Blanko
Blanko Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
The game contains 112 letters, of which 2 are Jokers; 22 BLANKO cards; 1 BLANKO game board; 4 letter-holder rails; 1 hourglass; 1 BLANKO bag; and 1 detailed rulebook.
Object of the Game
Score as many points as possible by forming words with the highest possible point value. When laying down words, aim to cover the squares marked BLANKO, which earn a bonus game.
Setup
- Place the BLANKO game board on the table.
- Collect all the letters and place them in the BLANKO bag. This is the bank.
- Each player draws 8 letters at random from the bank and places them on their rack, without letting the other players see them.
- Each player draws one more letter from the bank. The player who drew the letter with the highest value begins. Return these letters to the bank. In case of a tie, draw again.
Sequence of Play
- The starting player lays down a meaningful word of at least 2 letters in the middle of the board, covering one of the BLANKO squares. Thinking time is measured with the hourglass, which runs for about 1 minute.
- Add up the values of the letters.
- Draw a BLANKO card, since you have landed on a BLANKO square. (The detailed description of the cards is in the BLANKO cards section below.) Follow its instructions and note down the bonus points you have won.
- Then fill your rack up to 8 letters. Play continues clockwise.
Options on a Turn
The player whose turn it is may choose one of the following five options:
- Add one or more letters to a word already on the board, thereby forming a new word.
- Place a word on the board (vertically or horizontally) that crosses a word already on the board.
- Exchange one letter from a word already on the board, thereby forming a completely new word or words (if it crosses).
- Return all of your letters from your rack to the bank and draw 8 new letters.
- Pass (give up the game).
Afterwards
- Add up the values of the letters of the new word (if there is one).
- Draw a BLANKO card if a new word covered a BLANKO square. Play according to the card's instruction. Note down the current bonus value.
- Fill your rack from the bank so that you have 8 letters.
- The game continues with the player on the left.
Examples and Options
- Place one or more letters crosswise against a word already on the board, thereby forming a new word.
- The value of the new word is the sum of the values of its letters.
- You may place a letter or letters next to letters already on the board, if this forms a meaningful word.
Example: The rack holds an L letter, and the word ESŐ is on the board. You may place the L in front of ESŐ, forming a new word: L E S Ő (the word is worth 10 points).
L (1) + E (1) + S (1) + Ő (7) = 10
Example: The rack holds a Z, an O and an S, and the word AVAR is on the board. You may place the Z in front of AVAR, and the O and S after it, forming a new meaningful word: Z A V A R O S (the word is worth 12 points).
Z (4) + A (1) + V (3) + A (1) + R (1) + O (1) + S (1) = 12
Suggestion: To score more points, lay this new word within 2 rounds.
- Lay down a new word so that it links or crosses one word already on the board.
- The word you lay down must form a meaningful word both when linked vertically and horizontally with the other word.
- A meaningful word laid diagonally cannot be scored.
Example: The word GURÍT is on the board. Below it we laid the word RIGÓ.
G (2) U (4) R (1) Í (5) T (1) R (1) I (1) G (2) Ó (2)
We formed 3 new words, each valid on its own: RIGÓ, ÍR and TI. Total: 14 points.
- Exchange one letter from a word laid on the board, thereby forming a new word or words (when crossing).
Example: The word KISKABÁT is on the board. We exchange the second K for a B, thus forming a new word: KISBABÁT. Return the K to the bank and shuffle it. If the exchanged letter connects two words, both words must remain meaningful. The score refers to the two new words.
Example: The following words are on the board. We return the K to the bank, and the B goes into the empty square. We formed 2 new words.
K I S B A B Á T and B A R Á T: total 16 points.
Note: During play, the same position cannot be restored; the board can only be changed with new letters on other squares.
- If you decide to exchange letters from your rack, you must return all 8 letters to the bank and draw 8 new letters.
- A player may return all of their letters only if they have already collected at least 20 points during the game.
- Exchanging all letters costs 10 points, which must be deducted from the points scored so far.
- Pass (give up the game). If all players pass one after another, the game is over.
BLANKO (Joker) Card
The letter set contains a total of 2 BLANKO (Joker) cards, each of which can replace one letter in a word. For example:
BLANKO (Joker) + A + B + D + A = L + A + B + D + A
- A BLANKO Joker card, once replaced with the appropriate letter, cannot be returned to your rack; it must be used immediately to form a word.
