Welcome to the TIC Playing Cards game site
Two In Common (TIC) Playing Cards are great for families with kids 7 and up, as well as for seasoned card players looking for something new. When you play a card that has "two in common" with another card, you get to say "tic" and then play again.
On this site there are numerous fun and stimulating card games for nearly all ages and abilities. By viewing the videos on this page, you can learn the basics about how the cards work, and an easy game called 'Tic-a-Long'. Find more details about the cards in the 'Principles' section below. Click the other tabs at the top for different card games to play. May the brain floss begin!
On this site there are numerous fun and stimulating card games for nearly all ages and abilities. By viewing the videos on this page, you can learn the basics about how the cards work, and an easy game called 'Tic-a-Long'. Find more details about the cards in the 'Principles' section below. Click the other tabs at the top for different card games to play. May the brain floss begin!
**If you have any questions about your TIC Playing Cards, please contact brainfloss.co@gmail.com
Quick Start Video for the game Tic-a-Long
TIC Card Principles
Each TIC card displays a unique combination of a single number, shape and color. Altogether there are 5 numbers, 5 shapes and 5 colors in Tic cards. This yields 5 x 5 x 5 = 125 playing cards.
The numbers go from 1 to 5.
The shapes progress as their number of sides increase:
The circle has 1 side, the crescent has 2, the triangle has 3, the square has 4 and the star has 5 sides.
The colors progress across the spectrum of the rainbow:
violet, cyan (blue-green), yellow, orange and red.
In the examples below, the 3-star-orange and 5-triangle-cyan, are just two possible cards created by combining a single value from each of the three properties: number, shape and color.
Each TIC card displays a unique combination of a single number, shape and color. Altogether there are 5 numbers, 5 shapes and 5 colors in Tic cards. This yields 5 x 5 x 5 = 125 playing cards.
The numbers go from 1 to 5.
The shapes progress as their number of sides increase:
The circle has 1 side, the crescent has 2, the triangle has 3, the square has 4 and the star has 5 sides.
The colors progress across the spectrum of the rainbow:
violet, cyan (blue-green), yellow, orange and red.
In the examples below, the 3-star-orange and 5-triangle-cyan, are just two possible cards created by combining a single value from each of the three properties: number, shape and color.
Commonness in TIC cards
The TIC card property structure results in 'commonness' between cards. Cards that have two properties in common, a "Tic", could have the same number and shape but a different color or the same number and color but not the same shape or the same shape and color but a different number. A "Single" occurs when cards have a single property in common. For example, the cards could have only the number in common or only the shape in common or they only have the color the same. Cards that have nothing in common "Nic". Cards cannot have all three properties in common because that would be the exact same card, and in TIC cards, all the cards are different. When a player plays a card and creates two-in-common with another card, they get to say “Tic”! For any two cards that Tic, there are three other cads in the deck that Tic in the same way. In other words, there are 5 cards for any particular type of Tic.
When cards have two properties in common they are said to "Tic"
When cards have a single property in common they “Single” or "Sic".
When cards have nothing in common they are said to “Nic”.
The TIC card property structure results in 'commonness' between cards. Cards that have two properties in common, a "Tic", could have the same number and shape but a different color or the same number and color but not the same shape or the same shape and color but a different number. A "Single" occurs when cards have a single property in common. For example, the cards could have only the number in common or only the shape in common or they only have the color the same. Cards that have nothing in common "Nic". Cards cannot have all three properties in common because that would be the exact same card, and in TIC cards, all the cards are different. When a player plays a card and creates two-in-common with another card, they get to say “Tic”! For any two cards that Tic, there are three other cads in the deck that Tic in the same way. In other words, there are 5 cards for any particular type of Tic.
When cards have two properties in common they are said to "Tic"
When cards have a single property in common they “Single” or "Sic".
When cards have nothing in common they are said to “Nic”.
Sequences in TIC cards
With a linear progression for the numbers, shapes and colors, 'sequences' in one or more properties are possible in TIC cards. In a 5 card hand, the numbers could ascend or descend (1-5 or 5-1), the shapes could ascend or descend (determined by their number of sides: circle-to-star or star-to-circle) and the colors could ascend or descend (along the spectrum of the rainbow: violet to red or red to violet). Refer to the backside of any TIC card to see the relative ‘value’ of each shape and color, and to understand shape and color sequences.
