Components

• Game Board
• 100 Wooden Letter Tiles
• 4 Wooden Tile Racks
• 1 Drawstring Bag
• 26 Harry Potter Cards
• 4 Magical Word Bonus Cards
• Rules

Object of the Game

Setup

Put the game board in the middle of the table. Distribute a tile rack, a Magical Word Bonus Card, and three Harry Potter Cards to each player. Place all letter files in the Hogwarts Bag and mix them up.

Draw for the first play. The player drawing the letter closest to A for "Alohamora" plays first. A blank tile beats any letter. Return the letters to the Hogwarts Bag and remix. All players draw seven new letters each and place them on their racks.

Two ways to boost your score

1. Enhance your Score Playing Harry Potter Cards

Harry Potter Cards will enrich your Scrabble game play and bolster your score. A directive stated on a Harry Potter overrides traditional Scrabble rules.

Only one Harry Potter Card may be used per turn unless otherwise stated on a card.

You may choose to play that card before or after playing your word, or return it to the bottom of the pile and draw a new card.

If you choose to draw a new Harry Potter Card, you may not play a card on the same turn.

You do not have to play or exchange a Harry Potter Card on your turn, but choosing not to may cause you to quickly fall behind in points.

Players should always have three Harry Potter Cards in their racks.

2. Earn Bonus Points for Playing Magical Words

You may play any word allowed in traditional Scrabble. You may also play Magical Words to earn bonus points. What qualifies as a Magical Word?

Players are encouraged at the start of the game to choose a source (such as the Internet, movies, or books) to confirm the spelling and validity of any Magical words.

Optional Game Play

This special edition is not limited to characters, places, and spells!

Before the start of the game, Harry Potter fans may choose to expand the boundaries of what words warrant a Magical Word bonus See the next page for some'suggestions on a more "expanded" game play to decide what other words suit, aspiring wizards.

• Quotes: If you can quote passages from memory, any main word from a scene can be counted as bonus points (I can TF.\('ll you how to BOTTLE LAME, BREW GLORY) (*)

• Tlie Dark Arts: In addition to unforgivable spells, this includes things you would find in Knockturn Alley or in Malfoy Manor (CRUCIO, PERUVIAN INSTANT DARKNESS POWDER, or HAND of GLORY) (*)

• Other: Magical Words are boundless! Consider adding some other categories. (Plants: MANDRAKE, Terms: MUGGLE!, Beasts: NIFFLER)*

Magical Phrases: Add onto words already played without using a space. For example, if the word POTTER is on the board, anyone can play HARRY before it, or MORE after it. and score points for both words in the name or phrase. (*)

(*) Players must come to a. consensus that words played within these categories qualify as magical words.

World of Harry Potter Scrabble Scoring

Harry Potter Cards:

When using Harry Potter Cards, first tally all points for the word(s) played including Premium Squares, then score any points earned by playing a Harry Potter Card.

In this way, it is possible that a player's score could be re-doubled or re-tripled.

Magical Words:

All Magical Words receive bonus points based on the number of letters. To determine the bonus value of a Magical Word, refer to the game board or a Magical Word Bonus Card.

Add these to your score after ca leu lai ing Premium Squares and points earned from playing a Harry Potter Card.

If you're not feeling the magic, play Scrabble the traditional way. Put the Harry Potter Cards aside and enjoy classic Scrabble game play.

Traditional Rules

Game Play

1. The first player combines two or more of his or her letters to form a word and places the word on the board to read either across or down with one letter on the center square. Diagonal words are not allowed.

2. Complete your turn by counting and announcing the score' for that turn. After tallying your score, draw as many new letters as. you played, always keeping seven letters on your rack as long as there are enough tiles left in the Hogwarts Bag.

3. Play passes to the left. The Second player; and then each player in turn, adds one or more letters to those already played to form new words. All letters played on a turn must be placed in one row across or down the board to form at least one complete word.

   If, at the same time, they touch other letters in adjacent rows, those must form complete words, crossword fashion, with all such letters, The player gets full credit for all words formed or modified on his or her turn.

4. New words may be formed by:

   1. Adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on the board.

   2. Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use one of the letters already on the board or must add a letter to it.

   3. Placing, a complete word parallel to a word already played so the adjacent letters also form complete words.

5. No tile may be shifted or replaced after it has been played and scored,

6. Blanks: The two blank tiles may be used as any letters. When playing a blank, you must state which letter it represents. It remains that letter for the rest of the game.

7. You may use a turn to exchange all, some, or none of your letters. To do this,, place your discarded letter(s) facedown. Draw the same number of letters from the Hogwarts Bag, then mix your discarded let t er(s) into the bag. This ends your turn.

8. Before the game begins, players should agree which dictionary they will use, in case of a challenge.

   All words labeled as a part, of speech (including those listed of foreign origin, and as archaic, obsolete, colloquial, slang, etc ) are permitted with the exception of the following: abbreviations, words always capitalized, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe.

9. Any play may be challenged before the next player starts a turn. If the play challenged is unacceptable, the challenged player takes back his or her tiles and loses that turn.

   If the play challenged is acceptable, the challenger loses his or her next. turn. All words (not just one) made in one play are challenged simultaneously.

   If any word! is unacceptable, the entire play is unacceptable. Only one turn is lost, on any challenge. Consult the dictionary for challenges only.

10. Ending the Game: The game ends when all letters have been drawn and one player uses his or her last letter, or when all possible plays have been made.

