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How to play Trax

A Trax set consists of 64 highly tactile tiles with red & white curves on one side and red & white straights on the other.

This summary is designed to give you an idea of how Trax is played. However, the best and most complete guide to the rules of Trax is the illustrated booklet that is supplied in each Trax set.

The aim is to be the first player to create a loop or a winning line in your own colour. A loop is a continuous track that curves back to join itself and can be any shape or size as long as it is closed. A winning line is a continuous track that connects two opposite and outermost edges of the tiles already played over at least eight rows across or down.

As soon as one player has a loop or winning line, the game is over, so make sure you keep an eye on what your opponent is doing!

The basic rules

- decide who is red and who is white - white starts
- players place tiles alternately (but see 'forced plays' below)
- all tiles are the same and can be played either side up
- just take a new tile whenever you need one
- you can add to your own colour, your opponent's or both
- all touching tracks must match in colour matching colours

The twist: forced plays

A forced space is a space with two tracks of the same colour entering it. If you create one, you must fill it immediately as part of your turn - this is called a 'forced play'. One forced play can end up creating another, so you sometimes need quite a few tiles for a single turn!

What else do you need to know?

Actually, you can enjoy Trax knowing just the rules described above!

TIP: While winning lines are quite common and it is possible to win with a very large loop, don't forget that a small loop of four or six tiles is just as good a way to win a game. So, instead of connecting all your tracks together and trying to make one big loop, it is often better to try to find ways of threatening two or more small loops (or, as the number of tiles played grows, a loop and a winning line) at the same time.

Have fun!

Want to know a bit more?

Here is a taste of how a Trax game can develop and the kind of strategies you will discover as you play. In the following situation Red has just played the tile marked with the red arrow. Find out what happens next by following steps 1) - 3) below.

a game in progress

Don't worry, there is no need to understand all of this straight away. It's easy to get started playing Trax and it is a game that becomes more challenging and more fun the more times you play it!