Takayoshi Nakazato's
TRIPLETRIAD

Triple Triad (トリプルトライアード, Toripuru Toraiādo?) is a popular card game in the world of Final Fantasy VIII available as a minigame. Designed by battle system planner Takayoshi Nakazato,[1] Triple Triad is a sidequest whose cards can be refined into items via Quezacotl's Card Mod ability. Many of the game's rarer items are most easily found by refining the cards.

According to the Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania, the card game was created by a psychic named Orlan who modified fortune-telling cards for use in a game, coining the name "Triple Triad."[2] Triple Triad was initially played among soldiers, but spread to the common people and by the time of Final Fantasy VIII's events, the game is popular among all age groups.

How To Play

Triple Triad is played on a three-by-three (3x3) square grid of blank spaces where the cards will be placed. Each card has four numbers (known as ranks) placed in top left corner; each number corresponds to one of the four sides of the card. The ranks range from one to nine, the letter A representing ten.

In a basic game each player has five cards. A coin-flip decides who begins. The player who wins the coin toss may choose a card to play anywhere on the grid. After the first card is played, the opponent may play a card on any unoccupied space on the board. The game continues with players' turns alternating.

Winning

To win, a majority of the total ten cards played (including the one card that is not placed on the board) must be of the player's card color. To capture a card, the active player places a card adjacent to the opponent's card. If the rank touching the opponent's card is higher, the opponent's card will be captured and flipped into the active player's color. A card can be placed on any open spot on the board. The player who goes second will have a card remaining in their hand and that card will count towards their ending score. Each player may play one card per turn.

A draw occurs if at the end the player and the opponent possess equal numbers of cards in their color. Depending on alternate card rules, this can be defined by a sudden death scenario where the game continues until a winner is defined. The winner takes one or more of the loser's cards, depending on the trade rules in effect.