make a great addition to your family’s game night and/or homeschool day. They would also make great birthday or Christmas gifts.

I received the above mentioned game (travel & standard) as part of the TOS Crew to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. A positive review is not guaranteed, and all opinions are my own.