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TRIPLICARDS - a trademark of Free Fall Games
TRIPLICARD™ playing cards and games
New cards. Better games.

TRIPLICARD Types

TRIPLICARDS are of two general types: common cards and court cards.

Common Cards

Common cards are a TRIPLICARD deck's equivalent of the "number cards" (ace through ten) in a conventional deck. Each represents a unique combination of three elements: suit, color, and rank. The shape or form of the icons on the face of a card shows its suit; the color of the icons is the card's color; and the number of large icons corresponds to the card's number or rank.

six common cards

The most widely-used TRIPLICARD decks - the common pack and the standard deck - contain 54 common cards:

  • nine Aces
  • nine Twos
  • nine Threes
  • nine Fours
  • nine Fives
  • nine Sixes.
(The common pack, in fact, contains nothing but common cards.)

Court Cards

In place of conventional "face cards" (kings, queens, and jacks) and jokers, most TRIPLICARD decks include court cards. In either the standard or the compact deck there are six such cards. Three are Nobles (marked N):

  • The Red Lord of Sciences
  • The Green Lady of Spells
  • The Blue Liege of Storms.

six court cards

Three are Royals (marked R):
  • The Master of Order (the Suit Royal)
  • The Mistress of Chaos (the Color Royal)
  • The Maker (the Grand Royal).

If Nobles are somewhat like kings (albeit of mixed gender), the unusual Royals, nominally the highest-ranking cards in the deck, are more like jokers of dissimilar heritage. Royals differ in important ways from other cards - and sometimes from each other - but their specific powers and limitations vary from game to game.

Games related to Poker, Blackjack, etc. (e.g., Triage, Pokingo, Simplex, Slotzee):
  • Suits - Although not members of any specific suit, the Grand and Suit Royals can match the suit of other cards in your hand.
  • Colors - Although not a part of any particular color group, the Grand and Color Royals can match the color of other cards.
Trump games (e.g., Grab, Get Even, Rout, Balancing Act, 501):
  • Royals are the three highest trumps, regardless of trump:
    • Like bowers in Euchre or Five Hundred
    • Like Matadors in Skat or Ombre

  • If a suit is trump, Royals rank individually in this order:
    1. Grand
    2. Suit
    3. Color

  • If a color is trump (in games like Triumph or 501), the order is this:
    1. Grand
    2. Color
    3. Suit
No-trump games or hands (e.g., Heartless, 501, Balancing Act, and Melee, to varying degrees):
  • Royals are equal in rank but not interchangeable.
  • Royals are higher than any other cards.
  • The first-played Royal in a trick is often considered highest.
  • A Royal must be played if you are otherwise void in the suit led. (Doesn't apply to Melee.)
  • The Grand or Suit Royal can be played to any trick - even if you have other cards in the suit led.
  • Leading a Royal initiates a melee (a trick with special rules).
  • Royals can have individual quirks. (Check the Help file for each game.)

Some unusual TRIPLICARD decks contain 18 different court cards (including those described above), but since the games that use them will not be available in the near future, we'll describe the other 12 court cards at a later date. (You're probably confused enough already!) When appropriate, we'll put further information here and in the relevant Help files.

Related Pages: For further information, use the links below.

  • Introduction to TRIPLICARDS
  • TRIPLICARD Decks - The common pack, the standard deck, and others
  • TRIPLICARD Elements - Suit, color, rank
  • TRIPLICARD Games - Overview, downloads, and player's guide

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