My Book Nook: Cozy Word Building Game
My Book Nook: Cozy Word Building Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Layout
Separate the Book cards, Decoration cards, Ambience cards, and Player Aid cards into their respective decks. Each of the three card types has a different back design for easy sorting.
The Game Layout page of the booklet shows the numbered setup steps below as a diagram (the call-outs match steps 1 to 5 of Setting Up The Game).
One or Two Player Note: Before shuffling the Decoration cards, remove the 6 cards that say "3 or more players".
Setting Up The Game
- Shuffle the deck of Book cards. Deal each player 5 cards.
- Place the Book deck face down on the table. Flip 6 Book cards face up in a row next to the deck. This is called the Book Market.
- Shuffle the deck of Decoration cards and place it face down near the Book Market. Flip 6 Decoration cards face up in a row next to the deck. This is called the Decoration Market.
- Separate the Ambience cards based on their victory points and place them face up nearby. These will be used for scoring words during the game.
- Give each player a Player Aid card for easy reminders.
- The player who most recently bought a book goes first!
Letter Card Count
- A - 12
- B - 2
- C - 4
- D - 6
- E - 14
- F - 3
- G - 3
- H - 9
- I - 11
- J - 2
- K - 2
- L - 6
- M - 4
- N - 10
- O - 11
- P - 3
- Q - 2
- R - 2
- S - 9
- T - 12
- U - 4
- V - 2
- W - 3
- X - 2
- Y - 3
- Z - 2
- Wild - 12
Note: the letter counts as printed add up to 155, while the component list gives 162 Book cards. The printed figures are transcribed as they appear.
Playing The Game
Starting with the first player, take turns in clockwise order. Each player gets one turn per round. Continue playing rounds until the end game condition is met.
On your turn, you may do one of the following:
A. Spell a Word
- Use Book cards from your hand to spell a word and place it face-up in front of you.
- Words must follow standard dictionary spelling — no proper nouns, abbreviations, or acronyms.
If the majority of players agree it's valid, it counts!
Then:
Take an Ambience card corresponding to how many Book cards you played. Place it in front of you — these will be scored at the end of the game.
Draw new Book cards as directed by your Ambience card. These draws come only from the face-down Book deck, not from the Market.
B. Draw New Cards
Instead of spelling a word, you may take 2 new cards in any combination of Book or Decoration cards.
- You can draw from the top of either deck or choose from the face-up Market cards.
- Book cards go into your hand.
- Decoration cards are placed face-up in front of you and will be assigned at the end of the game.
Ending a Turn
At the end of your turn, you may not have more than 10 Book cards in hand. Discard any extras.
There's no limit to how many Decoration cards you can have.
After you finish your turn, refill both Markets back up to 6 cards. Then, play passes to the next person.
Ending the Game
The game ends when any player spells their fourth word. Finish the current round, then play one final round so that all players have taken the same number of turns.
Players may be able to spell a fifth word during the final round — that's perfectly fine!
When the last round ends, it's time to decorate your nook:
- Arrange Decoration cards in your Nook — one per word.
- Any unassigned Decorations are not scored.
Scoring
- Add up all points from your Ambience cards.
- Add or subtract any bonus (or penalty) points shown on the spines of your Book cards.
- Score Decorations according to the text on each card — only if their conditions are met.
The player with the highest total score has built the coziest, most enchanting nook and wins the game! All tied up? The player with the fewest wild cards in their Nook wins!
Game Components
The booklet's component page lists the following (counts as printed):
- 5 Player Aid Cards
- 162 Book Cards
- 58 Ambience Cards
- 33 Decoration Cards
The Ambience and Decoration card text (draw instructions, victory points, and Decoration scoring conditions) is printed on the cards themselves and is not reproduced in the booklet.
Iconography
The Book cards use these genre icons and symbols (as labelled in the booklet):
- Fantasy
- Nature
- Horror
- Romance
- Mystery
- Sci-Fi
- Victory Point
- Wild Letter
Player Aid Card (Reminders)
- Book and Decoration markets start with 6 cards each.
- Each player draws 5 Book cards to start.
- Player who most recently purchased a book goes first.
- Must discard down to 10 Book cards at the end of your turn.
- Decoration cards can be played or rearranged in your Nook at any time.
- Once a player has completed 4 words, finish that round and complete one more full round to end the game.
- Before scoring, each player has the opportunity to rearrange the Decoration cards in their Nook or place Decoration cards remaining in their hand.
Solo Player Variant
My Book Nook can be enjoyed solo! Follow the same turn sequence as in multiplayer: on each turn, either draw 2 cards or play a word. At the end of every turn, discard down to 10 Book cards in hand, if necessary.
Be strategic — every card in your discard pile is worth −2 points at the end of the game, so think carefully before drawing extra cards in search of that perfect letter!
Keep playing until you've placed 4 words, then take one final turn before scoring.
Tally your points to see how cozy and high-scoring your personal Book Nook can be. Enjoy your quiet reading (and word-building) retreat!