Paperback
Paperback Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 16 wood cubes
- 14 dividers
- 66 Letter cards
- 8 2¢ Vowel cards
- 20 Two-Letter cards
- 11 Attack cards
- 5 Player Power cards
- 50 Starting Deck cards
- 28 Wild Fame cards
- 6 Common Cards
- 6 Theme Cards
- 4 Award Cards
Setting Up the Game
The Offer
Create 4 Fame piles for the different ranks of Fame cards, according to the chart on the length track.
Sort the Letter and Two-Letter cards by price (2¢–10¢). Combine the 8¢, 9¢, and 10¢ piles. Shuffle each of the seven piles and place them, face up, in the center of the table. Take the top card off each pile and place it next to the pile. These are the Alternate Cards; both sets of cards are available for purchase.
NOTE: The 2¢ Pile doesn't get an Alternate.
Common Card
Shuffle the Common cards, deal 4 face down, and set the pile face-up near the Offer, on top of the length track. Only 4 Common cards are used each game.
Players' Decks
Players start their decks with the 1¢ TRSLN cards and five of the 1 Fame Wild cards. Each player shuffles her deck and draws 5 cards.
Turn Sequence
After randomly choosing a starting player, take turns in clockwise order. A turn consists of the following:
- Create a word. The Common card can also be used.
- Score the word. The word is scored by adding up the score for each letter (upper left).
- Buy cards. Using the ¢ cost in the lower left, purchase cards from the Offer up to your word score.
- Discard all cards and purchased card(s). Do not keep any unused cards in your hand.
- Draw 5 cards.
Create a Word
Form a word using the cards you have in your hand and, if you wish, the Common card. Like most word games, no proper nouns, names, or places allowed.
The cards used to form the word activate their ability text. The text on unused cards is not activated. Some abilities only activate if a condition is met. If an ability says that you "may" do something, it's optional. Otherwise, you have to use the ability if it's in your word.
Check the Word Length
After playing a word using the cards in your hand, count up the number of letters in your word (Wild cards count too). If the word is longer than the highest number showing on the length track, that player gains the Common card to have in her deck. This reveals the next Common card for everyone to use. If there are no more Common cards, the game is over.
Score Word
Add up all the scores from the letters in your word (see card diagram). Make sure to count the Common card, if you used it. Apply score bonuses from the card abilities in the word. Make note of abilities that give you extra cards next turn.
Buy Cards
Using your score, purchase from visible cards in the Offer. Multiple cards can be purchased, but their total cost must be the word score or lower. Any abilities that change the Offer can be used now. Purchased cards are placed in your discard pile.
After each purchase, if you purchased an Alternate Card, replace it with the top card of the corresponding pile. There should always be two cards available for purchase from each pile.
Remember, while purchasing letters will increase your ability to form longer and better words, purchasing Fame cards is crucial for winning the game, as the player at the end of the game with the most Fame points is the winner.
Discard and Draw Next Hand
Discard all the cards from your word and hand. Draw 5 cards, plus any additional cards from abilities in your last word. If you run out of cards, shuffle your discard pile to create a new draw pile.
End of the Game
The game ends when any two of the Wild piles are empty OR there are no more Common Cards.
When this happens, each player adds up the Fame points on the cards in her deck (includes hand and discard). The player with the most Fame wins the game. Ties are broken by the player with the most Common cards.
Key Words
- Hand – This means the cards left in your hand that you didn't use in your word. They are still discarded before your next hand is drawn.
- Trash – This means to remove a card from the game. It's helpful to make a pile for players to put their trashed cards. Trashing is very useful for getting rid of weaker letters or 1 Fame Wild cards, thus increasing your chances of getting more powerful cards when you draw.
- Gain – This means to acquire a card and put it in your discard pile.
- Attack – This means when you play this in a word, it stays in play until your next turn. It only affects other players for the turn and limits them in different ways. At the start of your next turn it is discarded.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Some cards have two letters on them. Both letters are used when making words, and their order cannot be reversed. These cards count as 2 toward your word length.
- The Common card can only be used once per word.
- If you copy the "Double Word Score" ability, it triples the word damage (not 4x).
- Wild cannot be copied as an ability.
- There are two sets of covers for each Wild pile. They function the same, just look different.
- You can't save money between rounds — use it or lose it.
Optional Rule: Bounty
Get some tokens (coins, candy, etc.). If you are having a hard time forming a word, you can reveal your hand and say that you're offering a bounty in exchange for some help. Other players can now suggest words for you to use. If you use a word that someone suggested, the player that suggested the word receives a token. Players can cash in a token on their turn for a one-time +1 to their word score.
Optional Rule: Discount
Get some tokens (coins, candy, etc.). When a card is purchased off the top of a pile in the Offer, that pile's corresponding Alternate Card gets a token. For each token on top of the Alternate Card, its price is reduced by 1. Remove the tokens when the Alternate card is purchased.
Game Mode: Cooperative
In this mode, the players work together to win. The goal is to buy all the Fame cards before any card gets four tokens on it. The cards start in a pyramid pattern. Players can only buy cards that are uncovered. Each turn, if a player doesn't buy a Fame, she must put a token on an uncovered card. If any card gets 4 tokens on it, all the players lose!
For an extra challenge, have players lose if 3 tokens are on a card. Also, try different Fame card layouts for a new challenge.
Expansions
Spacebar
If this is the common vowel, you can create two words. If you do, score +1¢. Cards can't be used in both words. If you gain this card, you can play it to make two words for +1¢ when it comes up.
Dyslexic
If this is the common vowel, you may use their two-letter cards in reverse to form words. If you do, score +1¢. If you gain this card, you can play it to reverse a two-letter card for +1¢ when it comes up.
Attacks
If you want a more direct conflict game, you can add the Attack cards to the Offer piles when you're setting up the game.
Player Powers
To play with these, shuffle them and deal one to each player at the start of the game. Each one gives a player a power he can use each turn to get out of tough situations.
Award Cards
To play with an Award, shuffle them and reveal one in the middle. This card is awarded at the end of the game based on the conditions listed on the card.
Theme Cards
To play with a Theme, shuffle them and reveal one in the middle. This card is given to the player that forms one of the words on the card for one of their turns. They don't put it in their deck, but keep it and count it toward their final Fame total. If later in the game another player forms a word on the card, they take the card (and points) from the first player.