If You Thought Scrabble Was a Word Game, Think Again

Scrabble is commonly cited as being the world's most popular word game. Truly, Scrabble is a popular board game played throughout the world on kitchen tables and in a thriving international tournament scene. Is it, however, accurate to describe Scrabble as a word game?

At face value, a bag of one hundred letter tiles with each player having racks of seven letters at a time from which to form words and place on the board, it may appear to be a word game. On a closer examination, one must question that common assumption.

If Scrabble was truly a word game, one could expect that the most expert players would be those players with the best linguistic skills. These would include authors, journalists, language professors and similar professions. The reality tells a different story. These occupations are a rarity amongst Scrabble players at the top of the international competitive ranks.

If you were to survey the participants at any of the biennial World Scrabble Championships, you would discover a very significant proportion of these elite level Scrabble players come from mathematics, actuarial, accounting, architectural and engineering occupations. These professions reflect the strategic skills, the critical and strategic thinking skills and the mathematical and statistical skills that marks the difference between a winner and loser in Scrabble, or the difference between a masters level competitor and an intermediate or novice player.

Vocabulary is far less important than one might initially imagine in a Scrabble game. Whilst obviously vocabulary plays an important, in fact essential, role in the game, vocabulary alone won't win many Scrabble games. You could liken it a little to war. In a battle, one side may have a majority of the weapons and even a larger army, though without a solid strategic battle plan the war is all but over before it even begins. Without a strong battle plan, the biggest army with the most weapons will not defeat their opposition.

On the Scrabble board, strategic decisions are made with every move. You may have a great word ready to play, but which is the best position on the board to play it? There will often be multiple positions where a word could be played. Rapid mental calculations need to be made as to which position will produce the highest score. Even then, it may not always be wise to play in the highest scoring position if, for example, it opens up a triple-triple bonus scoring opportunity to your opponent. Settling for a different position on the board for a lower score may sometimes be the better strategic decision.

Likewise, the strategic player considers the balance between vowels and consonants in the rack. It is often the wise choice to play a small scoring word and maintain a well balanced rack than to go for a higher scoring word that leaves you with no vowels at all for your next move.

The strategic player will also consider the statistical probabilities of drawing good tiles from the Scrabble letter bag. Playing away a single tile from your rack in the hope of picking up the Q is generally unwise due to the low probability of actually picking out that Q. The same play for the purposes of picking up a far more common letter that you need to form your next bonus word, such as an E, can more often be rewarding.

To further reinforce the case that Scrabble isn't primarily a word game, a look at some of the recent victors in international tournaments tells a vivid story. A growing trend is for competitors from countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, where English is not even the primary language, to walk away with the tournament trophies. What these competitors may lack in terms of every day English language vocabulary, they more than compensate with their strategic, mathematical, statistical and logic skills.

Castle Ravenloft - A fun interactive game board for the family

Dungeons & Dragons are a fan? Do you have a board game with different scenarios and plot twists? You have the teamwork and the need for a strategy of fast-paced game? So buy a castle Ravenloft game. Play makes it fun, exciting and interactive.

Castle Ravenloft is 4 Installation of Dungeons & Dragons. The game begins with the story of a dinner invitation from the Lord of Castle Ravenloft. From there you will arrive at differentEnemies and traps, you must overcome to win.

The Castle Ravenloft board game consists of a die face 20, rule book, scenario book, 200 meetings and treasure cards, 13 sheet tile prison, and 40 plastic monsters and heroes. The games, the hero to play players in their choice between 4:59 what they can. The game objective is simple - you must complete the entire game to win. Miniature plasticHeroes and monsters a bit 'of a breeze in the imagination of the reader.

Like a game of role-playing games, characters must have the skills, HP and enough experience to and for the next record. Players have the option to change her, like her hero heroes statistics and level until have a better chance of winning attack. You need to find treasure maps for HP lost in battle to recover. Eventually, players must defeat the master of Castle Ravenloftthemselves.

Unlike other games, there is no Dungeon Master so that everyone has the same chance to fight. Another distinct feature is that other players have the ability to use mind-blowing strategies to defeat monsters and traps and as a team, unlike other games where each player has to fight. To be able to play, players must have knowledge about the rules of the game. But after a while, you can simply, without the need of a dramaGuidebook. The game lasts an hour, two hours, depending on the player's skill. And 'good for the players to join from age 10 and over, which means that means mom and dad could also spend an unforgettable gaming experience.

If you are a very exciting game playing time improves the quality of family tie, then buy a castle Ravenloft game. Even if you win or lose, everyone will surely have a good time to learning new strategies and rules.

Family Games - Play Boardless Scrabble

Boardless Scrabble is a great family-friendly version of the popular board game. Because it's boardless, and because all players compete and participate at the same time, the game moves quickly. No more snoozing while you wait for Grandpa to make a seven-letter word!

And you can use Boardless Scrabble as a pre-writing activity disguised as a game, making it so much more fun to teach or reinforce spelling and vocabulary.

All you need is the bag of tiles from a Scrabble game, a pad of paper and a pencil. Here's how to play:

Place the Scrabble tiles face down in the middle of the table.



