KerFlip!
KerFlip! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 90 Letter Tiles
- Draw Pouch
- 22 Cards
- 1 Sand Timer
- Game Board
- Tile Cup
- Game Rules
Set-Up
Play right in the box! Lift back the board to take out the draw pouch and timer. Make sure the tile cup is in place before lowering the board. Shuffle and place the cards face down in the card slot. Choose a scorekeeper, who will need paper and pencil, and decide on a dictionary to use for word challenges.
A. Drawing
| Number of players | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles per player | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Each round, blindly draw your share of tiles from the pouch.
The last player to draw shouts GO! Then everyone drops their tiles on the board. Quickly flip all tiles ivory-side up!
B. Calling
At this point, players race to call out ONE WORD EACH from the round's tiles, trying to identify a high-scoring word BEFORE their opponents do.
- Minimum word length is 3 letters. Proper nouns, abbreviations, hyphens, and apostrophes are not allowed.
When you decide on a word, call it by shouting it out. No other player can call your word (but variants of it are acceptable). Do NOT start spelling your word out on the board yet. Do NOT grab or move the tiles in your word. Once all players have called a word for the round, the scoring stage begins.
- If the last player is taking too long to call a word, you can hurry him by starting the timer. If he doesn't call a word before time expires (15 seconds), he'll BUST and score zero for the round.
C. Scoring
Players score in the order they called. So, the first player who called spells her word on the board. She earns 10 points for each tile she uses. In the example, Sue called NOSE (first), and would earn 40 points. Once her score is recorded, she flips the tiles she used over to their orange side. The next player who called, Bob, now spells his word. Ivory tiles are still worth 10 points. However, any orange (used) tiles in his word are worth only 5 points!
Example: Sue (1) spells NOSE: four ivory tiles at 10 points each = 40; she flips the used tiles to orange. Bob (2) spells HORSE: H (10), O (5, orange), R (10), S (5, orange), E (5, orange) = 35. He flips the remaining ivory tiles (H and R) over too.
So, even though Bob's word was longer than Sue's, he only earns 35 points for HORSE. Once he's been scored, he also flips any ivory tiles in his word to orange, marking them used. Players continue scoring and flipping tiles until all scores for the round have been recorded.
D. Bonus Tiles
When you use a tile that has a number on it, you earn CARDS as well as points. Only the first player to use a bonus tile earns its cards! The number on the tile (1, 2, or 3) tells you how many cards to draw. Cards range in value from 0 to 20 points. Keep your cards face down (no peeking!) and score them all at once at the end of the game.
E. Lightning Rounds
When the lightning tile is dropped, it triggers a lightning round. When scoring the round, the first player who called a valid word takes the lightning tile, keeping it next to any cards he may have. The tile will be worth 25 bonus points at the end of the game.
F. Round Cleanup
At the end of each round, RECYCLE any remaining ivory tiles back into the draw pouch. Then SWEEP all orange tiles off the board into the tile return chutes.
G. Ending the Game
The game ends when any player is unable to draw his full allotment of tiles at the beginning of a round. Players then add any points earned from their cards to their running scores. Whoever has the most total points is the winner! If there's a tie, the player with the fewest cards wins.
H. Game Cleanup
With the board and tile cup in place, hold the game box upright and shake gently to settle the tiles into the cup. Lift back the board, remove the cup, and pour the tiles into the pouch.
Dos & Don'ts
- Do try to call words using tiles your opponents haven't used. You'll usually earn more points that way.
- Do call wisely. Once you've called your word for the round, you cannot change it or add letters to it later.
- Don't use each tile more than once per word, e.g., if only one P was drawn, you could call pie but not pipe.
- Don't forget to put the tile cup back under the board before you start playing.
But What If...
- ...when starting a round, I call a word before all tiles are flipped to ivory? This isn't allowed. The word you called is disqualified, and you must call a different word.
- ...I want to challenge a word? Voice your challenge while your opponent scores. Whoever loses the challenge busts!
- ...we can't make a valid word from the letters drawn? Easy! Just recycle the tiles, give the pouch a good shake, and redraw.
- ...we called words at the same time? Whoever started saying his word first wins the tie and secures the earlier scoring slot. Both players must score the words they called.
- ...we can't resolve a tie? In two-player games, recycle the tiles and redraw. In three- and four-player games, if the players involved can't agree, their opponents decide who wins the tie.
- ...I forgot or misspelled my word when scoring? Your opponents can unanimously agree to help you, or they can let you bust.