Scrabble Trickster Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Set Up
• How to Play
  • Keeping Score
  • Exchanging Tiles
  • Passing (Missing a Turn)
  • Placing the First Word
  • Permitted Words
  • Challenging Words
  • BOARD Premium Spaces
  • TRICK Squares
  • Trick Card Bonus
  • 2 Letter Word Card
  • Scoring the First Word
  • Ending a Turn
  • Added 50-Point Bonus
  • Next Player's Turn
  • End of the Game
• Trick Card Reference

Contents

• 1 Playing Board
• 100 Letter Tiles
• 4 Tile Racks
• 1 Tile Bag
• 22 Trick cards
• 1 2-Letter Word card

100 Letter tiles:

• There are 98 tiles with letters of the alphabet and two blank tiles.
• Each of the letter tiles has score values indicated by the number to the bottom right of the letter.
• Note that the two blank tiles have no score value, but can be used as any letter desired. When it is played, the player must state what letter it represents, after which it cannot be changed for the remainder of the game.

Set Up

• Get a pen and paper to keep score.
• Set up the board in the middle of the playing area.
• Each player takes a rack for arranging their tiles and places it in front of them. The tile racks have a groove across the top to hold Trick cards.
• The 2-Letter Word card should be placed, facedown, to the side of the board. Trick cards should be shuffled and also placed, again facedown, to the side of the board.
• All the tiles are placed in the tile bag. Each player takes a tile out to find out who plays first. The player who has the tile nearest the beginning of the alphabet, with the blank preceding 'A,' plays first. The exposed tiles are put back into the bag and the bag is shaken to shuffle them.
• Each player, in turn, then draws seven new tiles and places them on their racks. Everyone is now ready to play Trickster. Play proceeds clockwise.

How to Play

Keeping Score

One player is elected as scorekeeper. They keep tally of each player's score after each turn.

Exchanging Tiles

Any player may use their turn to replace any or all of the tiles in their rack. They may do so by discarding them face down, drawing the same number of new tiles, then mixing the discarded tiles with those remaining in the bag. They then await their next turn to play.

Passing (Missing a Turn)

Instead of placing tiles on the board, or exchanging tiles, a player may also 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.

Placing the First Word

The first player combines two or more of their tiles to form a word and places them on the board to read either across or down with one tile on the centre square (star). Diagonal words are not permitted.

All tiles played in this and subsequent turns must be placed in one continuous line horizontally or vertically.

Permitted Words

You may play any words listed in a standard English dictionary 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. Prior to starting the game, all players must agree on a dictionary to be used.

Once a tile has been placed on the board, it may not be moved unless the word is successfully challenged.

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 tiles and loses their turn.

BOARD Premium Spaces

The playing board consists of 15 x 15 squares in the playing area with gridlines to separate the squares. There are special premium squares on the board with either bonus score values or the word TRICK.

Premium Letter Squares

A 2X LETTER square doubles the score of a letter placed on it. A 3X LETTER square triples the score of a letter placed on it.

[Icons: 2x Letter, 3x Letter]

Premium Word Squares

A 2X WORD square doubles the score of the word. A 3X WORD square triples the score of the word.

[Icons: 2x Word, 3x Word]

If a word crosses both premium letter and word squares, all the bonus letter values are added up before the complete word score is doubled or tripled.

The bonus scores of the premium squares only apply to the turn in which the tiles are placed on them.

When a blank is placed on a Double or Triple Word square, the sum of the tiles in the word is doubled or tripled even though the blank itself has no score value. When it is placed on a Double or Triple Letter square, the value of the blank tile is still zero.

TRICK Squares

If a player's letters cross a Trick square, that player takes a Trick card. One card is drawn for every Trick square crossed.

The Trick cards allow some of the regular rules of Scrabble to be broken. The actions listed on the cards may apply to the type of word that may be played, where a word may be played, how words may be scored or may affect the play of an opponent.

Trick cards are drawn AFTER a player's word is scored and may not be applied to the word(s) just played. However, Trick cards that affect an opponent (including stealing their last score) may be used immediately.

To use your Trick cards on your turn, add your word to the board then read aloud from the card that you're playing and discard it to the side of the board. These used Trick cards are now out of play.

For example, on the board below, Player 1 places the word ZIP on the board, taking advantage of the Triple Word premium space and then reads from their Trick card: "Spell a word ANYWHERE on the board." The player then announces that they've scored 42 points.

