Components

• 1 Game Tower
• 100 Tetriminos (game pieces)
• 2 Detachable Feet
• 1 Playing Die
• Instructions

Object of the Game

Link Tetriminos of the same color into groups of 3 or more to earn points. Block opponents from linking their Tetriminos. When the tower is full, the player with the highest score wins the game.

Setup

Attach feet to base of game tower before playing and remove feet before returning to the box for storage. Keep all packaging for future use and reference.

Each player chooses a color and takes all the Tetriminos in that color. There are 25 Tetriminos per color, 5 pieces of each Tetrimino shape.

The playing die has one Tetrimino shape or the TETRIS LINK logo on each of its 6 sides.

Players roll the die at the beginning of each turn. The Tetrimino rolled is the Tetrimino that must be played by dropping it into the tower.

To begin, the first player to roll TETRIS LINK plays first.

Game Play

Player 1 rolls the die and selects a matching Tetrimino from their color set to drop into the tower.

Tetriminos can be dropped into the tower in any direction and in any open space, but if a player leaves an empty space beneath their piece he/she will lose a point.

Rules of the Die

• Players must play the Tetrimino that is rolled, even if it will create an empty space beneath the Tetrimino.
  
  If a player rolls the S/Z Tetrimino on the first roll of the game, he/she will begin with the game with a negative score.

• If a player rolls TETRIS LINK, he/she can select any Tetrimino from their color set to drop into the tower.

• If a player rolls a Tetrimino that he/she no longer has, his/her turn is skipped.

• If a player rolls a Tetrimino that will not fit completely in the tower (when the tower is nearly full), his/her turn is skipped.

Linking

• To earn points, players must link their Tetriminos into groups of 3 or more pieces.

• Tetriminos can be linked in any direction, but they cannot link diagonally.

• If a player cannot link to his/her color group, he/she can drop a Tetrimino in another area of the tower. On his/her next turn, the player can build off either group. Once one group includes 3 linked Tetriminos, the player will earn points.

Blocking

Players also want to prevent their opponents from linking their Tetriminos and earning points. Drop Tetriminos around your opponents' pieces to block them from linking and scoring. Think strategically about how you can link your own Tetriminos while also blocking your opponents!

If a player's Tetriminos are blocked, those pieces are now out of play and the player must begin a new color group to start earning points. He/She will need to link 3 Tetriminos to begin scoring.

Scoring

Earning Points

When a player links 3 Tetriminos he/she earns 3 points (1 point for each Tetrimino in the group).

Single Tetriminos or groups of two Tetriminos are not worth any points. Only Tetriminos linked to 2 or more other pieces of the same color are worth points.

After a player has linked 3 Tetriminos, each additional Tetrimino that is linked to the existing group of 3 is worth 1 more point.

Linking Groups

When linking separate groups of 1-2 Tetriminos into one group, give yourself a point for each Tetrimino that is part of the new group of 3 or more pieces.

Do not give yourself points for Tetriminos that were previously added to your score.

Losing Points

Players lose points for leaving empty spaces directly beneath their Tetriminos.

• Lose 1 point for leaving 1 empty space.

• Lose 2 points for leaving 2 or more empty spaces. (Players will never lose more than 2 points in one turn).

If the starting player rolls the S/Z Tetrimino on their first turn, they will begin the game with a negative point.

Earning Positive & Negative Points In One Turn

If an empty space is created while also linking to 2 or more Tetriminos of the same color, account for both negative and positive points.

Tracking Points

Players track their points using the score markers on the left and right side of the tower. Players use the markers that match their Tetriminos and slide them up and down to keep score.

Each time players earn or lose points, they must adjust their score marker to the appropriate point total.

Note the small recessed circles on each Tetrimino. Players can check their score by counting the circles in their Tetriminos. Remember, only Tetriminos that are connected to 2 or more other Tetriminos (of the same color) are worth points.

Also, remember to subtract points for any empty spaces.

End of the Game

The game is played until the tower is full and no more pieces can be added. Tetriminos cannot stick out the top of the tower.

When the game is over, the player with the highest score wins the game.

In the event of a tie, the player with the longest color link (the most pieces of the same color linked in any direction) wins the game!

2-player & 3-player Games

The rules are the same for 2-player and 3-player games.

For 2-player games, players do not need to play with 2 sets of Tetriminos. There are enough pieces to play a 2-player game with one color.

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