A "boardless", or topological board game.

Trax is a two-player game played with tiles and without a board. A set consists of 64 identical tiles with white and black tracks as shown below. On one side the tracks are linear and on the other they are curved. The tiles are 1 1/4" square in the U.S. and 31.5mm everywhere else in the world.

One can make a set by purchasing 1 1/4" wooden tiles and painting the tracks on them, but the sets are so reasonably priced at $15 (US)* so as to make the time and effort of making a set less worth while than some of the other games on this site.

The players alternate placing tiles onto the playing surface so as to connect like color track. Players may connect track of either color.

The object is to make or cause to be made a loop of one's own color, or to make or cause to be made a line of one's own color wherein the track extends at least eight tiles and exits on opposite sides of the playing surface. Since players may attach new tiles to either color, they can divert their opponents' track, straightening out loop threats or looping line threats back away from their goal. Straightening loop threats tends to help one's opponent set up line threats. Curving opponents' lines back on themselves, helps to make loops.

The rules are few and simple take only a few minutes to learn. The game is rich and deep and is never the same twice.

The rules:

The rules of Trax (copywrite David Smith, and used with his permission) are as follows:

1. Two players decide who shall be White and who shall be Black.

2. White always plays first (no advantage).

3. Each player in turn plays one tile, either side up, onto any flat surface.

4. After the first turn, each tile must be played edge to edge, alongside any tile or tiles already in play.

5. White track must always be joined to white track, and black track to black track.

6. Each player may join track of either or both colours at any turn.

7. Forced Plays - If any tile played creates an adjacent space or spaces into which same coloured track enters from two edges, that same player must play a further tile into each space so as to join up the same coloured track, be it white or black, as part of that turn. End each turn only when track of both colours enters any remaining two edged space or spaces. ILLEGAL TURN- If a forced play forms an adjacent space into which same coloured track enters from MORE THAN TWO EDGES, that whole turn is ILLEGAL and uncomplete and must be replayed.

8.THE WINNER is the player whose track first forms a LOOP or a LINE.

9. A LOOP is any path of track what connects with itself, whatever its shape.

10. A LINE is a continuous path that connects opposite and outermost edges of the layout, over at least 8 rows of tiles, across or down.

11. If a loop or a line is formed by both colours during either player's turn, the game is won by that player.

* Price quoted above was what I paid in February, '99, but is subject to change at any time by the seller. It included all taxes and shipping from New Zealand.

Th