[Example board: ZIP, MANIC, STEER]

Trick cards that do not affect the score of the word that you've placed, such as "Cancel another player's card," may be played at anytime.

You may only have 3 Trick cards at any one time. If you have the opportunity to draw additional Trick cards, you may decide which cards you want to discard, without using their power, to get back down to 3 cards.

Trick Card Bonus

If 3 Trick cards are used in one turn, that player adds 10 points to their word score after any doubling or tripling. Note: using a Trick card to look at the 2 Letter Word card does NOT count as playing a card for bonus purposes.

2 Letter Word Card

The 2 Letter Word card lists all of the playable 2 letter words in Scrabble. This card is to be turned face down during play. A player may turn in one of their Trick cards, without using its power, to look at this 2 Letter Word card. The player may only look at it during that play then must turn it facedown again.

Remember: the right 2 letter word can get you out of a tight spot!

Scoring the First Word

A player completes their turn by counting and announcing their score, which is recorded by the scorekeeper.

The score for the turn is calculated by adding up all the values of the numbers on the tiles, plus any premium values from utilising the premium squares or Trick cards.

Ending a Turn

At the end of every turn, the player draws as many new tiles as they have played, thus always keeping seven tiles in their rack.

Added 50-Point Bonus

Any player who plays all seven of their tiles 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.

Next Player's Turn

The second player and then each player in turn, has the choice of exchanging tiles, passing or adding one or more tiles to those already played so as to form new words of two or more letters.

All tiles played in any one turn must be placed in one row only across or one column only down the board. If they touch other tiles in adjacent rows, they must form complete words crossword fashion, with all such tiles.

The player gets full score for all words formed or modified by their play. Include the bonus scores of any premium squares on which they have placed the tiles.

There are five different ways that new words can be formed:

1. Adding one or more tiles to the beginning or end of a word already on the board, or to both the beginning and end of that word. e.g. TRAINER becomes STRAINERS.

   [Example board: STRAINERS]

2. Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use one of the letters of the word already on the board. e.g. HROB is added to the T already on the board to make THROB.

   [Example board: TRAINER with H, R, O, B placed down from the T]

3. 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.

   [Example board: HOB parallel above TRAINER]

   In this example, more than one word is formed in the same turn and each word is scored. The common letters are counted (with full premium value, when they are on premium squares) in the score for each word.

4. 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 STRAINER as well.

   [Example board: THROBS down with S linking into TRAINER]

5. The last variation would be to "bridge" two or more letters. (This can only happen on the 4th move or later in the game.) e.g. CO, QUE, T is fitted between an N and an S on the board to make CONQUEST.

   [Example board: CONQUEST bridging CO, QUE, T between an N and an S]

Sometimes a word may cross two premium word squares or use more than one scoring Trick card. The word score is doubled then re-doubled - 4 times the complete word score; or tripled and then re-tripled - 9 times the complete word score!

End of the Game

The game ends when:

• all the tiles have been drawn and one of the players has used all the tiles in their rack
• when all possible plays have been made
• all players have passed twice in consecutive turns

After all the scores are added up, each player's score is reduced by the sum of his unplayed tiles, and if one player has used all their tiles, their score is increased by the sum of the unplayed tiles of all the other players. e.g. If Player one has an X and an A left on their rack at the end of the game, their score is reduced by 9 points. The player who used all their tiles adds 9 points to their score.

Remember - the game can be won or lost on the last letter in the bag!

Trick Card Reference

The table below offers more explanation as to how the Trick cards may be played. You can read before beginning the game or just jump in and only use these as needed.

Card reads	Additional explanation
Add 10 points to your score. Points are added before doubling or tripling a word score.
Blank is worth 5 points.	A blank tile, including a tile turned into a blank by the appropriate Trick card, is worth 5 points to a final score. May be doubled and tripled as appropriate.
Cancel another player's card.
Double Word Score	Double the word score of one word you've played on your turn. You may choose which word to double the score on in the event that you've formed more than one word on your turn.
Exchange racks, tiles only, with another player before taking your turn.	You may exchange racks with another player of your choice. In the event that the other player has more tiles on their rack than you, you may only exchange 7 tiles. You do not exchange any Trick cards that either player might have.
Exchange any number of your tiles for new ones from the tile bag AND still play a word.
Look at another player's rack of tiles.	You may look at the tiles of any other player of your choice.
Make a player lose their turn. This card must be played at the beginning of the opponent's turn.	You may not use this card after an opponent has laid their word on the board.