tic tac taco
Tic Tac Taco
A fresh twist on the classic tic-tac-toe game. It's Tortillas vs Nachos, and players race to be first with three taco combos in a row. It sounds easy until power-up cards turn it into an all out food fight.
Buy Tic Tac TacoWinning
Be the first to make Tic-Tac-Taco by getting three taco combos in a row.
Making combos
- One taco combo = one base card + one Carne + one Queso
- Carne can only be placed on a base card
- Queso can only be placed on a Carne card
- When a combo is complete, flip those three cards so the logo faces up
Setting up
- Pick teams: Nachos vs Tortillas
- Each team takes their four base cards
- Whoever ate tacos most recently takes the NachoTortilla base card and goes first
- Take turns placing a base card face up on a flat surface
- The first base card can go anywhere
- Every card after that must share an edge or corner with another base card
- Continue until you have a 3x3 grid, three rows and three columns of base cards
Rules
- Each turn, either play a card from your hand or draw a card from the draw pile
- Always keep three cards in hand. Draw when a card is played, stolen, or drawn and not kept
- Toppings can only go on your own base cards or the NachoTortilla base card
- All four of your base cards need Carne before you can place Carne on NachoTortilla
- Same rule applies for Queso
- If the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to make a new one
In the deck
- Base cards: Tortilla (x4), Nacho (x4), NachoTortilla (x1)
- Filling cards: Carne (x14), Queso (x14)
- Power-up cards: Taco-pocalypse (x6), Guac-Block (x4), Pico de Futuro (x3), Steal a Bite (x3)
Base cards
Team Tortilla
The Tortilla base card will be face down in the 3x3 grid to start the game. The player on Team Tortilla must complete their three-in-a-row taco combos on a Tortilla base card to win.
Team Nacho
The Nacho base card will be face down in the 3x3 grid to start the game. The player on Team Nacho must complete their three-in-a-row taco combos on a Nacho base card to win.
NachoTortilla
The NachoTortilla base card will be face down in the 3x3 grid to start the game. Players on either Team Tortilla or Team Nacho can complete their three-in-a-row taco combos on a NachoTortilla base card to win.
Filling cards
Carne
Step 2 of 3 for a completed combo. This card can be drawn from the draw pile and played on top of any base card. The Carne card must be placed before a Queso card can be played. You cannot stack two Carne cards on top of each other.
Queso
Step 3 of 3 for a completed combo. This card can be drawn from the draw pile and played on top of any Carne card. Once a Queso card has been added to a Carne and base card, that taco combo is complete. No other filling cards can be played on top.
Power-up cards
Guac-Block
Played from the hand during a player's turn. When played, the player selects one of the spots in the 3x3 grid, removes any Carne and Queso cards there, and places those cards plus the Guac-Block card in the discard pile.
Pico de Futuro
Played from the hand during a player's turn. When played, the player draws the next three cards from the draw pile and can choose to keep one, two, or three of them. Discard the rest so you end the turn with three cards in hand.
Steal a Bite
Played from the hand during a player's turn. When played, the player takes one card randomly from their opponent's hand. The player who had a card stolen immediately draws one card from the draw pile.
Taco-pocalypse
Played from the hand during a player's turn and placed face up on the table. A player needs three Taco-pocalypse cards in front of them for the power-up effect to occur. Only one can be played per turn. When the third is played, all filling and power-up cards are discarded. Base cards stay in whatever position they were already in.
Frequently asked questions
When creating the 3x3 grid of Nacho, Tortilla, and NachoTortilla base cards, can I place a base card anywhere?
The first player can place the first base card anywhere on the playing surface. Every base card after that must be next to an edge or corner of a previously placed base card. Base cards cannot be placed outside a 3x3 grid.
How many unique arrangements of the 3x3 grid can be made?
There are 166 unique ways to arrange the four Tortilla cards, four Nacho cards, and one NachoTortilla card in a 3x3 grid, counting rotations of the same grid as one arrangement.
How do Power-Up cards work?
On your turn you can play a Power-Up card from your hand. Place it in front of you and follow the instructions on the card, then discard it to the discard pile.
How do you play the Taco-pocalypse Power-Up cards?
You can play one Taco-pocalypse card per turn, placed face up in front of you. Once a player has played three, all filling and power-up cards are discarded and base cards stay as they are. This can only trigger once per game.
What happens when a player plays the 3rd Taco-pocalypse card?
It resets all the taco combos back to the base layer. Immediately discard all the toppings (Carne and Queso cards). Base cards keep whatever face they were already showing. Taco-pocalypse cards played by the other player stay in play. Once triggered, it can't fire again for the rest of the game, and any Taco-pocalypse cards left in a hand or drawn afterward get removed from the game.
If my opponent has played 1 Taco-pocalypse card and I play my 2nd, does that count toward the 3 needed to trigger it?
No. The effect only occurs when one player has played three Taco-pocalypse cards. Only the cards you've played count toward your own three.
When I draw a card, can I play it immediately?
No. A player is only allowed to complete one action per turn. You will have to wait until your next turn to play a card.
How does the Guac-Block card work?
When played, select one spot in the 3x3 grid and remove any Carne and Queso cards there, placing them in the discard pile along with the Guac-Block card.
My opponent played Steal a Bite and took one of my three cards. Do I get to draw another?
Yes. Draw one card immediately from the draw pile so you're back to three cards in hand. This does not count as your turn.
I played Pico de Futuro and drew 3 cards. Do I keep all 5 cards in my hand?
No. You must have exactly three cards in hand. Discard Pico de Futuro, then choose three of the five remaining cards to keep and discard the other two.
If I can't play a card from my hand, do I have to draw?
Yes. You must always perform one of the two actions: play or draw.
Can I make a taco combo with double Carne or double Queso?
No, sorry, we'd have to charge extra for that. Each base card can only handle one layer of Carne and one layer of Queso.
We ran out of cards in the draw pile. What do we do?
Shuffle the discard pile and use it as the new draw pile.