Scoring

1. The scorekeeper tallies each player's score, entering it after each turn. The score value of each letter is indicated by a number at the bottom of the tile. The -score value of a blank is zero.

2. The score for each turn is the sum of the letter values in each word(s) formed or modified on that turn, plus the additional points obtained from placing letters on premium squares.

3. Premium Letter Squares: A green square doubles the score of a letter placed on it; a yellow square triples the letter score.

4. Premium Word Squares: The score for an entire word is doubled when one of its letters is placed on a blue square; it is f tripled when one of its letters is placed on a red square.

   Include premiums for double or triple letter values, if any, before doubling or tripling the word score. If a word covers two premium word squares, the score is doubled and then re-doubled (4 times the letter count), or tripled and then re-tripled (9 times the letter count).

   NOTE: The center square is a blue square, which doubles the score for the first word.

5. Letter and word premiums count only on the turn in which they are played. On later turns, letters already played on premium squares count at face value.

6. When a blank tile is played On a blue or red square, the value of the word is doubled or tripled, even though the blank itself has no score value.

7. When two or more words are formed in the same play, each is, scored. The common letter is counted (with full premium value, if any) for each word.

8. BINGO! If you play seven tiles on a turn, it's a Bingo. You score a premium of 50 points after totaling your score for the turn.

9. Unplayed Letters: When the game ends, each player's score is reduced by the sum of his or her unplayed letters. In addition, if a player used all of his or her letters, the sum of the other players' i unplayed letters i$ added to that player's score.

End of the Game

Tradition and Harry Potter Word Formation and Scoring

In the following examples, the words or letters added on five successive turns are shown in bold type. The points Shown reflect the letter L being on the center square.

Scores include additional points earned from using Harry Potter Cards. Magical Word Bonuses are calculated separately.

• On Turn 1:

  

  Traditional Scrabble: 16 points.

  Word: LAKE.

  World of Harry Potter: 22 points.

  Traditional score': 16 points.

  Wizarding Word bonus: 7 points Location in the Harry Potter series.

  
  
• 

  On Turn 2:

  Traditional Scrabble: 16 points.

  Word: HARRY.

  World of Harry Potter: 26 points.

  Traditional score: 16 points.

  Wizarding Word bonus: 10 points Name of a Character in the Harry Potter series.

• 

  On Turn 3:

  Traditional Scrabble: 5 points.

  Word: TORE.

  World of Harry Potter: 15 points.

  Traditional score: 5 points.

  "First:.years o'er here" card: Triple score 5x3 = 15.

• 

  On Turn 4:

  Traditional Scrabble: 14 points.

  Word: DURSLEY.

  World of Harry Potter: 39 points.

  Traditional score: 14 points.

  "Obliviate'' card: Make a tile a blank..

  Wizarding Word bonus: 25 points Name of a Character in the Harry Potter series.

• 

  On Turn 5:

  Traditional Scrabble: 14 points.

  Word: DIME.

  World of Harry Potter: 14 points.

  Traditional score: I4 points.

  No Harry Potter bonus.

10 Ways to become an instant Scrabble Expert

There's no doubt about it! It. takes a stellar vocabulary and super strategies to become a Scrabble expert. Looking for instant results? These tips from seasoned Scrabble players could help you rule the board!

1. Two and three-letter words: Learn the 2-letter and 3-letter words. They are the building blocks of expert play and can boost your average score by as much as 50 points per game.

2. Secret of the "S": Use an S to form two words at once.. Pluralize one word while forming another at the same time.

   Hint: Use your S wisely. Don't add it unless you can earn at least 8 points by doing so.

3. Shuffle tiles: Shuffle the tiles on your rack frequently. Look for some common ways that letters go together.

   Some of these are BR, CH, CL, DLE, ED. ENT, FUL, GHT, ING, NK, KLE. MIS, ISM, IUM, MB, MP, ND, NT, PR, PL, RE, STR, TH, UN, IVE, and OUS.

   As you form these combinations, it may Surprise you how words will often appear on your rack when you least expect them.

4. Bonus Squares: Always look for ways to play across premium squares. Check especially for premium squares next to vowels.

5. Consider your next play: Make your play with an eye toward your next play. You can do so simply by saving some good tiles on your rack.

   Your best odds of having a great next rack is to save some combination of the letters AEILNRST (hint: think "Starline''), ideally saving either the same number of vowels and consonants or just one extra consonant.,

6. Bingos: Always look for-Bingos (plays that, use all 7 tiles, at once). Optimism and know-how will mean more 50-point bonuses. Learn common word beginnings and endings, and know how to place them on your rack.

7. Q without U: Learn the Q-without-U words. The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary (third, edition) lists these: QAT(S), QAID(S), QOITl(S), FAQIR(S), QANAT(S), TRANQ(S)), QINDAR(S), QINTAR(S)), QWERTY(S)), SHEQEL, QINDARKA, and SHEQALIM.

8. Look for hooks: ''Hooks" are single letters .that you can add to existing words, to form other words. We've already mentioned the "S" hook, but also look for words you could end with a Y, E, R, or D).

9. Choice of plays: After you find a good play if you have time, look for a better one. Always try to give yourself a choice of plays. By exercising your decision-making abilities} you'll likely develop keener strategic skills.

10. Attitude: Keep in mind that anyone can beat; anyone else with a certain amount of luck. Also, remember that everyone draws poor combinations of tiles at times, so when you do, take pleasure in making the best play you can.

    Finally, don't dwell on your mistakes. Everyone makes them, so go easy on yourself and just enjoy playing.

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