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Game Design > Scrabble-like playing ideas...

#150237 - nipil - Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:54 pm

Hello. I created this thread in order to go on with the game design discussions around word-games such as Scrabble, which was previously discussed in this thread. Aim was to separate the Scrabble Assistant Thread from the game design discussion, so it's easier to track both as they wouldn't mix. Anything related to word-games, modifications, ideas about anything relate has it's place here ;) I'll start with copying the relevant parts from the above thread :

Conundrum (one of the GBA Scrabble game play-mode)

Opus wrote:
Okay, so I dug out the instruction booklet for Scrabble but it doesn't describe the game "Conundrum" in depth like I was expecting it to.

So I'll have to write up a summary of the game in my own words. :o/
Here it goes:
The game can be up to four players. If you want you can choose a computer opponent to go up against (novice, easy, normal, hard, and expect). You can also choose a time limit per round.

The game consists of 14 rounds, whoever has the highest score in the end is the winner. All tiles/letters have the same point values as in Scrabble

At the beginning of a round, each player is shown the same group of 7 random letters and must make the highest scoring word he/she can from them. (there are blank tiles, but it will only use one at the most per round if it was randomly selected)

The letters are placed on seven squares from left to right, some of which are premium squares. One double letter and one triple letter square is randomly selected within the first four squares.

A five letter word yields a double word score.
A six letter word yields a triple word score.
A seven letter word yields a triple word score + 50 points.
As you make up your word, the game calculates the total score you would receive in real time.

There are no challenges in the game.
If the word is not found you score a big squadoosh for the round.

At the end of each round, it shows all of the players' words for that round, the score that they received, and their total accumulated score up to that point and ranks everyone by order.

It then begins searching for what the best possible word for that round was and then displays it along with the score that could have been earned with it. In some rounds there is no possible word to make and the only score that can be earned is zero. At the end, the winner receives an animation of scrabble tiles dancing with fireworks. The loser sees a screen where their pieces are struck down by lightning. The game can be saved at anytime during the match.

It keeps running records of everyone's individual statistics (best words, best scores) and an overall high scores and best words statistical screen. In summary, it's super easy for a player to understand how the game is played. In my opinion, the overall average score for a game is:

300- Below average
400- Average
500- Above average
600- Bordering on genius
700- Close to running the three minute mile.
I've only scored 700+ four times in like six or seven years.

Well, at least provide a little feedback if this is something you'd be willing to looking deeper into. This seriously is probably one of the most fun, easy to play, social games you'll ever find.


Misc scrabble variants mode, "maybe they suck but i like them"-style

nipil wrote:
Point is, there are numerous ways of playing (and ending) a scrabble board game, some of which friends and me maybe "invented", or at least figured out together, and which I could detail :

- some dice-based mode described here

- some denial mode, where racks are visible, and opponents can try to "enhance the length/point" of your candidate word without changing the base-letter set it contains (namely, make a "better" word than you with the same letters + one/two of theirs) the one with the best point number gets to play next, and if you were countered (ie opponents enhanced your candidate, you don't earn anything but lose your letters (which are used to form the word on board).

- normal/denial variant , in which for each odd number you get a positive score, and if your word (or its enhanced version) gets an even score, you get a negative score. Tricky thing is that you're not allowed to visually test your candidate (or enhanced candidate) on board, and double/triple letter/words make it quite random and funny.

- Any of the above (preferably denial-variant), with a timed-round (30 to 90 seconds), and "K"ill events (if you draw the "K", put all your letters back to the bag, and your score is reset to 0). You get to play next, even if another player is already thinking/playing/countering. Game ends when there's an exact number of letters in the bag (10 to 20 letters, number decided beforehand) in the bag, to avoid the a "reset" series at end-game.

- Marathon game described here.

- Any other you could think of, as long as it's fun and social and non-scrabble-freaks get fun too.


Have fun with brainstorming, don't hesitate to drop any thoughts !


Edit #1: Posted expanded dice-based mode
Edit #2: Posted expanded marathon mode

Last edited by nipil on Fri Feb 01, 2008 2:39 pm; edited 3 times in total

#150278 - nipil - Fri Feb 01, 2008 2:14 pm

Dice-based Scrabble game. Could be named something like "Drabble".

General
- It's using the standard board and letters.
- No specific rule deciding who starts. But why not roll the dice ?
- Each player starts with his usual 7 letters.
- Every player letter-rack is visible to everyone.

Turn
- The player who's turn it is to play rolls the dice, which gives "N".
- He then has to drop a word on the board which will cause him to put exactly "N" letters on the board
- He can use parts of his own letters and parts of every player's letters to make a word
- He can choose which player's letters he'll use, but he has to take them in an as-equal-as-possible way among the players (ie if he wants to take 5 letters ina 3 payer game, he'll take 2-2-1, same with other combination)
- If he doesn't manage to place a word which is of the required length, he gets a predetermined, negative-value score for this turn
- Turn-time is limited to either 15, 30, 45 second per player.
- Game is finished when there are less than 6 letters remaining in the letter-bag. The one with the highest score wins.

