Keyword
Keyword Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Object of the Game
Each player by playing his letter blocks to the cross-word layout on the board, tries to spell the word shown on the exposed Key card, or other words, and to play his letters on the squares that give him the largest score. A player should try to play out all his letters before his opponents, for letters left in a player's hand at the end of play are counted against him. The highest score wins the game.
Board and Key Squares
In the center of the board there are three dark gray squares running down and three across. These squares have one of the letters Y, W or O on them. These are starting squares; the first three letters of the first word placed on the board must be placed in these squares either down or across. The following players then build from this word in any direction they wish.
There are four color areas on the board, namely, Red, Blue, Yellow and Green, which correspond in color to the players' letter block racks. Thus, if a player is using the Red rack, his color area is all the Red squares. He tries to place as many letters as possible in his own color area, for letters placed by a player on any square of his own color Count Double. If a player places a letter on any of the Key squares he receives 20 points additional score plus 5 points for the letter played. This score is doubled if the Key square is his own color.
Key Cards
There are a number of Key cards. These cards are placed at the side of the board face-down. At the start of the game the player keeping score turns one of the Key cards face-up. Any player, at any time in the game, when it is his turn to play, who is able to spell the word shown on this exposed Key card receives 50 points additional score, after which the exposed card is replaced by another from the Key card deck.
The Draw
Letters are placed face-down. Each player draws a letter and high goes first and keeps score. A is high, Z is low. Each player now draws ten of the face-down letters and places these letters on his letter rack. The remaining letters are left in the box and drawn by a player after each of his turns to bring his total number of letters back to ten.
The Play
The player who drew the highest letter starts the play by placing any word of not less than three letters in the center of the board, starting his word in the dark gray squares, naming the word and calling his score (See paragraph on scoring) as he plays. The player keeping score records the scoring of the letters as they are played in forming a word. After the first player, all following must play to the word, or words, already formed on the board. A player receives credit only for the letters that he plays to the board. He receives no credit for letters or words already played. If a player cannot form a complete word of two or more letters he must pass his turn. Trading of letters between players is not permissible.
After the first word has been played to the board the next player to the left tries to complete another word by joining onto the first word one or more letters, calling it in turn as it is played. (See Diagram No. 2.) In the game illustrated by the diagram the first player played the word SEE, second player added ASY to make the word EASY. The third player added O-U to make the word YOU. The fourth player added O-T to make the word OUT. A player is permitted to add letters to a word already formed on the board to change it to another word. In the diagram below the word OUT is on the board. A player may add the letter B making the word BOUT. Note carefully once the first word has been played, its top and bottom determine the direction of the top and bottom of the cross-word layout. All words must read from top to bottom or from left to right as in a regular crossword puzzle. The letters may be added above or below or to either or both sides in the usual way a crossword is made, but additions can be made only in one direction on each turn, i.e., up and down, or across. Diagonal words are not permissible.
Diagram No. 2 (grid transcribed from the printed diagram):
1 2 3 4 5 6
r1 . T . . . .
r2 . R . . . .
r3 . I . . . .
r4 . E . . . .
r5 . S E E . .
r6 . . . A . .
r7 C A T S . O
r8 . . . Y O U
r9 . . . . . T
A letter or letters added must always form complete words. (See game in progress, Diagram No. 1.) In this illustration the words CAME, SALT and EVEN have been played. The fourth player played the letter O to make the word TOE. The fifth player added the letters O and E to make the word LOVE. Note carefully the fifth player could not have played the word LOVE if the fourth player had not played the O in forming the word TOE, for although LOVE is a complete word reading across, the MO reading down would not be a word.
Diagram No. 1 (Game in progress; grid transcribed from the printed diagram):
1 2 3 4 5 6
r1 . S . . . .
r2 C A M E . .
r3 . L O V E .
r4 . T O E . .
r5 . . . N O T
Singulars, Plurals and Proper Nouns
It is not permissible to use proper nouns, words of a foreign language or abbreviations. No player may make plural words or words in the third person singular by using S or ES unless the S or ES is already on the board and by adding a word to the left or above the plural he forms a new word. (See Diagram No. 2.) The word EASY is already on the board and the word CAT added. The word SEE is already on the board and letters T-R-I-E are added. Now refer to Diagram No. 1 on the first page. It would not be permissible to add "S" to the word LOVE to make SET using an "E" and the "T" in the word NOT below because the "S" forms the plural of LOVE and it has not previously been played to the board.
Master Letter Blocks
There are two blank letter blocks. These are master letter blocks and may be used to represent any letter during the game. When once placed on the board they must be left like any other letter blocks to represent the letters for which they have been played.