- The value of a BLANKO Joker card is 0.
- The value of a new word is the sum of the values of the letters laid, except that the BLANKO Joker, whose value is zero (0), contributes nothing.
- If a player still holds a BLANKO Joker on their rack at the end of the game, 10 points are deducted, which the player must subtract from their current score.
BLANKO Cards
Blanko luck card, Blanko puzzle card, Blanko letter card.
The Real Fun Begins Now
Whenever a new word covers a BLANKO-marked square, draw a BLANKO card!
If you draw a BLANKO luck card, read it and carry out its instruction.
With a BLANKO puzzle card, play a mini crossword. The red squares are taboo squares, on which no letter may be placed. Draw as many letters from the bank as there are blue squares on the card, plus two more. The letters of the words you lay down are worth 1 point each. A letter may be counted only once. If you manage to fill all the blue squares, you get 2 extra points.
If you draw a BLANKO letter card (with one letter on the card), draw 10 letters from the bank (eight for the empty squares plus 2 extra tiles) and turn them face up. Start the hourglass and try to lay as many meaningful words as possible on your card before time runs out. Then add up the values of the meaningful words. Each letter is worth 1 point. The printed bonus letter also scores 1 point if it is part of a laid word. Note down the total points for the correct words, so that it can be added to your score at the end of the game! You may also get 2 more points if you completely filled the BLANKO card.
Note: A letter that links two meaningful words also scores only 1 point.
(The following example has no heading in the original sheet; it is transcribed in place, after the card section.)
For example: after drawing a BLANKO card, we drew the following letters from the bank:
L O O P A D S K T E
After starting the hourglass, we formed the words shown on the example board: 6 letters were used, plus the letter M on the card, so the words are worth 7 points in total.
The example board is printed as a 3 × 3 grid. Top row: L, O, and the M printed on the card. Middle row: O in the left column. Bottom row: P, A, D.
Note: If the words laid on the card cover 2 or 3 BLANKO squares, we likewise draw only one BLANKO card, but the words laid on the card are counted double or triple (14 or 21 points).
Note: A 2-letter word may also be laid.
The round ends when the hourglass runs out. The player has one minute to partly or fully fill their card.
Tip: After turning the drawn letters face up and starting the hourglass, place the vowels on the right and the consonants on the left. This saves a lot of time when forming words.
Words and the Dictionary
- Words may be laid from left to right or from top to bottom (a word laid diagonally, or from bottom to top, is not valid).
- A laid word must be a meaningful word used in the Hungarian language.
- The dictionary may be used only after the letters have been placed on the game board; it may not be used to look for new words.
- Any player may question whether a laid word is valid, but only as long as the other player has not yet laid a word. In this case too, the dictionary may be used.
- If a laid word is not accepted, the player must return the letters they laid to their rack, and may not lay any more letters in this round.
End of Game
The game ends when the bank is empty and one of the players has laid all of their letters on the game board. The game also ends if the players pass one after another within one round.
Each player adds up the values of the letters on their rack. (As a reminder, if a player still holds a BLANKO Joker, 10 points must be deducted.) Each player then subtracts the value of the remaining letters from their total score, to obtain their final result.
Winner
The player with the most points wins the game.
House Rules
Players may create their own house rules. They may also accept words that are not in the dictionary but are common in everyday language (slang, names, etc.).
- Try to lay again before refilling your letters to 8. If you succeed, write down as many points as you scored.
- You may exchange any one of your letters with the bank.
- Draw one letter from the bank and use it to form a new word on the game board. If you succeed, add up your points!
- Write down as many points as you had in the previous round.
- Draw 10 letters from the bank. Start the hourglass. Lay out the word "BLANKO" on the game board, and you can earn 20 points!
Letter Distribution
The game contains 110 letters with the following distribution and point values:
| Letter | Value | Count |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 7 |
| Á | 1 | 4 |
| B | 2 | 3 |
| C | 5 | 2 |
| CS | 7 | 1 |
| D | 2 | 3 |
| E | 1 | 7 |
| É | 3 | 3 |
| F | 4 | 2 |
Printed footer: "Betű kiosztás: A játék 110 betűt tartalmaz az alábbi kiosztásban és pontértékkel."