Ah, the old three-in-a-row game ...
There must be some fundamental mathematical principle at work here. Vectors and line segments really only need two points in space to define them. But that third point describes something more. A relationship. Alignment. Proportion. Distance. Potential.
Here's the story of an interesting little game that throws a second vector into the equation.
The brothers George and Joseph Lines made wooden toys beginning in the 1850s. George was the craftsman, Joseph was the businessman. Their manufacturing company was called G & J Lines Ltd, located in London.
Joseph had four sons, three of whom formed Lines Bros Ltd in 1919. They were William, Walter and Arthur Lines. Three Lines making a triangle, hence Tri-Ang. The fourth brother, Richard, soon joined the company as well.
Now, this will not be a comprehensive history of the Tri-Ang company. That would be a major historical documentary. Let me just share a few highlights.
The brothers made all sorts of toys: wood, metal, and cardstock. This included their now-famous toy trucks, prams, and bicycles.
In the 1920s, needing more space, they acquired a 47-acre site in Merton, built a new factory on it, and moved all of the production there. To guarantee their supply lines, they also invested in lumber companies and steel foundries.
Richard Lines was apparently responsible for developing their own model railroad system in the 1930s. They also created a line of model aircraft and became the largest manufacturer of prams and nursery furniture. By the 1940s, they were licensing popular games from other countries.
At the start of the Second World War, the Tri-Ang production facilities were converted to weapons manufacture, specifically the Sten Mk III submachine gun. They also made gliders, and the first rocket-propelled aircraft (with 20ft wing span). Plus an infra-red night vision apparatus, and scale models of the Normandy beaches in preparation for D-Day.
After the war, they dusted off the machinery and got back into the toy business.
Lines Bros Ltd, was at its peak in 1947, when they claimed to be the largest toy maker in the world. They had become a multi-national company, acquiring competing brands beginning in the 1950s. These brand names included Hornby, Dinky Toys, Meccanno, and Rovex model trains.
Under the Tri-ang Toys brand name, Lines Bros Ltd also made children's bicycles. In the mid-1960s, they emulated Schwinn's Stingray with the classic banana seat and sissy bars. Their most popular version was the Dragster. A kid couldn?t get much cooler than that.
Aside from their licensed games and imports, they developed many of their own games. One of their 1971 products was Check-Lines. They liked the word "lines" of course.
It's a three-in-a-row game, but the interesting feature that sets this apart is that the winning configuration is TWO lines of three-in-a-row.
The game board is quite typical of such games, with a pattern of holes connected by lines. Each player gets FIVE pegs, and the objective is to create two rows of three pegs, and one peg must be common to both of the rows.
There's a Placement Phase, putting the pegs on the board turn-by-turn, then a Movement Phase, sliding pegs around to try forming that winning arrangement on the board.
The original game was rated for players ages 6 to adult. Six-year-olds should definitely be able to grasp the rules to the game, but I know some that would be very frustrated if they lose too quickly.
Regarding the fate of the Tri-Ang company, Check-Lines was first published in 1970, just about the time that the company was beginning to falter.
Many toymakers and game publishers were going through a generation of changes during the 70s — mergers and acquisitions were temporis proprius.
Lines brothers began to fall into financial difficulties, and the company was split up and its various brands were sold off. By the end of the decade, Tri-Ang was no more. The Tri-Ang name and their Mimic trademark were acquired by Charles Shave of Hong Kong in 2003.
For collectors and nostalgic types, vintage copies of the original Check-Lines game can be found in thrift stores and auction sites.
Today, as this video is being recorded, the NewVenture version will be part of our current Kickstarter campaign. Here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidmccord/a-collection-of-22-classic-strategy-games
Shortly after campaign fulfillment ends, we expect to have Check-Lines in our webstore, although it may cost a couple extra dollars by then. Our re-issue is made from hardwood as opposed to the original molded plastic. Precision printed and drilled, with wood pegs, like all of our Peg Pastimes games, it's what one reviewer calls "heirloom quality."