Come up with words that meet the criteria set forth by the Word Rule cards. Score points for difficulty and meeting personal objectives.
Better Letters starts with a 3 x 3 grid of Word Rule cards, and gets larger in later rounds (up to a 5 x 5 grid). Set up the game by shuffling and dealing out nine Word rule cards into a 3 x 3 grid into the middle of the play area. Shuffle the personal objective cards and deal out three to each player. Each player will select two to keep and discard the other. These are kept secret from other players. Give all players six tokens in their player color.
Better Letters is played in 60 second rounds with all players acting at the same time. Each player’s goal is to form a word(s) by following the restrictions listed on one or multiple cards. You may begin with any card and continue utilizing cards connected orthogonally. Write down your word(s) on your score sheet in the corresponding boxes. All players must finish discovering up to three words before the timer runs out. When the timer expires, everyone makes sure they have one word checked from their list and will be the word they submit for the round.
Custom scoring commences and the game is played over five or six rounds, depending upon player count.
—description from the designer
- Scratches the itch for word game lovers.
- Adds a unique spatial puzzle element to word games.
- Offers multiple ways to score beyond just the longest or cleverest word.
- Changes the word game genre with its scoring mechanics.
- Good as a filler game.
- Might be difficult for some due to the spatial element.
- Will not change the minds of those who hate word games.
- word creation
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Objective Fulfillment — Players have personal objectives that can grant positive or negative points.
- Set Collection — Players collect scoring cards orthogonally adjacent to their word.
- Spatial Puzzle — Players must trace a pathway through orthogonally adjacent scoring cards to score their word.
- variable scoring — The value of scoring cards decreases if multiple players use them.
- Word formation — Players create words based on constraints on a tableau of cards.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We're not going Analog Podcast anymore. It's the Going Analog Show.
- So, we're going to do a pal- pallet cleanser, right?
- This is not a campaign on the website like this is not a campaign cuz that's what you think because even on the back of the box I'm looking at right now it says non-campaign
- from that tableau, you're trying to combine some um different cards that your word qualifies for, but they have to be orthogonally adjacent, and you have to be able to trace a pathway through the cards that you're going to score.
- There's this extra puzzle element of not just like, oh, I'm not rewarded for just the longest word. I might have the longest word, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to score well.
- if I pick these scoring word scoring tiles over here, I can make a pretty good word. But, if other people also use the same scoring cards, then the value of that card goes gets lower and lower.
- So, if you've played Point Salad, this feels very much like Point Salad. There's going to be a But with fruit.
- Each basket will have its own scoring condition based on what fruits are in that basket.
- the rocks then you could keep them in your discard pile. They're worth a point each or fill up your bonus baskets with rocks, which eats up one of those three spots.
- It is mean, but because it's so easy just to get more fruit and more baskets, it's not that big a deal.
- he threw a rock down making it impossible for me to meet that goal because I need three specific fruit for a high value and now he a rock is eating up one of those spaces.
- It is mean, but at the same time it's like Too mean, but adds a layer of strategy to the game, you know?
- It's It was garbage day when we were recording today.