When cards have one property in sequence we say they "Mono"
When cards have two properties in sequence we say they "Duo"
When cards have three properties in sequence we say they "Tripo".
Note that the properties can sequence independently of each other. For example, shapes can ascend while numbers descend, or numbers can ascend while color descends etc. See the picture examples below for two different sequences that Duo and one that is a Tripo
With a linear progression for the numbers, shapes and colors, 'sequences' in one or more properties are possible in TIC cards. In a 5 card hand, the numbers could ascend or descend (1-5 or 5-1), the shapes could ascend or descend (determined by their number of sides: circle-to-star or star-to-circle) and the colors could ascend or descend (along the spectrum of the rainbow: violet to red or red to violet). Refer to the backside of any TIC card to see the relative ‘value’ of each shape and color, and to understand shape and color sequences.
When cards have one property in sequence we say they "Mono"
When cards have two properties in sequence we say they "Duo"
When cards have three properties in sequence we say they "Tripo".
Note that the properties can sequence independently of each other. For example, shapes can ascend while numbers descend, or numbers can ascend while color descends etc. See the picture examples below for two different sequences that Duo and one that is a Tripo
Finally, the properties create an intuitive "value" to the cards when compared against each other. For example, 4 is higher than 2, the five-sided star is higher than the three-sided triangle and orange is of higher value than violet. One can total the value of all three properties to determine the overall value. See the picture example. The lowest card in the deck is 1-circle-violet. The highest card in the deck is 5-star-red. If the total of all three properties is the same between two cards, such as between a 4-crescent-orange and a 3-crescent-red, we say that number trumps shape; shape trumps color. Thus, 4-crescent-orange is the higher of the two cards.
TIC games either make use of the 'Commonness' feature (Tics, Singles and Nics) or the 'Sequences' feature (Tripos, Duos and Monos), but usually not both within the same game. If you need to look at more examples of Commonness and Sequences, please look at the following pictures below.
TIC cards compared to standard playing cards - The Innovation
TIC cards overcome some of the limitations inherent in standard playing cards, increasing the play possibilities and the fun.
In traditional playing cards, the only intuitive relationship between the cards is the number sequence from 2 to 10 and that Queen or King is higher than a Jack. There is no clear relationship between the suits and there are only two colours. Traditional playing cards have a rich and interesting history, with many cultural and historical aspects imbued in the deck. While fascinating, traditional cards do not make use of simple and universal sequences, making the deck less intuitive and more challenging for kids to learn. TIC cards over come some of these limitations by creating a logical progression for the 5 numbers, 5 shapes (like the suits) and 5 colors, and every possible combination of these 5 x 5 x 5 elements (125 cards) is present in the deck. This card structure along with the large number of cards in a TIC deck dramatically increases the game play and creates new game possibilities, whereas traditional cards need to combine multiple decks, creating duplicates. As you will see, there are simply new and interesting types of games and types of hands that can be achieved with TIC cards, which was not previously possible with standard playing cards. TIC cards offer everything from fun and simple games, to challenging mental sport!
TIC cards overcome some of the limitations inherent in standard playing cards, increasing the play possibilities and the fun.
In traditional playing cards, the only intuitive relationship between the cards is the number sequence from 2 to 10 and that Queen or King is higher than a Jack. There is no clear relationship between the suits and there are only two colours. Traditional playing cards have a rich and interesting history, with many cultural and historical aspects imbued in the deck. While fascinating, traditional cards do not make use of simple and universal sequences, making the deck less intuitive and more challenging for kids to learn. TIC cards over come some of these limitations by creating a logical progression for the 5 numbers, 5 shapes (like the suits) and 5 colors, and every possible combination of these 5 x 5 x 5 elements (125 cards) is present in the deck. This card structure along with the large number of cards in a TIC deck dramatically increases the game play and creates new game possibilities, whereas traditional cards need to combine multiple decks, creating duplicates. As you will see, there are simply new and interesting types of games and types of hands that can be achieved with TIC cards, which was not previously possible with standard playing cards. TIC cards offer everything from fun and simple games, to challenging mental sport!
More Examples
