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by mrjoro

Alternate Rules For Board Games

Sometimes, when dedicated fans play a beloved game over and over again, they may start to grow a little weary of the same, traditional rules. They often look for new ways to play the game, either little ways to twist the rules, or a completely new approach to an already enjoyable game. Some of these alternate rules end up becoming rather popular and can give players completely new insights into the games that they already love.

One such game that was built out of alternate rules is Speed Scrabble. Abandoning the traditional board, Speed Scrabble plays out using all of the tiles from a traditional Scrabble set and works on the principle of players needing to use all of their tiles to build words as quickly as they can. 4 or 5 players are the ideal number for a Speed Scrabble game, for when it is considered that there are 100 tiles in a traditional Scrabble set, the number of tiles works out exactly so that each player will always have an equal number of tiles.

The rules of Speed Scrabble are the same as traditional Scrabble – only English words are allowed that are not proper nouns, abbreviations, or slang. Words in question must be voted upon by the group, unless a traditional Scrabble dictionary is handy. Blanks are allowed, but must represent the same letter for every word that it is a part of. One of the advantages of Speed Scrabble, however, is that at any point during the game, one can take all of the letters they have used so far and rearrange their entire board to make new words using the same letters. This often proves to be a winning strategy in the game. Speed Scrabble has proven itself to be a unique twist on the classic intelligence game and players looking for a change to their normal routine should consider giving this a try!

Other alternate rules for different board games are not always so extreme. Risk is a game that is often adapted to any certain player’s needs. While a popular game, Risk does draw some complaints, often from the lengthy period of time in which it takes to not only set up the board, but for each player to complete their turn.

One version of Risk does away with the lengthy set up time frame by making each player’s starting countries end up completely random. Another version removes the use of dice from the game and proposes a 1 to 1 exchange rate for armies. By sacrificing one of your own armies, you destroy one of your opponent’s. This allows no player to be the victim of simple bad luck and provides for an even more strategic approach to the game. This version also places more importance on the cards drawn during the game, allowing them to be redeemed immediately instead of having to wait for a set to be drawn. This allows players to be even more aggressive in their approach to their respective strategies.

By simply taking any game and applying alternate rules, the game can almost be completely re-invented and provide a fun, new experience for everyone involved.

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Try These Scrabble House Rules

Any family with a Scrabble tradition has doubtless developed their own set of house rules, particularly if that household includes children requiring modifications. House rules can make play more interesting and lively, place an emphasis on learning rather than competition, or simply be used to speed the game up. Below, are some common house rules I’ve heard about or used at home. Each rule adds its own twist to the game. I welcome you to try them!

Eternal Bonus Squares: I was raised on this one. What was my disappointment when I found out at a friend’s house that the rules killed the efficacy of the bonus square once it was covered! By deeming them “eternal,” meaning they remain in force and count every time the word is added to, each move becomes more rewarding than the first. Scores soar into the hundreds. Egos inflate. The skillful player must try to make words that can’t be added to, at least when covering a bonus square.

Blank Tile Substitution: This rule keeps the blank tiles in constant circulation. For instance, if someone uses a blank on the board in place of a T, and you later wind up with a T on your rack, you can substitute the real letter and re-use the blank. This is really nice toward the end of the game when everyone is down to the nubs, letter-wise.

Allowable Dictionary Use/Broadening the Word Base: To give the game more educational significance, we’ve sometimes allowed players to browse the dictionary when it wasn’t their turns. This rule is especially helpful for children or beginners, whose vocabulary base may still be limited. If playing against more seasoned opponents, the use of a dictionary, along with offering free challenges, can even the playing field. When my sister and I were learning German we purchased a German Scrabble set and mixed it in with the English letters. Words from either language were allowed. Since letters have varying degrees of usage in different languages the point value and letter distribution will vary among foreign sets. This made our game even more interesting. Scrabble sets can be purchased on the internet in many different languages.

Free Trades: Allowing free trades of the following combinations reduces the element of luck, and can make the game more fun.

Two pair

Three of the same letter

Six vowels

Six consonants

Of course, the blank tile can not be used to substitute for any letter in a trade. Y can be used as a vowel or a consonant, to the player’s advantage. Only one trade is allowed per turn, although your tiles may be rejected if it restores one of the above conditions to your rack.

Take Two: This last suggestion isn’t so much a house rule, but an alternative game which can be played using Scrabble tiles. The number of players is unlimited, and can be practiced alone, or played in a large group. The more players, the faster the game will go. To play, turn all the tiles face down in the middle of the table. Each player draws seven tiles, turning them over in front of him or her. Laying letters in words across and down, players attempt to connect all their letters. The first player to do so calls out, “Take two!” and everyone draws two more tiles. The game continues until the tiles run out. The winner is the first player to use all his of her tiles. The value of unused tiles is counted and a negative score is recorded. (The winner scores a perfect zero.) This game may be played in successive rounds if a longer version is desired.