# Criss Cross ## General Info - **Year Published**: 1972 - **BGG Rating**: 5.2 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2 - **Duration**: 15 min - **Weight**: 1.00 / 5 - **Designers**: René Soriano - **Publishers**: Ideal - **Categories**: Action / Dexterity, Real-time - **Mechanics**: Simultaneous Action Selection ## Verdict Criss Cross is a super-fast and straightforward marble game, perfect for when you want something to kill time with a friend.Pure real-time actionIncredibly quick matchesEasy to learn and playVery luck-dependentLittle strategic depthCan become repetitiveFOR GENRE FANS ## Description Get ready for a contest of agility and aim in Criss Cross, a 1972 classic that pits two players against each other in a marble battle! Each round is a role reversal: one attacks, and the other defends. The attacker launches two marbles down a winding track, while the defender has four to try and intercept them, knocking the opponent's marbles off course. If the attacker's marbles reach the end of the winding track, they score 15 points. If the defender manages to knock the attacker's marbles into specific depressions along the track, they score points based on the depression's value. The goal is straightforward: accumulate 300 points to win! Criss Cross's charm lies in its simplicity and real-time action, ensuring quick, adrenaline-fueled matches. It's one of those games you pick up for a quick play and suddenly find yourself on your tenth round. Perfect for those who enjoy a direct challenge where luck and manual skill mix with every roll. The tracks, one straight and the other full of curves, add a strategic touch to the dynamic. Who will master the art of launching and defending best? Only playing will tell! ## How to Play Game Objective In Criss Cross, you and your friends roll dice and mark symbols on your score sheets. The goal is to achieve the highest score by strategically filling your score sheet to create combinations of matching symbols in your rows and columns. The player with the highest total score wins the game. Preparation (Setup) To start playing Criss Cross, follow these simple steps: Each player receives a pencil and a score sheet. For now, ignore the highlighted diagonal line on the sheet. Each player must record one of the six dice symbols in the highlighted space in the upper left corner of their score sheet. Make sure each player inserts a different symbol. Game Flow Criss Cross is played over 12 rounds. The game proceeds as follows: At the beginning of each round, one player (the active player) rolls the two dice. The player who rolled the dice announces the two symbols that were rolled. Now, each player, simultaneously, must write these two symbols on their own score sheet. Keep all score sheets visible so no one can cheat! Actions and How to Play The main action in Criss Cross is writing the rolled symbols on your score sheet. Here's how it works: After the dice are rolled and the two symbols announced, each player must insert these two symbols into two adjacent empty spaces on their score sheet. Adjacent spaces can be horizontal or vertical. The two symbols do not need to be placed next to existing symbols on the sheet (from a previous turn), but they must be placed next to each other. Advanced Rules Once players have mastered the basic game, they can choose to play the advanced version of Criss Cross. The game is played in the same way, with the following changes: A - Diagonal Line Scoring: The highlighted diagonal line in the middle of the score sheet also scores, in the same way as columns and rows. The score for this diagonal line is counted twice. B - Penalty for Empty Rows/Columns: Any row, column, or the diagonal line that does not score points receives -5 points. End of Game and Scoring The game ends when all spaces on all players' score sheets are filled or only individual empty spaces remain. Scoring After the game ends, each player looks at the 5 rows and 5 columns on their score sheet to calculate points: Each pair of matching symbols is worth: 2 points. Each trio of matching symbols is worth: 3 points. Each quartet of matching symbols is worth: 8 points. Each quintet of matching symbols is worth: 10 points. Important: To score, the matching symbols must be adjacent, with no gaps between them. The score for each row is entered to the right of each row, and the score for each column is entered below each column. The grand total is entered in the bottom right corner. Winning Condition The player with the highest grand total wins. In case of a tie, the tie-breaker is in favor of the highest score from a single row or column. Solo Play When playing solo, the goal is to score as many points as possible and see your progress in the ranking: 30+ points: Cross Master 25-29 points: X-tra Special 20-24 points: Symbol Simon 15-19 points: Line Sweeper 0-14 points: Column Counter Tips for Winning Make sure not to leave empty spaces without another orthogonally adjacent empty space, otherwise your game will end prematurely with some empty spaces on your score sheet. Focus on creating combinations of 4 and 5 matching symbols (worth 8 and 10 points, respectively) and 2x2 sets of matching symbols (which yield 8 points for 4 pairs), as these achieve a higher score. ## FAQ ### How many players can play Criss Cross? Criss Cross is exclusively a two-player game. ### How long does a game typically last? Games are super quick, usually lasting around 15 minutes. ### Is Criss Cross a difficult game to learn? Not at all! The rules are very simple, and you can learn to play in just a few minutes. ### What is the main objective of the game? The objective is to be the first player to accumulate 300 points, alternating between attacker and defender roles. ### What kind of components does the game use? The game uses a plastic board and marbles, which are central to the mechanics. ### Who would you recommend Criss Cross to? It's ideal for those looking for a quick game with a touch of dexterity and direct competition, without much complexity.