Board game word play

Components

• Game board
• The spinner
• Wordplay score pads
• Game timer
• Game pieces
• Pencils
• Instructions

Game Play

1. Select a player to be the Host for the first round. This player will be in charge of the spinner and the timer for the round. All players, including the Host, participate in the word-building fun during each round.

2. The game features a special dual-use spinner: there is an outer circle containing letters (in yellow) to form words, and an inner circle contain- ing bonus categories (in green).

   The Host begins the round by spinning the spinner to select the FIRST LETTER- which is the letter in the outer circle that is pointed to (if no letter is clearly pointed to, spin again).

   All players, including the Host, print this letter in the circle marked the FIRST LETTER on their scoresheet. The Host then spins again to select the OTHER LETTER — the letter in the outer circle that is pointed to. All players, including the Host, print this letter in the circle marked OTHER LETTER on their scoresheet.

   The Host spins the spinner a third time to select the Bonus Category for the round — which is the category in the inner circle that is pointed to (if no Bonus Category is clearly pointed to, spin again).

   The five Bonus Categories are: Names (N), Places (P), Objects and Things (O&T), Food and Drink (F&D), and Living Creatures (LC).

   The spinner might also point to Your Choice (YC), which means the Host gets to pick the Bonus Category (in 10 seconds or less) for the round from among the five choices {Names, Places, etc). The Bonus Categories are explained further below, and a summary is found at the bottom of your scoresheet.

   

3. The objective is to come up with words in the Bonus Category that begin with the FIRST LETTER and contain the OTHER LETTER,

   Example 1: The Host’s first spin shows the spinner pointing to the letter ‘B’ (the FIRST LETTER). The Host’s second spin shows the spinner pointing to the letter ‘N’ (the OTHER LETTER). The Host’s third spin shows the spinner pointing to the ‘Places’ Bonus Category.

   Players would try to come up with ‘Places’ that begin with ‘B’ and contain an N’: BOSTON, BANGKOK, BIRMINGHAM, etc.

   You score the maximum 3 points if you come up with a word that begins with the FIRST LETTER and ends with the OTHER LETTER (i.e., the OTHER LETTER is the last letter) since these words are usually harder to think of. In Example 1, you get 3 points for ‘BOSTON’.

   But if your word begins with the FIRST LETTER and contains the OTHER LETTER somewhere else in the word, you score 2 points. So in Example 1, you get 2 points for ‘BANGKOK’ and 2 points for ‘BIRMINGHAM’.

   If you can’t think of any words that fall into the Bonus Category (which happens sometimes), or not enough words to fill in the boxes of your scoresheet for the round, you can substitute other words instead of using the FIRST LETTER and OTHER LETTER.

   In Example 1, you may come up with ‘BRAIN’, ‘BANJO’, ‘BENJAMIN’, ‘BANANA’ or anything else. But you only get 1 point for these words since they don’t belong to the Bonus Category for the round. It doesn’t matter if you use the OTHER LETTER as the second, third or even last letter- i.e. whether your word is BRAIN or BANJO — you only get 1 point.

   Note: There is a quick scoring summary on your scoresheet.

4. After the letters and Bonus Category have been selected, the Host flips the timer over. Everyone now has one minute to form their words and record them on their scoresheets. A player may write down up to three words on their scoresheet, with one word in each box.

5. When time runs out, all players must stop writing down words. Everyone then writes in the points they’ve won for each word in its corresponding small box and adds up their point total for the round. Fig. 1 shows how some players fared using the letters (‘B’ and ‘N’) and Bonus Category (‘Places’) from Example 1 above.

   

6. After the point totals have been calculated, players take turns revealing their words aloud, starting with the Host and then moving clockwise. It is possible that two or more players may have written down the same word during the round.

   Once a player reveals his/her words and point total, they move their game piece one space on the board for each point won. In Fig. 1 above, Rebecca won 6 points and would therefore move 6 spaces on the board, Jeff moves 4 spaces, and Kirsten would move 2 spaces.

7. After all players have moved their game pieces, the next round can begin. Another player becomes Host for the round (the player to the left of the former Host — players take turns after every round). Then follow the same steps you did for the first round.

8. The first player to reach the Finish Circle wins the game (note: if two or more players reach the Finish Circle during the same round, the winner is the player who has recorded the most total points on their score- sheet for all the rounds during the game).

   Just remember these simple steps:

   • Host spins to select the two letters and Bonus Category.

   • Write down your words before time runs out.

   • Add up your points and move your game piece.

Notes on Gameplay

• All words written down by a player must be at least 4 letters long, and must be spelt correctly, or no points are given. As players take turns revealing their answers, you may challenge any other player to show their scoresheet to prove their words are spelt correctly.

• If a player can’t form any words at all during the round, they have to move their game piece back 5 spaces on the board — sorry!

• Once a player reveals a word they have recorded at the end of a round, that same word may not be used again in subsequent rounds during the game, either by the same player or by another player.

• You can cross out a word you have written down in a box on your scoresheet and replace it with another one — as often as you like — until time runs out during a round.

• Players decide by majority vote if any word read aloud by a player at the end of the round should be disqualified — i.e. if the word clearly doesn’t belong in the Bonus Category, or for any other good reason.

Alternative Gameplay: «free-for-all»

Here’s another way to play: the ‘Free-For-All’ version. Follow the same basic rules as described under Gameplay above, but with this one notable change: you ignore the Bonus Categories. This means:

• The Host spins only twice at the beginning of the round. The first spin gives you the FIRST LETTER to write down and the next spin gives you the OTHER LETTER to write down.

• Come up with words that begin with the FIRST LETTER and contain the OTHER LETTER. You are looking to form any type of word at all — which could be an everyday word or any word that may fall under the Bonus Categories (Names, etc). It’s up to you.

