WordSpiel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Timer
• Deal
• Play
• The Nitty Gritty
  • Allowable Words
  • Challenge a Word
• FAQs
• Solitaire Instructions
  • Deal
  • Goal
  • Play
  • Exchange Cards

Goal

To be the player with the lowest score at the end of the fifth round by using all of your cards to make words.

Timer

Flip the timer over and pull the plastic strip out to activate the battery.

• START/STOP: starts, stops and pauses the timer.
• RESET: resets the timer to 60s.
• The timer sleeps after 60s if not used.
• 10 second warning beep.
• Time's up: final beep.

Deal

Shuffle both decks of cards together and deal 10 cards, one at a time, to each player in a clockwise rotation. Place the remainder of the deck facedown in the middle of the table.

Play

A. The player to the dealer's left goes first and play continues clockwise.

B. Each turn is 60 seconds. Only one word can be made per turn. You do not draw any cards during your turn.

C. Exchanging Cards: You can exchange up to 3 cards per round. Exchange cards before the round starts OR during the round when it is not your turn. To do this, place a card from your hand facedown in front of you then draw a new card from the top of the deck.

D. Once all players have looked at and organized their cards, the dealer flips over the top card from the deck and starts the timer.

E. The first player must make a word that begins with the letter on the flipped card.

F. Play your word by adding your cards to the flipped card in the center of the table. Then reset the timer for the next player's turn.

G. In turn, each player builds a word starting with the last letter(s) played. For example, if the last word played was "FUN," you could:

• start with the letter "N" and make the word "NO" (FUN, then O added), OR
• go back two letters and start with the "UN" and make the word "UNITE" (FUNITE), OR
• use the entire word "FUN" and make the word "FUNNY."

As words are added, the cards will spiral around the deck. You can start your word as far back as you want, but you must use all the cards in the same order as part of your word. You can't rearrange previously played cards.

H. Run Out of Time or Can't Make a Word: If you run out of time or can't make a word, you must pick the top card from the deck. Before you look at it, decide if you want to:

1. Add it to your hand OR
2. Place it at the end of the spiral

Either way your turn is over. If it's placed at the end of the spiral, it does not have to create a word, but the next player must use it.

I. The round is over when a player runs out of cards.

J. Each card left in your hand is worth one point. Scores are recorded at the end of each round. The player with the lowest score at the end of the fifth round wins!

The Nitty Gritty

Allowable Words

All words in the dictionary, plus common abbreviations such as tsp (for teaspoon) or lb (for pound) are allowed. You can use a dictionary at any time, even during your turn.

The following are NOT allowed:

• Contractions (don't, she's)
• Acronyms (A.S.A.P. = As Soon As Possible, V.I.P. = Very Important Person)
• Hyphenated words (part-time, head-on)
• Proper nouns (Robert, Alaska)
• Proper noun abbreviations (CA, Tue, Feb)

Challenge a Word

You can challenge any word. If you are correct, the player must then pick up their cards plus a penalty card from the top of the deck.

FAQs

Do I have to use the timer? The timer was added to increase the challenge and keep the game moving. You can use the timer or take your time, it's up to you.

What if we go through the whole deck? Simply leave the last few words in the spiral and pick up and shuffle the rest to replenish the deck.

What if I do not have time to play 5 rounds? Decide how many rounds your group would like to play before you begin. For example: The person with the lowest score after 3 rounds wins!

Solitaire Instructions

Deal

Deal two stacks of ten cards. Choose one stack to be the cards in your hand. You may look at these cards. The other stack will be your draw pile. The draw pile will be left in a stack facedown. Set the remainder of the deck to the side.

Goal

To use all of your hand cards by making words.

Play

1. Start by flipping over the top card from the remainder of the deck.
2. Lay down cards from your hand to make a word that starts with the letter on the card you just flipped over.
3. Then add the top card from your draw pile to your hand.
4. Once you've added your new card, make another word that starts with the last letter(s) of your previous word.
5. As long as you still have cards in your hand, you must add the top card from the draw pile to your hand after every word you play.
6. There is no time limit and you can use a dictionary at any time.
7. If you can't make a word, you can either take the top card from your draw pile and add it to your hand or EXCHANGE CARDS.
8. If you take the last card from your draw pile, you have one last chance to make a word.
9. If you successfully use all of your hand cards to make words, you win!

Exchange Cards

At any time, you can exchange up to 3 cards from your hand with cards from the remainder of the deck. Keep the cards you exchanged in a separate pile to make sure you don't exchange more than 3 cards per game.