Equipment
A patent granted to Philip L. Shoptaugh and describes a board game played with octagonal and square interstitial tiles bearing angular paths. The game, as first published in 1994 by Discovery Toys, is played on an octagonal board with 52 octagonal cells and 45 square interstitial spaces, arranged in a 4×3 configuration, with four paths leading inward along each of the 4-cell sides. There are 32 octagonal ''pathway'' pieces and 16 square ''intersection'' pieces with raised tracks; the 32 octagonal ''pathway'' pieces are divided evenly into 4 color sets, each with 8 ''pathway'' pieces, and the 16 square ''intersection'' pieces are a single color (black). Each of the eight octagonal ''pathway'' pieces in a color set have unique patterns, and each of the four color sets have the same set of eight patterns. Four of the octagonal ''pathway'' pieces in each set have two paths linking three or four sides, and the other four have three paths linking five or six sides. The square ''intersection'' pieces are divided evenly into four each of straight, crossed, tee, and elbow paths. A travel variant named ''Crosstrack Challenge'' was released in 1996 with a smaller 4×2 octagonal board and 32 octagonal cells. Unlike the regular variant, ''Challenge'' has the 25 interstitial square cells prepopulated with connectors and there are no ''intersection'' pieces. There are 24 octagonal ''pathway'' pieces supplied, in 4 sets of 6. Like the larger (1994) ''Crosstrack'', within each color set there are six unique patterns; each color set has the same six unique patterns, that is, there are four ''pathway'' pieces with a given path/track pattern, one in each set color. Three of the eight octagonal ''pathway'' pieces from ''Crosstrack'' (1994) have been removed, leaving five of the six pieces the same as the larger game; one ''pathway'' piece with two straight, crossed paths has been added: In 1999, the license for Crosstrack reverted to Philip Shoptaugh, who re-released the two versions, renaming ''Crosstrack Challenge'' to ''Crosstrack'' (standard size) and the larger 1994 version to ''Crosstrack'' (tournament size) or ''Large Crosstrack''. Colors of pieces and boards vary depending on the publisher; the large board is approximately between opposite sides, while the small board is approximately .Rules
Setup
Players choose one color and take all the octagonal ''pathway'' pieces in that color as their "stock"; depending on the number of players, players may be required to choose more than one color. In the original (1994) and "tournament" (1999) versions, the square ''intersection'' pieces are left in a common pile. Play starts with the youngest player and proceeds to the left. During the opening round of moves, each player must place one ''pathway'' piece on any open cell in the board; ''intersection'' piece placement is not allowed until each player has played one ''pathway'' piece.All games
Play begins with an empty board and the octagonal ''pathway'' pieces are distributed amongst the players as their playing stock. To win, a player must connect any two opposite sides of the board in an unbroken path, regardless of the colors of the ''pathway'' pieces used for that path. Each player's turn consists of one of three basic moves: #Place an octagonal ''pathway'' piece from their own stock onto any unoccupied spot on the board. #Rotate a ''pathway'' piece already on the board to any chosen orientation, if they placed it there. #Move one of their ''pathway'' pieces already present on the board to any unoccupied space in any orientation. #For the original (1994) and "tournament" (1999) game, any player may place a square ''intersection'' piece during their turn, following the opening round of moves. Once played, a ''pathway'' piece remains on the board; it may be moved or rotated by the player who placed it (or, in the team variant, by the player's teammate). During their turn, a player also is not allowed to rotate or move any piece played by an opponent. In addition, a placed piece cannot be removed or replaced with another one from the player's stock. The rotate and move are mutually exclusive: if a piece is rotated, it cannot also be moved to a different spot on the board. Likewise, if the piece is moved, it cannot also be rotated into a different orientation when placed. In addition, once placed, ''intersection'' pieces cannot be moved or rotated. In the 1996 ''Challenge'' and subsequent 1999 "standard" versions, the ''intersection'' pieces are permanently attached to the board and this rule does not apply.Two-player game
In a two player game, each player chooses two colors to form their stock, that is, each player receives half of the octagonal ''pathway'' pieces.Three-player game
In a three player game, each player chooses one color to form their stock, and the last color is set aside as a common stock. Any player may play from the common stock on their turn, and rotate or move common pieces on the board. However, after a common piece is acted upon in one of these three manners, it cannot be moved or relocated during the next two turns. In other words, if player A rotates a common piece on the board, neither player B nor C will be able to move or rotate it on their immediately subsequent turns. However, once play returns to A, any player is free to rotate or relocate the piece again–unless, of course, A chooses to move or rotate the piece again.Four-player game
The 1994 version of the game allowed up to four individual players, with each player choosing one color.Four-player team game
Players choose one color each as well as a partner, and play as two opposing teams. Partners sit opposite each other, with play passing between teams every turn. Players are allowed to rotate or relocate a team member's piece if it is already on the board, but do not have the ability to place pieces from their partner's stock. In addition, teammates may discuss their moves prior to placing a piece; however, to increase the difficulty, it is suggested that discussion of potential moves may be banned.Strategy
Control of the "ports" at the edges of the board is important, as control or successful manipulation of these is necessary in order to establish a path across the board. Players should also be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the different pieces.References
External links