Thrift Treasure: Fiveplay Game
We’ve all played the classic pen and paper game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Getting three in a row is not new nor unique in a game. The game world is full of titles which challenge you to line up four. Connect 4, Cubic and Coverup are all examples we’ve found at thrift. I’m not sure we’ve ever found a game which requires five-in-a-row to win. Until now.
University Games’ Fiveplay, also known as Interplay, was this week’s pickup at Goodwill. It was the first time we’d run across a copy and luckily it was complete. Not only was the plastic playing board in great shape, the twenty pegs (ten of each color), eight barrels (four of each) and eight hollow barrels (again, four for either player), along with the rules, were present.
Winning Fiveplay is simple – line up five of your color in a row. Each turn you will place one of your pegs or barrels into any space on the board. The twist is the special shapes of the pieces. Pegs are skinny and don’t fill up the entire hole. Barrels are short and fat and take up all the space. Hollow barrels fit in the holes but leave enough room for a peg to be placed in the center.
In essence, each space on the board potentially allows for both colors to occupy it. There are only a few limitations on placement. While you may place in any available space on the board, you may not double-up and have both your color peg and hollow barrel in the same space. Once you run out of either all eight barrels, or all ten pegs, you may remove one from the board and place it in a new space.
Remember how I mentioned the object was to line up five-in-a-row? In Fiveplay, it takes a little more than that. Not only must you line up your color, but they must also be in one of three specific patterns. Peg (P), Peg (P), Barrel (B), Peg (P), Peg (P) is one winning combination. P, B, P, B, P is the second. Lastly, P, B, B, B, P is also valid. The barrels may be of either type, matching or mixed. The first person to do so wins Fiveplay!
This 1980 issue is long out of print. You can always find complete copies on eBay for reasonable prices. Or keep a look out during yard sale season for a copy for a couple bucks. Just make sure all the pieces are there!
Do you know of any other five-in-a-row games we should look for?
