LETTERPRESS
Designer: Robin David
Finding a new way to have fun making words can often feel like a fool’s errand. We’ve surely covered all the bases. Aren’t you just going to make a game that is ‘Scrabble but this…’ every time?
Yes, you probably are. Letterpress, from Osprey in this usual vein, but not in a bad way. The best way to think of it is as poker-scrabble. Players have a hand of cards that are drafted in a pick-and-pass method. A ‘river’ style arrangement of five cards – vowels, consonant and challenge cards – is placed across the play area. These can be used to create a word with those in your hand (doubles can be assumed, but not for extra points). This is done secretly and reveled at the end of the round. Points are scored like Scrabble's tiles.
The winner decides which of the played cards they would like to take into their collection. Challenge cards can be collected if the prerequisite is met, and they usually contain something useful like an ‘ing’. The final round is played with your stashed cards, and it is from this the game’s winner is decided.
It’s a deceptively deep word game with an interesting amount of strategy. Choosing the letters as you go through, or deciding to meet a challenge with a sub-optimal word, is sometimes a difficult choice to make. After all, if someone beats you and meets the card’s demands, they’ll be able to take it before you. Also, the choice to go for difficult letters in the drafting round might be a risk worth taking.
It all depends on how clever you’re feeling at the time. The competitive element, while not exactly fiery, does make itself known as players take cards being eyed up by others around the table.
If a word game doesn’t need to be more than accessible, novel, and fun, then Letterpress has a font-full.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN EGGETT