Tribond
Encyclopedia
TriBond is a board game
distributed by Imagination Games. It asks the question - "What do these three things have in common?" Players try to guess the "common bond" between the three clues. It follows in the tradition of Trivial Pursuit
, Outburst
and other adult boardgames that require a wide range of knowledge but TriBond requires some problem solving ability as well.
, Dave Yearick, and Ed Muccini. The idea first came to them in 1987 while they were students at Colgate University
. The inspiration came when they learned that John Haney and Ed Werner, who invented Trivial Pursuit, had also attended Colgate. They wanted to invent a game that provided an intellectual challenge but also had a broader appeal than games of straight trivia questions that had been very popular in the 80's. Within two years, they had their first prototype of TriBond and were ready to market the game.
Initial marketing for the game was difficult. Parker Brothers
, Mattel
, Tyco
and several other game companies all turned TriBond down. At the time they were working with Patch Products
to manufacture the game. Tim Walsh talked them into hiring him on as a marketing manager to sell TriBond. With some clever promoting techniques they were able to sell around 150,000 copies of TriBond in 1993. By 1996 TriBond had sold over a million copies.
Since its release, there have been four major releases of TriBond:
With the TriBond 2005 release, the Miscellaneous category was removed and some new categories added. Listed below are the 2005 categories.
TriBond can be played by individual players or teams. Each game comes with 12 game pieces, three for each team. The gameboard is unusual, being triangular and has three start and finish tracks that go around each corner of the board with 17 spaces for each track. All players place each of their three game pieces on the starting points for each track. Two dice are used, one being a regular, numbered die and the other a category die. A player rolls the dice and one of the opposing players will read to them the threezer for the category they rolled. If they are able to guess the common bond they will advance one of their game pieces the number of spaces rolled on the numbered die and continue playing until they answer incorrectly. This rule changed with in the 2005 version to 'one question, one turn'. Unless the player lands on a challenge square, it is the next team's turn regardless of whether or not they answered correctly.
If the player lands on a green challenge square they can 'challenge' another player who's ahead of them in one of the three tracks. In the first version of TriBond, the card would identify which of the four categories would be the challenge threezer. Starting with the 2005 Edition each card lists an additional challenge threezer along with the other categories. A third player will read the challenge threezer to the challenger and the player he challenged. Whoever shouts out the correct answer first wins the challenge. If the challenger wins, he gets to swap places on the board with the other player. The only reward for the other player if they win the challenge, is they get to keep their spot. Challenging is not always practical. If the player is ahead on all three tracks, which may be the case if the game is just starting or the player is having a really good game, there is no point in offering a challenge to another player.
The first player or team to move all their game pieces around the tracks wins the game.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
distributed by Imagination Games. It asks the question - "What do these three things have in common?" Players try to guess the "common bond" between the three clues. It follows in the tradition of Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
, Outburst
Outburst
Outburst may refer to:* Outburst Assist, a patented mechanism designed by Columbia River Knife and Tool for various models of assisted opening knives.* Outburst , a fictional superhero* Outburst , a word game...
and other adult boardgames that require a wide range of knowledge but TriBond requires some problem solving ability as well.
History
TriBond was invented by Tim WalshTim Walsh (game inventor)
Tim Walsh is an American game inventor, writer and former sportsman.He attended Colgate University, with a major in biology and minors in art and art history. Here, he invented the game TriBond together with classmates Dave Yearick, and Ed Muccini in 1990. He invented Blurt! in 1994...
, Dave Yearick, and Ed Muccini. The idea first came to them in 1987 while they were students at Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
. The inspiration came when they learned that John Haney and Ed Werner, who invented Trivial Pursuit, had also attended Colgate. They wanted to invent a game that provided an intellectual challenge but also had a broader appeal than games of straight trivia questions that had been very popular in the 80's. Within two years, they had their first prototype of TriBond and were ready to market the game.
Initial marketing for the game was difficult. Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
, Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
, Tyco
Tyco
Tyco may refer to:* Tyco International, a diversified industrial conglomerate* Tyco Electronics, a former segment of Tyco International* Tyco Toys, a division of Mattel...
and several other game companies all turned TriBond down. At the time they were working with Patch Products
Patch Products
Patch Products is a family-owned company, leading the toy industry in design, manufacturing and marketing of games, children’s puzzles, toys, activities and teaching tools. Since 1985, Patch has developed high-quality, award-winning products that enrich lives by providing fun and interaction...
to manufacture the game. Tim Walsh talked them into hiring him on as a marketing manager to sell TriBond. With some clever promoting techniques they were able to sell around 150,000 copies of TriBond in 1993. By 1996 TriBond had sold over a million copies.
Since its release, there have been four major releases of TriBond:
- TriBond (Original) (1992)
- TriBond Diamond Edition (1998)
- The Best of TriBond (2001)
- TriBond 2005
- Will Shortz TriBond (2009)
The game
The main feature of the game is the TriBond "Threezer". This word was invented by the maker of TriBond to describe the three word clues the players must analyze and determine what all three have in common. Some of the threezers are not difficult while others are quite challenging. The threezers originally came in four different categories listed below.- Entertainment
- Sports and Recreation
- Academics
- Miscellaneous
With the TriBond 2005 release, the Miscellaneous category was removed and some new categories added. Listed below are the 2005 categories.
- Entertainment
- Academics
- Wordplay
- Loose Connections
- Sports
TriBond can be played by individual players or teams. Each game comes with 12 game pieces, three for each team. The gameboard is unusual, being triangular and has three start and finish tracks that go around each corner of the board with 17 spaces for each track. All players place each of their three game pieces on the starting points for each track. Two dice are used, one being a regular, numbered die and the other a category die. A player rolls the dice and one of the opposing players will read to them the threezer for the category they rolled. If they are able to guess the common bond they will advance one of their game pieces the number of spaces rolled on the numbered die and continue playing until they answer incorrectly. This rule changed with in the 2005 version to 'one question, one turn'. Unless the player lands on a challenge square, it is the next team's turn regardless of whether or not they answered correctly.
If the player lands on a green challenge square they can 'challenge' another player who's ahead of them in one of the three tracks. In the first version of TriBond, the card would identify which of the four categories would be the challenge threezer. Starting with the 2005 Edition each card lists an additional challenge threezer along with the other categories. A third player will read the challenge threezer to the challenger and the player he challenged. Whoever shouts out the correct answer first wins the challenge. If the challenger wins, he gets to swap places on the board with the other player. The only reward for the other player if they win the challenge, is they get to keep their spot. Challenging is not always practical. If the player is ahead on all three tracks, which may be the case if the game is just starting or the player is having a really good game, there is no point in offering a challenge to another player.
The first player or team to move all their game pieces around the tracks wins the game.
External links
- TriBond of the Day at tribond.com
- Interview with Tim Walsh at about.com