Colin Cliffe conceived the idea for a strategic board game during his honeymoon in 1992, but it took more than three decades of setbacks, personal tragedy, and determination before his creation reached the market. The 68-year-old from Audlem, Cheshire, has now launched Tri-Armi, a two-player tactical game using triangular tiles. According to BBC News, Cliffe said he was motivated by the thought that
I didn't want to go to my grave with it under the bed.
The journey from concept to retail shelf proved far longer and more complicated than Cliffe initially imagined. Work commitments, family responsibilities, and the death of his wife Bernadette in 2015 caused him to shelve the project repeatedly. When he finally moved toward production, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed progress further, and the manufacturing company he hired subsequently entered administration, forcing him to find alternative producers.
How did the idea originate?
Cliffe developed the concept while on a two-week honeymoon in a remote area of Greece with Bernadette. With limited entertainment options, the couple spent their evenings playing board games in a bar. He initially attempted to refine the classic game Connect 4 but quickly recognised the futility of that approach. Instead, he designed his own game featuring a flat hexagonal board, which would eventually evolve into the triangular-tile format of Tri-Armi.
What obstacles delayed the project?
The first prototype suffered from a significant flaw: it ended in a draw approximately 50 percent of the time, a result Cliffe found unacceptable. He abandoned the project and only rediscovered it years later after relocating. When his daughters reached an age where they could appreciate board games, they played the prototype repeatedly, but the draw rate remained problematic even after format adjustments.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly while Cliffe was driving to work in his van. He realised the solution lay in introducing two distinct ways to win the game. However, within two months of this revelation, Bernadette received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Cliffe became her full-time carer, and following her death in 2015, he experienced a series of further losses: his father, sister, niece, and mother all died in subsequent years, pushing the game project entirely to the background.
When Cliffe finally resolved to bring his invention to market, the Covid-19 pandemic
stopped me again in my tracks for two years.He was determined to have the game manufactured in the United Kingdom and located a company capable of production, printing, and packaging. That firm then went into administration, leaving him devastated. After extensive searching, he discovered suitable manufacturers located just miles from his home in Cheshire. According to Audlem community news, after the first manufacturer went into liquidation in 2024, Cliffe found separate UK printers and game manufacturers locally, with production beginning after design work, prototypes and regulatory preparations.
What makes Tri-Armi distinctive?
Cliffe describes the game as
simple and addictive,and according to local sources, he characterises it as
1 simple game, with 2 ways to win.The game employs triangular tiles in a tactical battle format that Cliffe believes has worldwide commercial potential. He is currently handling packaging and shipping himself from his home base.
Angela Poole, who operates the tabletop gaming venue Potteries Gaming in Stoke-on-Trent, confirmed that board games remain hugely popular with new concepts being produced continuously. She observed that
The simpler a game is - depending on how strategic it is - it's going to be a quicker played game, so that could appeal to a lot more players.Poole noted the extraordinary diversity of the market:
You think of anything in the world, and there's a board game about it, or very similar, I can't express the wide range.She highlighted the social appeal of traditional gaming and pointed to the UK Games Expo in Birmingham as evidence of the sector's growth.
They're already in five halls of the NEC, each year it gets bigger, there's more and more companies that want to be there, more and more people releasing board games.
What are Cliffe's future plans?
Cliffe's creative ambitions extend well beyond Tri-Armi. He has already conceived ideas for two additional board games and a card game. He explained that
My mind never, ever switches off, it's just continually spinning, I just see something and I get an idea, and that's it, I'm away.Regarding the launch of Tri-Armi, Cliffe expressed emotion about the achievement, saying
I get emotional, very emotional because I just wish my wife was here to see it.
At the game's launch event on 8 November, a promotional activity involved guessing the number of triangles in a jar; according to Audlem community news, the jar contained 2,400 triangles, with Millie Saunders winning the closest-guess prize with an estimate of 2,323.
What happens next?
Cliffe was scheduled to discuss Tri-Armi on Radio Stoke on 11 November at 11:40am. The game was also scheduled to feature at the ADCA Christmas fair on 14 November at Audlem Public Hall, providing further opportunities for local exposure and sales.
Key Facts
- Cliffe conceived Tri-Armi during a 1992 honeymoon in Greece and first created a crude prototype at that time, though he did not resume serious efforts to bring it to market until 2019
- The game's development was interrupted by the death of his wife Bernadette in 2015 and subsequent losses of family members
- Production was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the administration of the initial manufacturing company in 2024
- Cliffe is personally handling packaging and shipping and has already developed concepts for two additional board games and a card game
- The tabletop gaming market continues to expand, with the UK Games Expo growing annually across five halls of the NEC in Birmingham
