Components
- Game board
- The spinner
- Wordplay score pads
- Game timer
- Game pieces
- Pencils
- Instructions
Game Play
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Select a player to be the Host for the first round. This player will be in charge of the spinner and the timer for the round. All players, including the Host, participate in the word-building fun during each round.
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The game features a special dual-use spinner: there is an outer circle containing letters (in yellow) to form words, and an inner circle contain- ing bonus categories (in green).
The Host begins the round by spinning the spinner to select the FIRST LETTER- which is the letter in the outer circle that is pointed to (if no letter is clearly pointed to, spin again).
All players, including the Host, print this letter in the circle marked the FIRST LETTER on their scoresheet. The Host then spins again to select the OTHER LETTER - the letter in the outer circle that is pointed to. All players, including the Host, print this letter in the circle marked OTHER LETTER on their scoresheet.
The Host spins the spinner a third time to select the Bonus Category for the round - which is the category in the inner circle that is pointed to (if no Bonus Category is clearly pointed to, spin again).
The five Bonus Categories are: Names (N), Places (P), Objects and Things (O&T), Food and Drink (F&D), and Living Creatures (LC).
The spinner might also point to Your Choice (YC), which means the Host gets to pick the Bonus Category (in 10 seconds or less) for the round from among the five choices {Names, Places, etc). The Bonus Categories are explained further below, and a summary is found at the bottom of your scoresheet.
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The objective is to come up with words in the Bonus Category that begin with the FIRST LETTER and contain the OTHER LETTER,
Example 1: The Host's first spin shows the spinner pointing to the letter 'B' (the FIRST LETTER). The Host's second spin shows the spinner pointing to the letter 'N' (the OTHER LETTER). The Host's third spin shows the spinner pointing to the 'Places' Bonus Category.
Players would try to come up with 'Places' that begin with 'B' and contain an N': BOSTON, BANGKOK, BIRMINGHAM, etc.
You score the maximum 3 points if you come up with a word that begins with the FIRST LETTER and ends with the OTHER LETTER (i.e., the OTHER LETTER is the last letter) since these words are usually harder to think of. In Example 1, you get 3 points for 'BOSTON'.
But if your word begins with the FIRST LETTER and contains the OTHER LETTER somewhere else in the word, you score 2 points. So in Example 1, you get 2 points for 'BANGKOK' and 2 points for 'BIRMINGHAM'.
If you can't think of any words that fall into the Bonus Category (which happens sometimes), or not enough words to fill in the boxes of your scoresheet for the round, you can substitute other words instead of using the FIRST LETTER and OTHER LETTER.
In Example 1, you may come up with 'BRAIN', 'BANJO', 'BENJAMIN', 'BANANA' or anything else. But you only get 1 point for these words since they don't belong to the Bonus Category for the round. It doesn't matter if you use the OTHER LETTER as the second, third or even last letter- i.e. whether your word is BRAIN or BANJO - you only get 1 point.
Note: There is a quick scoring summary on your scoresheet.
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After the letters and Bonus Category have been selected, the Host flips the timer over. Everyone now has one minute to form their words and record them on their scoresheets. A player may write down up to three words on their scoresheet, with one word in each box.
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When time runs out, all players must stop writing down words. Everyone then writes in the points they've won for each word in its corresponding small box and adds up their point total for the round. Fig. 1 shows how some players fared using the letters ('B' and 'N') and Bonus Category ('Places') from Example 1 above.
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After the point totals have been calculated, players take turns revealing their words aloud, starting with the Host and then moving clockwise. It is possible that two or more players may have written down the same word during the round.
Once a player reveals his/her words and point total, they move their game piece one space on the board for each point won. In Fig. 1 above, Rebecca won 6 points and would therefore move 6 spaces on the board, Jeff moves 4 spaces, and Kirsten would move 2 spaces.
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After all players have moved their game pieces, the next round can begin. Another player becomes Host for the round (the player to the left of the former Host - players take turns after every round). Then follow the same steps you did for the first round.
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The first player to reach the Finish Circle wins the game (note: if two or more players reach the Finish Circle during the same round, the winner is the player who has recorded the most total points on their score- sheet for all the rounds during the game).
Just remember these simple steps:
Host spins to select the two letters and Bonus Category.
Write down your words before time runs out.
Add up your points and move your game piece.
Notes on Gameplay
All words written down by a player must be at least 4 letters long, and must be spelt correctly, or no points are given. As players take turns revealing their answers, you may challenge any other player to show their scoresheet to prove their words are spelt correctly.
If a player can't form any words at all during the round, they have to move their game piece back 5 spaces on the board - sorry!
Once a player reveals a word they have recorded at the end of a round, that same word may not be used again in subsequent rounds during the game, either by the same player or by another player.
You can cross out a word you have written down in a box on your scoresheet and replace it with another one - as often as you like - until time runs out during a round.
Players decide by majority vote if any word read aloud by a player at the end of the round should be disqualified - i.e. if the word clearly doesn't belong in the Bonus Category, or for any other good reason.
Alternative Gameplay: "free-for-all"
Here's another way to play: the 'Free-For-All' version. Follow the same basic rules as described under Gameplay above, but with this one notable change: you ignore the Bonus Categories. This means:
The Host spins only twice at the beginning of the round. The first spin gives you the FIRST LETTER to write down and the next spin gives you the OTHER LETTER to write down.
Come up with words that begin with the FIRST LETTER and contain the OTHER LETTER. You are looking to form any type of word at all - which could be an everyday word or any word that may fall under the Bonus Categories (Names, etc). It's up to you.
In this version, you score 2 points if you come up with a word that begins with the FIRST LETTER and ends with the OTHER LETTER (i.e., the OTHER LETTER is the last letter), but if your word begins with the FIRST LETTER and contains the OTHER LETTER somewhere else in the word, you score only 1 point.
So in Example 1 earlier, you get 2 points for 'BRIAN', 'BOSTON', 'BURN', but only 1 point for 'BANGKOK', 'BANJO', 'BINGO'. As before, add your points at the end of each round and move your piece 1 space for each point.
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