What makes TAC® unique …
TAC, the new classic, combines the three original game elements of board, cards, and marbles into a timeless strategy game that requires both team spirit and clever tactics. The 104 cards make every game unique and provide an exciting moment of chance. Each game is full of surprises. However, up to 90% of the success is determined by the “TACtic” experience of the individual players. This characteristic gives TAC a depth that even bears comparison with backgammon or chess. Unlike traditional board games, players only win by teaming up. Each player is involved in the game until the very end. A four-player solitaire variant is also extremely challenging and suitable for tournaments, where the optimal course of the game is to be achieved by combining forces.
The timeless design of the “new classic” is also unique. The artistically decorated wooden TAC board can also be used as an elegant piece of furniture or as an original wall decoration. In addition to the birch versions, the solid wood versions in mahogany and walnut add a touch of luxury to the game. A special form of the TAC game has been developed especially for blind players.
Player Features – Thrills in a Team
TAC is for two to four players (ideally four) ages 8 and up. An explosive mix of strategy, tactics, and chance determines the course of the game. The main elements of the game are a wooden board, four times four marbles as game pieces, and 104 playing cards that determine the game turns instead of dice. Several special features ensure constant excitement and the need to constantly adapt your strategy to new situations. The simple rules of the game do not make high intellectual demands on the players, but experience, team spirit and strong nerves are essential for fun. A game lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. Usually, however, a first game quickly turns into a series of tournament-like matches with alternating teams and winners.
Timeless Design
The classic game elements are an open commitment of the authors to haptics and quality. High-quality playing cards are played in a felt-lined central circular area, hand-picked glass marbles move along an outer ring of 64 semicircular recesses into the saving “house”. In favor of a better environmental compatibility, the TAC game consists mainly of natural materials. Symbolic of the timeless joy of playing, both the board and card designs are based on a graphic archetype called the „Flower of Life“. Even TAC's characteristic font was consistently developed on this design basis.
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Practical experience
Previous tests and practical experience attest to the immediate and lasting fascination and enjoyment of the TAC game. No two games are alike. All players can influence the game until the very last second. Characteristic for the uninterrupted thrill is the enormous range of emotions among the players, some of which are very intense: „From sky-high jubilation to deathly sadness“ is how the game authors Kolja Sparrer and Karl Wenning describe this range.
The best feeling, however, is the “double joy” of every victory achieved together. The direct impact of good team play on success is made tangible in a playful way. TAC builds important social skills such as training perception, non-verbal communication, interpretation, intuitive action and the simultaneous experience of playing against and with each other, competition, and teamwork.
History of the TAC Game
The mother of the TAC game is the Indian Chaupar or Pachisi. Chaupar developed in the 4th century as a modification of the Korean game Yut. Chaupar is the traditional form of the game and differs from Pachisi in that the rules are more complicated. The English brought the game to England in the 19th century. From there it spread to Europe and America. Many different variations developed. Among the best known are Mensch Ärgere dich nicht, Ludo, Eile mit Weile, Sorry, Dog, Kugelfuhr and many more.
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In 1989, Kolja Sparrer was introduced to an original version of the TAC game by a friend who had brought the homemade game back from the Pyrenees. Through his partner Anna Katharina Wenning, elements from the Canadian line were also incorporated. From then on, family and friends played and created as much as they could. Rules were compared, added, tested and refined. The original Rommé sheet was transformed into a newly developed card game, and the game board was completely redesigned. Several exciting game variants were created, including the master version, the two- and three-player game, and the Team TAC variant, in which all players play together against the rules of TAC. After a nine-month production phase, the first official presentation took place at Spiel 04 in Essen in 2004, where TAC was enthusiastically received by visitors and the trade press.
The authors and editors
Kolja Sparrer
Kolja Sparrer was born in Munich on January 15, 1973, the son of a physician and an architect. As an elementary school student, he attended the integrated class at the Montessori School, where he returned after graduating from high school in 1992 as a civilian service volunteer. He then completed a two-year apprenticeship as a carpenter in Munich and studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich. Kolja Sparrer has worked as a freelance architect since 2002. For the publication of TAC® he founded the TAC publishing house together with Karl Wenning in January 2004.
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Karl Wenning
Karl Wenning was born in Dachau on August 16, 1949. After graduating from high school, he studied social pedagogy, followed by three years of acting training in Munich. After completing both courses, he worked for twenty years in the field of theater for children, young people and adults in collaboration with F.J. Bogner – director, author, clown, and cabaret artist. Since 1995 he has worked as a lecturer at the School for Curative Education in Schönbrunn and in the care of mentally ill people. Since 2004, Karl Wenning has been the managing director of TAC Verlag.
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The TAC Verlag GmbH
After TAC Verlag was founded in 2004 by Kolja Sparrer and Karl Wenning, Silvia Kretschmer, Katharina Wenning and Kai Angne joined the team as freelancers. Since 2012, the publishing house has been run by Kai Angne, Silvia Kretschmer and Karl Wenning. Simone Schumacher joined the team in December 2016 and Dolores Katić in 2021.
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Since 2022 Kolja Sparrer is back on board and TAC Verlag is a GmbH. Dolores, Kolja and Kai are active in the publishing house since 2023. In the year-end business, the publishing house is supported by part-time employees.
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TAC Verlag GmbH has been located in Petershausen, Bavaria, since May 2024. The entire warehouse, shipping department and office are located here on almost 200 m².
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But most important are the many enthusiastic TAC players who contribute with their support and ideas to the extraordinary success story of TAC. TAC now has a worldwide following. Every two years, TAC players from all over the world meet at the TAC World Championship to compete for the title.
For more information about TAC, visit www.spiel-tac.de.
Aichach, Germany, July 2024
TAC Verlag GmbH
Industriering 10
85238 Petershausen
Germany
Dolores Katić | Shipping and Office +49 8137 6373648 or alias +49 157 82204821
Kai Angne | Administration and IT +49 8137 6292334
Kolja Sparrer | Management and Purchasing +49 6162 8094776
Kai Angne | Administration and IT +49 8137 6292334
Kolja Sparrer | Management and Purchasing +49 6162 8094776
E-mail: info(at)spielac.de
Internet: www.spiel-tac.de
VAT ID No. : DE353589204
TAC® is a registered trademark, all parts are protected by copyright and design patents. Any further use, distribution, reprinting or publication of the contents of this website (including excerpts or in electronic form) requires the prior written consent of TAC Verlag.
Photos on this page: Lisa Martin