Scrabble Card Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Letter Card Values and Distribution
• Classic SCRABBLE Cards
  • Aim of the Game
  • Preparation
  • Turns
  • Placing the First Word
  • Exchanging Cards
  • Passing (Missing a Turn)
  • Permitted Words
  • Challenging Words
  • Scoring the First Word
  • Premium Cards
  • Added 50 Point Bonus
  • Next Player's Turn
  • Removing Cards
  • Winning the Game
• Forfeit Variant
  • Setup
• Rummy Variant
  • Aim of the Game
  • Preparation
  • Playing the Game
  • The Rounds
  • Winning the Game

Components

The game contains 136 cards: 100 Letter cards, 10 Premium cards, 16 Action cards and 10 Rummy Round cards.

Letter Card Values and Distribution

Letter	Points	Number of cards
A	1	9
B	3	2
C	3	2
D	2	4
E	1	12
F	4	2
G	2	3
H	4	2
I	1	9

The source prints the blank's value as a dash, which is read as no points. The per-letter counts total 100 letter cards.

Classic SCRABBLE Cards

Aim of the Game

The aim of the game is to score the most points by forming high scoring words. Players make words using the Letter cards, which have the same letters and values as in SCRABBLE®.

Preparation

Take the two packs from the box and open them. Remove the Action cards (with the Exclamation Mark on the back) and the Rummy Round cards and put them to one side. You won't use them in this game. Shuffle the remainder of the cards together thoroughly and place them face down on the table to form a draw pile.

To begin the game, players cut the Letter card pack to see who starts: the player drawing the card nearest to the beginning of the alphabet, with the blank preceding "X", plays first. (The source prints this clause as written; the placement of the blank is not explained further.) Cards are then returned to the pack, and each player is dealt 7 Letter cards.

Turns

Starting with the first player and going clockwise on each subsequent turn, players have the choice of exchanging cards, passing or placing a word on the table.

Placing the First Word

The first player combines two or more of their Letter cards to form the best word they can, and places this word on the table, to read either horizontally or vertically. Diagonal words are not permitted.

Exchanging Cards

Any player may use their turn to replace any or all of their cards. They do so by discarding them face down onto the table, forming a discard pile beside the draw pile, then drawing the same number of new cards. They then wait for their next turn to play.

Passing (Missing a Turn)

Instead of placing a word, or exchanging cards, a player may decide to pass, whether or not they are able to make a word (or words). However, should all players pass twice in succession, the game ends.

Permitted Words

Any words listed in a standard English dictionary are permitted except those only spelt with an initial capital letter, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes, and words requiring apostrophes and hyphens. Foreign words in a standard English dictionary are considered to have been absorbed into the English language and are allowed. Pluralised words are allowed. The same word can be played more than once in a game.

Challenging Words

Once a word has been played, the word may be challenged before the score is added up and the next player starts their turn. At this point only, you may consult a dictionary to check spelling or usage. If the word challenged is unacceptable, the player takes back their cards and loses their turn.

Scoring the First Word

For example, the first player has A, E, I, R, T, N and R in their hand and they play TRAIN. The values of the letters are added up; in this case 5 points.

As in SCRABBLE®, the first word played scores a Double Word Score bonus, doubling the value of the word to 10 points. Because of this, the first player cannot also play a Premium card.

The player now draws sufficient cards from the draw pile to bring their hand back up to seven cards, and play passes to the next player to the left.

Premium Cards

There are 10 Premium cards in the pack: 8 Double Word Score cards and 2 Triple Word Score cards. Using these cards, players may double or triple the value of words that they make.

Players must always specify the Letter card on which they are playing the Premium card. If the player creates more than one word in a turn, the Premium card applies to any word which uses the selected Letter card.

Only one Premium card may be used in any one turn. A Premium card may not be laid on the first turn of the game, as the first player already benefits from a Double Word Score.

The Premium card is discarded at the end of the turn on which it is played.

Added 50 Point Bonus

Any player who plays all seven of their letters in a single turn scores a premium of 50 points in addition to their regular score for the turn. The 50 points are added on after doubling or tripling a word score.

Thus, if the first player had played TRAINER, the score would be 7 points in normal play + 50 for the bonus word = 57 points.

Next Player's Turn

The next player must play a word which crosses or adds to a word on the table. All cards played in one turn must be placed in one row either across or down the table. The player gets full score for all words formed or modified by their play.

Example: Player 2 has H, O, B, R, T, S and S in their hand.

There are four main ways of making words:

1. Adding one or more letters to the beginning or end of a word, or to both the beginning and end of that word. TRAINER becomes STRAINERS, scoring 9 points.
2. By placing a word at right angles to a word already on the table. The new word must use one of the letters of the word already on the table. E.g. THOB is added to the R already on the table to make THROB, scoring 10 points.
3. The new word may also add a letter to an existing word. E.g. THROBS is played with the S linking onto TRAINER to make TRAINERS as well. In this example, more than one word is formed in the same turn and each word is scored. TRAINERS scores 8 and THROBS scores 11, totalling 19 points.
4. By placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjoining tiles also form complete words. E.g. HOB is played, also forming HI, ON and BE. Again, more than one word is formed in the same turn and each word is scored. HOB scores 8, HI scores 5, ON scores 2, BE scores 4, totalling 19 points.