• In this version, you score 2 points if you come up with a word that begins with the FIRST LETTER and ends with the OTHER LETTER (i.e., the OTHER LETTER is the last letter), but if your word begins with the FIRST LETTER and contains the OTHER LETTER somewhere else in the word, you score only 1 point.

  So in Example 1 earlier, you get 2 points for ‘BRIAN’, ‘BOSTON’, ‘BURN’, but only 1 point for ‘BANGKOK’, ‘BANJO’, ‘BINGO’. As before, add your points at the end of each round and move your piece 1 space for each point.

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HOW TO PLAY

WHAT’S INCLUDED

The game Wordplay should come with the following components. These are based off of the original game and don’t include components from any expansion packs or different editions.

HOW TO WIN

OFFICIAL GAME RULES

COMMENTS / QUESTIONS

OTHER GAME RULES

I like to play. It’s a characteristic I once expected to grow out of, but have come to accept as a genetically inescapable part of who I am. I’m a forty-five-year-old who can still waste hours engrossed in video and computer games. I smack talk and perform elaborate victory celebrations during card games. I still quietly imagine the TV announcer’s voice counting down the final seconds when I shoot baskets — alone (the crowd roars if I make it, and if I don’t, there’s always a shocking foul call that sends me to the line for the win).

I also like words. So, it’s no surprise, I guess, that I’m a big fan of word games and word play. The difference is, I don’t think word games are a complete waste of time. In fact, I think that if we can convince kids that words can be fun, it will help them in the various language arts.

And with Christmas approaching and our lives inundated with advertisements for toys and games, I thought I’d put a plug in for my favorite word-oriented board games. I may do later posts on computer games and apps that involve word play, but I especially like board games because they are social. With a good board game, it’s possible to have fun, get smarter, and build relationships all at the same time.

I have an ulterior motive here. Below are the five word-play board games I most enjoy, but I suspect there are others out there, and I want to know about them. I am hoping this post provokes some readers to share their favorites in the comments section.

1 Scrabble.  I’ll never play without thinking of my Grandma Wasko, who, at 93, still whups me. She never takes more than twenty seconds to put a word on the board, and she has committed to memory all the obscure words that seem to exist only in the Official Scrabble Dictionary.

2Boggle. Scrabble is all about creating words. Boggle is about finding them. It’s a faster-paced game too, for those who find Scrabble on the tedious side (I recommend using a timer in Scrabble to keep the game moving).

3Bananagrams. This is an ingenious and fairly recent game that involves tiles much like those in Scrabble. Players use the tiles to create ever-growing crossword-puzzles of connected words. The games are quick and you can play with almost any number of players. Just be aware that no meaningful conversation is possible during actual play.

4Mad Gab. This game is all about the sound of words. The game consists of cards with bizarre phrases like “may kick wick.” By reading the phrase aloud, it’s possible to make out the encoded expression (“Make it quick”).

5Balderdash. This one’s my favorite. Balderdash is a boxed version of a game we used to call Dictionary, in which a player finds an unfamiliar word in a dictionary, and the other players attempt to invent a believable definition. Then everyone tries to guess the right answer. Balderdash is even better because the words they provide are impossibly obscure and often hilarious.

There are always various new versions of games like these, but I’m a fan of the originals in each case. If you don’t already own them, I just gave you a great idea for a family Christmas gift!

Okay, now it’s your turn. What word-oriented board games does your family enjoy?

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The board

The Wordplay board consists of a 15×15 grid of cells, where players place letter tiles. Up to four players can play the game simultaneously. At the game beginning each player is given seven letter tiles which are drawn from the bag. Having completed a move, a player is given the number of letter tiles which replenishes the seven letter tiles given. A player’s letter tiles are concealed from the opponents. Initially, the bag contains 100 letter tiles. The letter tiles are of different colors, which determines their point values. The number of the letter tiles which are left in the bag is displayed below the board next to the available letter tile field. There are two blank tiles among a player’s tiles, which can replace any letter. A player’s move is about placing at least a two-letter word using the letter tiles from the rack. The points are scored by summing up the values of the letters that the words which are placed on the board consist of as a result of the move. If letter tiles are placed on the bonus or special cells, the player scores extra points or influences the game in a way.

Placing a word

In each turn a player can combine a word placing any number of letter tiles on the board, decide to exchange the tiles or pass. The player who starts the game must place a word so that it is placed on the cell in the center of the board.

The next words are placed in the following way:

• A new word can be placed using the existing letter tiles on the board but the new word must include one of the letters of the existing word or add at least one new letter to it,
• A player can extend a word on the board by placing the letter tiles on its one or both ends,
• A player can place a new word which is parallel to the existing one so that the neighboring letters at the right angle also combined correct words.

When one of the players completes a word, the «Move» option is selected and the opponent(s) can accept or check it with a dictionary. It is done by selecting «Accept» or «Check» in the menu. If all the opponents select the «Accept» option, the placed letter tiles remain on the board. If one of the opponents selects the «Check» option, and the questioned word is not in the dictionary, it is removed from the board and the tiles return to the player who has placed them. If one of the opponents selects the «Check» option, and the questioned word exists in the dictionary, he loses his turn.

Exchanging

When a player decides to exchange the letters, they should move the selected letter tiles to the field on the right of the counter of the letter tiles left in the bag as well as select the «Exchange» option. The exchange is only possible when there are at least seven letters in the bag. Each player is allowed to exchange letters three times during one game.

Passing

Each player is allowed to resign from performing a move by selecting the «Pass». Nevertheless, if all players pass twice in two successive turns, the game is over. If the move time limit is switched on in the game and a player has failed to combine a word and to select the «OK» option on time, the move is regarded as passed.