Challenges
A word may be challenged by any player who thinks it has been misspelled or does not appear in the dictionary players have agreed to use for reference. If the challenger proves to be wrong 25 points are deducted from his score. If he is right 25 points are added to his score and the player who was challenged takes back his letters and loses his turn.
Scoring and Ending the Game
As a player places letters on the board, he receives 5 points for each letter he used in forming a word; if the letter or letters are placed on his own color squares he receives 5 points additional or a total of 10 points for each letter so placed.
He receives 20 points for a letter placed on any Key square plus 5 points for the letter played or a total of 25 points. If the Key square is his own color he receives double or a total of 50 points.
A player spelling the word shown on the exposed Key card receives 50 points additional score.
Remember that a player does not score for letters or words already played to the board and scores only for the letters or words he plays himself. Example: If he added RY to the word DO he would score only for the letters RY and not for the letters DO.
At all times during the game (until the draw pile is exhausted) a player must maintain ten letter blocks on his rack on each turn. After he has placed letters to form a word on the board, he replaces the blocks he used bringing his total back to ten letters. When all letters have been used from the reserve, players then try to get rid of the letters remaining in their letter racks. The first player to do this receives 50 points plus 5 points each for all other letter blocks held by his opponents. If it happens no one player is able to get rid of all his letters, then 5 points for each letter held by a player is deducted from that player's score.
Partnership
In this game Red and Blue are always partners and Green and Yellow are always partners. The game is played the same as in the regular game. Partners keep a single score, and they receive double the score as in regular play for a letter or letters placed on their own or their partner's Key or color squares.
Winning the Game
The player with the highest score wins the game. After the first game the player to the left of the previous starting player goes first.
Patience
The object of this one-handed game is to proceed from the top left hand square on the board to the bottom right hand square on the board by a series of connecting words.
To achieve this objective with twelve connecting words is a very good result, although with practice and good fortune in the letters taken, as few as nine or ten words only may be necessary.
The game is played as follows:
- Turn all letters face down and shuffle.
- Place ten letters on the rack.
- From these ten letters make up a word, and place the word onto the board with the first letter of the word on the top left hand square. The word may read across or down as you wish.
- Replenish your rack to ten letters from the "face down stock."
- Make up and play another word from your rack of which one letter of the word already played must be part (see diagram 1).
- After each word completed and played, replenish your rack to ten letters from "face down stock."
- Continue to play word by word until the last letter of your last word played fills the bottom right hand square (see illustration B).
Illustration C is an example of exceedingly good play.
Solitaire
This game is played like the regular game. A player uses the blue rack and starts the game as in regular play. He tries to build a crossword layout in the blue area, containing as many letters as possible. Each letter played in the blue area scores ten points. A letter placed on any key square except blue counts 20. Letters placed on any blue key square count 40 plus the letter count of ten or a total of 50 points. Words of the exposed Key card count 50 plus the score of the letters. The score is reduced by five points for each letter left on the rack or 50 points is added to the score if you get rid of all the letters. YOU DO NOT RECEIVE ANY SCORE FOR LETTERS PLACED ON ANY OTHER COLOR SQUARES BUT THE BLUE. The object of this solitaire is to score 850 or better in order to win. This score is high but can be made.
Party Suggestions
Owing to the increasing popularity of this game the following suggestions may prove of assistance to the host or hostess.
- Arrange each table to accommodate four players. The play is individual and not partnership, so any four persons may begin playing together. The same rules apply as in the regular game. To settle any questions that might be asked, a steward should be appointed for every five tables.
- At the start of each game each player draws a letter and the player at each table who draws the high letter goes first and keeps score. A is high. Z is low. Each player now draws ten of the face down letters and places these letters on his letter rack. The first player at each table starts the play by placing any word of not less than three letters in the center of the board, starting his word in the dark gray squares, naming the word and calling his score, as in regular play. The play proceeds in this manner until one player gets rid of all his letters and ends the game, or until the time limit set for play is up. Forty minutes (or less if arranged) is the maximum time allowed for each game. At the end of the game or at the end of the time limit, each player's score should be totaled and marked on the score card.
- The two players with the highest scores at each table then move to the next table and play proceeds as before.
- At the end of the party the winner is the player who has accumulated the highest score.
Special Notes
Mistakes in spelling do not incur any penalty. If a spelling mistake or a word subject to disqualification passes undetected and the player next in turn has played, the mistake cannot be rectified but must be allowed to stand. If, however, the mistake is detected before the player next in turn has played, the player making the mistake must correct the spelling or withdraw his letters and play some other word.
Table Prizes
It often increases the fun if the host or hostess gives small table prizes. At the start of the play the host or hostess picks a Key card for each table and any player spelling its word receives the table prize.
If a table prize is not desired, the hostess may pick a Key card at the start of the play and announce to all players that the first player to spell its word in play will receive a prize.