Objective
When their turn comes, each player places a card either before or after the line of cards already on the table to complete a word which has an equal or more number of letters than indicated by the roll of the dice. If the player can complete a word on his turn, he gets the sum of the values that the letters which make up the word is worth. Users play until there no more cards in the deck. The player with the highest number of points wins.
Instructions
- Shuffle the deck of cards.
- Deal out seven cards face-down to each player. The players can look at the faces of their own cards as they are being dealt. Do not let anyone else see the faces of your cards.
- Place the remaining cards face-down in a stack.
- Each person rolls the dice to determine who starts the game. The player who rolls the highest number starts the game.
- The starter rolls the dice. The number which appears on top of the dice is the minimum number of letters that the word the players will form must have.
- The starter places a letter face-up on the table. Going around in a circle, each player places a card either to the right or left of the row of cards placed previously on the table.
- Each player must pick up a card from the stack of face-down cards after their turn. Players must maintain seven cards until the end of the game.
- If the next player does not believe that
the cards now on the table can lead to a word. (S)he can challenge
the previous player. In a challenge, the previous player must
reveal what word (s)he had in mind when (s)he put down the last
letter.
If the challenge succeeds, and the letters on the table does not lead to a word; then the challenger gets the sum of the points from the letters which are on the table added to his/her score. The challenged person gets the sum of the points on the table subtracted from his/her score.
If the challenge fails, and the letters on the table does lead to a word; then the challenged gets the sum of the points on the table added from his/her score. The challenger gets the sum of points on the table subtracted from his/her score.
Consult a dictionary in cases where players cannot agree on the existence of a word. If the word can be found in the dictionary, it exists.
- Players can pass (not put down any cards) on their turn. If a player passes on his/her turn, then the sum of the points on the table is subtracted from his/her score.
- Play continues until a player puts down
the card which completes the word. The number of letters in the
word must be equal to or greater than the roll of the dice at the
beginning of the game. After completing a word, the player must
say the word.
If the other players does not believe that the word is valid, they issue a group challenge. A group challenge works like this: Each of the other players decide whether they think the word is valid. The players who think the word is not valid is counted as the challengers. A dictionary is consulted.
If the word is not found in the dictionary, the word is not valid. The challengers get the sum of the points on the table added to their score. The sum of the points on the table is subtracted from everyone else's score. If the word is a valid word, then the challengers get the sum of the points on the table subtracted from their score. Everyone else adds the points on the table to their score.
- When a word is completed, the winner rolls the dice to start a new game.
- Wildcards can be used to represent any letter. When a player puts a wildcard down, (s)he must announce what letter the wildcard represents. The wildcard stands for the announced letter for the remainder of the play. At the beginning of the game, players must decide whether double and triple wildcards mean double or triple the value of the letter the wild card represent; or double or triple the value of the word it is used in. Whatever is chosen at the beginning of the game, remains valid for the entire game.
- The die does not have to be used in games. Playing without the die makes the words shorter, and games go by faster. Try it without the die to see which version you like.
- You may also like to try a version of this game where you play by forming words vertically as well as horizontally. This makes the game much more complicated because valid words must be formed in all directions. Let us know how you like it.