Trictrac

Trictrac (also tric trac or tric-trac) is a French or Austrian board game of skill and chance for two players that is played with dice on a game board similar, but not identical, to that of backgammon (the difference being that the edges of a true trictrac board are perforated for score-marking purposes). Though its national origin is uncertain, it was "the classic tables game" of France in the way that backgammon is in the English-speaking world, and has additionally been known to be played in Austria, Denmark, Spain, and Sweden.

Trictrac's gaming interest lies in its multiple combinations, the importance of decision-making and its comprehensive rules which have been well documented and remained stable since the early 17th century. It requires constant attention from the players whether or not it is their turn. Its vocabulary, which is very rich, frequently occurs in French literature.

The object of the game is not to get out the men as quickly as possible as in jacquet or backgammon, but to score as many points as possible. The game usually ends before all the men have been borne off, and often before any of them have.

From this point onward, in spite of the existence of numerous computer and mobile implementations, trictrac will predominantly be discussed as if it were an over-the-board game; certain social niceties and penalties simply do not make sense when playing on anything but a live board. While these things do need to be mentioned for the sake of those who do wish to play in an analogue environment, in no case does their presence or absence detract from the game itself to any degree.

Equipment

The full complement of equipment needed to play all variants of trictrac comprises:

A board (tablier or trictrac), similar to that of backgammon, but with twenty-four holes drilled in the rails (bandes) forming the longer edges of the board at the base of each of the twenty-four points (flèches = "arrows") and three more holes in each end rail of the board.