Pros:
- Main design rules for this game mode are : fast and randomness.
- Easy even for relatively young players (ie kids-friendly), as words can be insanely short (statistically, 50% of words are 2-4 letters, 50% are 5-7)
- Most of the fun comes from the time-limit the player has to respect. You'll be thinking while others play, and you'll have to think 6 times more as you could draw any kind of length requirement.
- Basically, when you are waiting to play, you'll have to find one or more possible words for each possible length, using all letters on other players' racks, and somewhat respecting the equal-taking rule.
- Plus, you'll have to track your "candidate words" hopes according to what lettes other have, which is somewhat desperating when you can't find more than a few combination, or when another player's letter fades away!
- The lesser the playing time per round, the trickier it gets. Playing duration can be anywhere like 15, 30, 45 seconds. Or longer for youngsters. I advice the use of a good ol' sand glass, or any kind of electronic countdown. Trying to abuse the time limit (while counting score between turns is part of the fun too ;)
- Difficulty rating scales up when the time-limit decreases, and if you decide to "add 1", or even "add 2" to each dice roll. Of course, increasing th negative "handicap" value adds to the difficulty.
- IMHO, the "positive stress" is what makes it really addicitve.
- Board placement is not really mandatory, it all depends on what people have fun with. Often, placing the word is considered a pain when compared to finding the words. Boardless game is no problem, you'll just cound the base word value which is actually easier. But then, you'll get one less "chance" to get negative score.

Cons

- The very first games can be frustrative, as if you're not used to it. It may really goes fast. ie if you go brainless for some minutes, it's minus, minus, minus and your hopes ran away !
- Board cluttering is an issue. If you remve the game-board thing, draw one random letter at each turn, and place it on the table's center. Then use it to branch the word on at each turn.
- Others cons i haven't felt, but which you coudl clearly see as terribly bothering ;)
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#150279 - nipil - Fri Feb 01, 2008 2:37 pm

Marathon-scrabble game

General
- Using everything from the standard base game, inluding rules.
- Requires only another piece of paper to track words.

Turn
- Player puts his word as usual.
- The one who's trackig words writes down which letter were placed on the board at each turn. This can be easy using grid coordinates + direction + lettercount (ie A5+4D is "4 letters down starting from and including location A-5)
- After N minutes of playing, for example 10/15/20/25/30/../1h (it depends on your play speed, look back at the first turns played, and remove the letters that were placed at these "old" turns. Use the info you wrote down to help with this. You can remove anywhere from 5 to 10 turns, it all depends on your playing speed.
- After this initial "remove" operation, each turn, you'll remove the letters from the "oldest" word placed.
- Using this, the board gets continuously cleared, and you can go on playing forever.
- Every removed letter is to be placed back into the letter-bag.
- You can add a time-limit to each turn, to be able to play faster and get some "sampling" regulation on the add/remove operations.
- The game ends after a fixed duration has eslapsed. As usual, highest scoring layer wins.

Example
- You're using 1 minute per turn
- You're waiting 10 turns before "initial remove
- You're removing 5 words on the first remove operation
- Then, adding 1 word per turn, and removing 1 word per turn, you'll then always have 5 words placed on the board.

Pros
- Endless play
- Due to words being removed, the "word network" can divide, effectively giving two or more separate word-nets to attach your new words to
- Having always a few words on the board gives you plenty of space to put big words (which i like a lot).
- Can last as long as you want

Cons
- There might be arguments about total game duration if someone tries to change it after the game started
- Without round time-limit, the game can slow down, as temptation to make long words if strong, as there's plenty of space.
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#150604 - Opus - Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:08 am

Stacked Tile Scrabble

Simple concept, really....

A person could play a word on top of someone else.

For example, if someone played the word:
panting

You could tear through that word by changing it to "punting" and build off of that.

You would get credit for the new word "punting" plus whatever word that went through it.

I think it would open up more options, scoring, and newbie friendly thinking this way.

Again, if there was a word "fort" on the board...

One could build from it by using the words:

font
fart
tort

etc....

The only rule would be that you couldn't replace a letter with the same one.


It might be a dumb thought on this concept, but it wouldn't be as frustrating for new comers to keep playing with this kind open option.

#150623 - tepples - Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:33 pm

Opus wrote:
Stacked Tile Scrabble

That's called Upwords, from MB.
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-- Who?
-- You know, the human.
-- I think he moved to Tilwick.

#150628 - Opus - Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:58 pm

Quote:
That's called Upwords, from MB.


Uh, yeah, duh! I knew that. (?)

Anyway, good catch on that Tepples.

Way to call someone out as a plagiarist. :o)

(Just kidding)