Foil
Foil Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preliminaries
The two decks of cards are combined and stacked together in the center of the table. Timer is placed upright in Card Tray which is temporarily set aside. Scoring Table is set tent-fashion near center of table for players to refer to throughout the game.
Each player must have a pencil and a sheet of paper on which he marks a column for each player, writing his own name above the first column and the names of other players above the other columns. One player is chosen as scorekeeper.
Play
The complete game consists of three rounds with each player dealing one hand during each round (for a shorter game, refer to Variations on page 4).
At the start of each hand, dealer shuffles the deck and deals ten cards to each player. Remaining cards are stacked face down in center of table to form the drawing deck; top card is turned over and placed face up on the table to start the discard pile.
During the hand, each player will attempt to form words, scramble his own words and unscramble opponents' words in the allotted time.
Forming Words
Each player picks up his ten cards and — keeping in mind the Word Rules below — begins immediately to group the letters in an attempt to form a word (or words). Starting with player to dealer's left, each player in turn either draws one card from the deck or as many consecutive cards as he wishes from the discard pile. After drawing, he must discard one card (unless he is "knocking" in which case a discard is optional).
Word Rules
The following rules govern both forming and unscrambling words:
- Each word must contain a minimum of 4 letters; however, words of only 4 letters will not qualify a player to "knock" (go out).
- Plural forms ending in "s" may be used only if they total 6 or more letters.
- Contractions, hyphenated words and abbreviations (except commonly accepted ones such as "memo") may not be used.
- Proper names and capitalized words may be used only if players so decide before the start of the game.
- Letters marked BONUS (J, K, Q, X and Z) will increase a player's score only when used in forming a word.
- Words in violation of these rules will be penalized as "no such word."
A player may form as many words as he wishes, but may only use each card once. Play continues in clockwise rotation until one player "knocks" on the table.
Knocking
To "knock" (go out) a player must use all of his cards in forming words — including among his words at least one word of the following size:
- Round 1 — 5 or more letters
- Round 2 — 6 or more letters
- Round 3 — 7 or more letters
When a player who has completed the requirements for the round "knocks" on the table, all play immediately ceases. A player may knock at any time during his turn. If he knocks before drawing a card, he may not discard. If he knocks after drawing, discarding one card is optional. If a player who has used all of his cards "knocks" before he has at least one word of the required size, scorekeeper immediately deducts 15 points from player's score and play resumes.
Scrambling Words
After a player has "knocked," players may rearrange their cards in an attempt to use as many as possible in forming words. (If player who knocked rearranges his cards, he must be sure to retain at least one word of the required size.) The letters of each word are then "scrambled" so that it will be difficult for other players to unscramble them in the allotted time. These scrambled words are placed on the table so that all letters are visible to opponents. (Letters of each word must be kept distinct from those of another.) Unused cards are set aside.
A typical word such as "chairs" might look like this when scrambled. (The printed sheet shows this as an illustration of a row of letter cards.)
Unscrambling Words
When all scrambled words have been placed on the table, dealer sets Timer (turns it over) and each player immediately writes his own words under his name on the paper. Keeping in mind the Word Rules, he then attempts to unscramble as many of his opponents' words as possible. When time is up, dealer announces that writing must immediately stop. Each player then arranges his scrambled letter cards into words and all players check their lists.
Any questions on words or spelling should be brought up at this time. A dictionary may be used to settle disputes. If, from his opponent's letter cards, a player unscrambles a word which is different from the one his opponent had in mind, he scores points for unscrambling the word. (Example: Player A formed the word "snail" and scrambled it to read "anisl." Player B unscrambled it as "slain" for which he receives 5 points. Player C unscrambled it as "nails"; instead of scoring 5 points he is penalized 10 points as this is a violation of a Word Rule — i.e., plurals ending in "s" must total 6 or more letters.)
Scoring
At the end of each hand, each player refers to the Scoring Table and calculates his score which he reports to the scorekeeper. Words in violation of the Word Rules do not score and are penalized as "no such word." When all scores have been recorded, deal passes to left and each player draws a line across his paper to indicate the start of a new hand. Scores are totaled at the end of each round and PLAYER WITH THE HIGHEST SCORE AT END OF THREE ROUNDS WINS!
Variations
Shorter Games: When time is limited, players may wish to shorten the game by playing one of the following:
- Game consisting of only one round; players choose Round 1, 2 or 3.
- Game consisting of three hands — one per round.
- Game consisting of 100 points; each round consisting of one hand.
Category Games: Dealer chooses a category for the hand. Each word formed or unscrambled must fit into the category. Dealer may choose a general category (such as animals, plants, science, music, occupations) or a specific category (such as mammals, herbs, chemical elements, woodwinds, adverbs).
Children's Games: When children play, each round consists of only one hand. Each word must consist of at least three letters. To "knock," a player must include among his words at least one of the following size: Round 1 — 3 or more letters, Round 2 — 4 or more letters, Round 3 — 5 or more letters.
For younger children who may have difficulty in unscrambling words, it is suggested that the game be played without the scrambling and unscrambling of words. For each letter used in forming a word, 1 point is scored; first player to score 25 (or 50) points wins. If no player has reached that score at the end of three rounds, the rounds may be played again.
Letter Frequency for Foil
Foil letter frequency is based on normal word usage; the two decks have the following number of letters:
| Letter | Cards | Letter | Cards | Letter | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 9 | J | 1 | S | 5 |
| B | 2 | K | 1 | T | 6 |
| C | 3 | L | 4 | U | 6 |
| D | 4 | M | 3 | V | 2 |
| E | 12 |