Better Letters
Better Letters Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
- Shuffle the Word Rule cards and deal them out to form a 3x3 grid (in later rounds the grid will expand) between players.
- Shuffle the Personal Bonus cards and deal out three to each player. Each player will select two to keep and discard the others to a discard pile, which is set above the grid. These are kept secret from other players.
- Give each player a set of six Player tokens and a new Scoresheet (for the right player count) along with a pencil.
- Finally, form a pool of Bonus tokens above the grid.
Gameplay
Better Letters is played in 5 rounds (6 rounds in 2-4 player games) with all players acting at the same time. Each player has 60 seconds (use an appropriate timer) to form a word(s) by following the restrictions listed on one or multiple Word Rule cards.
Your word may begin with any Word Rule card and proceed orthogonally to adjacent cards. All cards may only be used once by each player and the path may not cross over itself.
Write down up to three words onto your Scoresheet in the corresponding boxes in the round you are in. When you are satisfied with the words you have found, place a checkmark in the box next to the one you want to submit.
When the 60 seconds are up (or if everyone finishes before the timer runs out), in no particular order, all players reveal their selected word out loud and place their Player tokens on the Word Rule card(s) they utilized.
Blocks
Only one Block card can occupy a grid in a round; discard extras with new Word Rule cards. Words cannot be made through a Block card. Remove a Block card at the end of each round.
Scoring
Once all Player tokens are laid out, scoring begins. Any cards with only one Player token awards that player the point value (dots) shown on the card. If the card also had Bonus tokens on it, they score too.
Any cards with more than one Player token on it are worth one point less.
If a player used 5 of their Player tokens they get a +1 bonus. If they used all 6, they get a +2 bonus.
Example: Jose chose to use "Plant" as his word. He places a token on the 1 Syllable Word Rule card, then another on Starts with P, then ends with includes AN.
"Plant" successfully follows the rules on each of these Word Rule cards: it is 1 syllable, includes AN, and starts with a P.
INCLUDES: The letters found on these cards must be in consecutive order to be scored. Includes EN would score for the word "Even" but not for "Near".
Diamond player scores: 1+1+2-1 (for sharing AN with another player) for a total of 3 points.
Circle player scores: 2+2-1 (for sharing AN) for a total of 3 points.
Hexagon player scores: 6 points (3+2+1).
Next Round
Any cards on the board without Player tokens on them receive a Bonus token (or flip an existing Bonus token to its "+2" side). All other cards are placed in a discard pile. Return used Player tokens to their owners and used Bonus tokens to their pool. Refill the board according to the round. You may draw 2 Personal Bonus cards, keeping one and discarding the other.
2-4 Player Grid Sizes
- Round 1: 3x3
- Round 2: 3x3
- Round 3: 3x4
- Round 4: 3x4
- Round 5: 4x4
- Round 6: 4x4
5-6 Player Grid Sizes
- Round 1: 3x3
- Round 2: 3x4
- Round 3: 4x4
- Round 4: 4x5
- Round 5: 5x5
Personal Bonus Cards
Personal Bonus cards should be revealed and discarded immediately when completed. Score them in the round they were revealed by writing down the number of points equal to the number of dots on them. If the Personal Bonus deck is ever empty reshuffle the discard pile into a new deck.
All Personal Bonus cards are negative points at the end of the game if not fulfilled.
Invalid Words
Submitted words must not be hyphenated, abbreviated, a contraction, foreign, nor proper. Only words found in a standard English dictionary may be used. If a word is determined invalid by the majority of players, or you are unable to come up with any words in the round, no points are scored, and player's tokens are removed before calculating other scores.
Game End and Final Scoring
At the end of 5 rounds (6 in 2-4 player games) the game is over.
Sum up the scores you attained in each round for a final tally. The player with the highest overall total wins! If tied, the person who scored the most points worth of Personal Bonuses is the winner. Any further ties means you need to play again!