Removing Cards

When the word or words have been scored, only those words which have been created or modified on that turn should be left on the table. Any words created on previous turns should be removed, if possible.

For example, in number 1, THROB is created and the letters T, A, I, N and E are discarded into the Tray as they have not been used. In number 3, THROBS and TRAINERS are created out of TRAINER, so no cards are discarded (as they have all been used). If Player 1 then plays OBVIOUS, also making OR, the letters THRO and TRAINE S are discarded as they have not been used.

Players should also not remove a word created on a previous turn if they have used more than one letter. For example, in number 4, HOB is added to TRAINER to make HI, ON and BE. All the letters need to stay on the table even though some have not been used.

Incomplete or non-existent words should never appear on the table.

Winning the Game

When all the cards have been drawn from the draw pile, players continue to play until either one player has played all their cards, or each player has passed twice.

Each player then adds up the value of the cards left in their hand, and deducts it from their total score. If one player has played all their cards, they also add the total value of all the cards left in all the other players' hands to their own score.

The player with the highest score wins the game.

Forfeit Variant

Setup

For this game, take the Action cards (with the Exclamation Mark on the back) and shuffle them. Place them in a pile face down beside the draw pile.

The game is played using the same rules as Classic SCRABBLE Cards, with the following additional rules:

1. Each player is dealt 7 Letter cards and 1 Action card.
2. Any player may use their turn to replace any or all of their cards (including their Action card).
3. Playing an Action card: there are 16 Action cards with 2 categories per card. Each category has a plus value (which is added to a player's score if it is played on their own word) and a minus value (when it is played on an opponent's word). Whenever a word or words are played that fall within either of the categories on the card, a player can choose to play the card if they want to.

Example: Player 2 plays STRAINERS for 9 points. If Player 2 had played the Action card "Ends in S", they would add an extra 10 points to their score. If, however, Player 1 had played this card, Player 2 would have lost 5 points from their score.

Note: Any number of players may play an Action card against an opponent in a turn, but only one of the categories on any card can be played. For example, STRAINERS also contains "IN", which is on the same Action card as "Ends in S", but this would not be used as it has a lower value. If more than one word is created that has the same category in any turn, the added bonus score is counted only once. For example, Player 2 plays THROBS and TRAINERS, both "Ends in S", but the +10 points or -5 points would only be counted once.

4. An Action card may be played on any turn.
5. Once a player uses their Action card, it is returned to the bottom of the Action card deck and they take a new Action card from the top. Players should always have one Action card in their hand.

Rummy Variant

Aim of the Game

The aim of the game is to score the most points whilst completing the selected tasks in each of 10 different rounds.

Preparation

Shuffle all the Letter cards together and place them face down on the table to form a draw pile. Turn over the top card and place it face up to form a discard pile.

Take the 10 Rummy Round cards and shuffle them, placing them face down next to the draw pile. Turn the top card face up: this is the task for the first round.

Deal 7 Letter cards to each player.

Playing the Game

The youngest player starts, and play passes to the left.

On their turn, players draw a card, either from the face down draw pile or the top card of the face down discard pile. If they want to play a word or words meeting the requirements of the Round card, they lay that word on the table in front of them, and also discard one card. If not, they discard one card to end their turn.

If they have managed to play a word or words successfully, the other players then all have one turn to try and complete the round. If not, then play passes to the next player in turn.

At the end of the final turn of the round, all players score for the words in front of them. Any player who has not managed to make a word or words meeting the requirements of the Round card scores 0 for that round.

Once the round is over, new cards are dealt to take each player up to 7 cards. The Round card is put to the bottom of the pile and the next Round card is turned face up.

If the draw pile is exhausted, take the cards from the discard pile, reshuffle and place face down to form a new draw pile, and continue.

The Rounds

The game is played over 10 rounds. As the Round cards are shuffled, they can occur in any order.

• Deuces Wild: Play 3 two-letter words. Subtract the value of the left-over letter.
• 3 Letter Shuffle: Play 2 words of three letters each. Subtract the value of the left-over letter.
• 5 Alive: Play any five-letter word. If you play an additional two-letter word, score both plus a bonus of 5 points. If not, you must subtract the value of the left-over letters.
• 6 of the Best: Play any six-letter word. Subtract the value of the left-over letter.
• Full Monty: Play any combination of words of two letters and up, which must use all your cards (this can include Premium cards).
• Bingo!: Play any even-lettered word.
• Quadruple Word Score (2 cards): Play any word using all your letters and quadruple the score for one word only. You can include additional Premium cards.
• Quadruple Letter Score (2 cards): Play any word using all your letters and quadruple a letter score (one letter only). You can include additional Premium cards.

Winning the Game

When all 10 rounds have been played, the player with the highest total is the winner.

If there is a tie, a deciding round can be played between the tied players by reshuffling the Round cards and drawing one at random.