Each player picks seven tiles. Someone begins the game by calling, "Go!"



Working as quickly as possible, players try to use up all seven tiles to create their own little Scrabble puzzle.



The moment a player has used all his tiles, he shouts, "Go!" and everyone must grab one more tile.



Throughout the game, players continue adding to their Scrabble layouts, rearranging them as often as needed.



Once all the tiles have been taken, the first person to use all his tiles and complete his puzzle is the winner.



Score the game just like in regular Scrabble. For example, if a player uses "X" for "fox" (vertically) and ("taxi") horizontally, she will count the points for "X" twice. Deduct points for any unused tiles.

Tips and Variations

As the tile pile begins to dwindle, try to work with smaller parts of your puzzle rather than attempt to rework the entire arrangement. Remember that if the game ends before your puzzle is finished, unused tiles will count against your score!



Decide in advance your rules for the game. Will you allow foreign words? Obscure words? Proper nouns?



With mixed ages, you might allow younger children to use proper nouns.



Combine the tiles from several Scrabble sets to make a bigger pile on the table. You can often find old sets at garage sales. If they're missing a few pieces, it doesn't matter for Boardless Scrabble.



Give younger ones a handicap by doubling their final scores.



Or, don't count unused tiles against final scores.



Or, don't keep score at all. Simply admire one another's puzzles and best words!

Family Time Spent Tiling With Ceramic Tiles in the Bathroom

Modern living is full of pressure these days. Which is ironic as the creators of all our labour saving technology promised us lots of free time for leisure if I recall. The truth is families feel more disconnected than ever and need to reclaim time together so they can cherish and enjoy one another.

As a proud parent with two children I am acutely aware of the challenges faced. My children do have lots more opportunities than I ever did. In addition to this the access to technology such as the internet, social websites and games consoles means their time can be easily consumed just chatting to friends.

Recently we noticed our sons attitudes really changed when we allowed him to have a gaming system that was linked to the internet in his bedroom. He seemed withdrawn and consumed with being online, playing combat games all day long (if we would let him). To make things worse when he was not playing online he would be in constant communication with his Equal to the chat service on his cell phone and dinner.

This affected the atmosphere in our house when he had become a bit 'grumpy and ready to perform their duties without much reminded me to do first.

In order to solve this problem I rationed the amount of time each week, which is entitled to spend two online games or chatting with friends. Now he is obliged to provide us with the rest of society and we play games, take walks and hikesout together.

One surprising but pleasant event was when I insisted recently that he helped me fit some ceramic bathroom tiles. After quite a lot of moaning and complaining he began to get involved, really owning the project. So much so that I allowed him to pick out the tile border and do the grouting.

His enthusiasm spread and very soon my partner and daughter also got stuck in too. As well as achieving a new bathroom we spent hours together laughing and talking together and enjoyed some quality family time.

Family Board Games - looking for something new to play?

Why Board Games?

A few months ago I was looking for a way to get a bit 'more fun, and actually interact with people. I've always loved playing PC games online play involved. Social interaction has always been fun, but there was always someone who was five states away, or sometimes had to play with difficulty, when, so I started searching for games.

We used to play board games as a child, but wasusually monopoly, knowledge is a very long game, as you probably all. So I started exploring other options.

There are a lot of good reviews of games out there, but sometimes it's difficult to have a game you find one that fits. There are some good websites that actually help people, even play the best games for them. Here are some tips to think about whether a game.

Find the right game forYou

Some things to consider when choosing a game ...

How many players do you want? Some games are designed specifically for two players, some for four. Players Four games are sometimes hard to get together. With a two-player game, you can leave someone out. Many of us have only a two-player games, because we will be able to play only with their spouse. There are also some games that are designed toSingle-player game ... for the times you can not find another player, but want to fix your game. Look at the age of the players. You do not want to make it difficult to know where people are not interested. If you plan to include younger players, do not want a game on its head and can not enjoy. You want them to grow and enjoy the games, just like you, right? It is the theme that something is open to all? Some people do not like fantasy. Somedo not like war games. Some games have exactly the same elements, but several pieces.
Reccomendations to begin

Here are some of my favorites, which normally can accommodate different amounts of players.

Carcassonne

This is a game where you build a city laid and get points. It 's easy and it changes every time you play because each player chooses how to build the city. How to build the city,You can get points. The bigger the city, or the voice in the game, the more points you get.

Train to train

The goal of the game is a train from one city to another. The nice thing about this game is its level of simplicity. You can go through any number of cities there. Each train can only do one of three things: 1) draw train cards that can be used to build a track, a track with the train tickets in hand, orobtain a new card to your destination, you can choose different ways to build. It 's very funny and plays fast (usually less than an hour). The instructions are very simple and children seem to appreciate the topic.

Settlers of Catan

This is one of the most popular games in the world - and have probably played. Simply it is a "country" with different resources. If you roll the dice and have a city on a resource, you get the map of resources. In Catan,Collect cards of resources for cities and local roads. If you place the city get resource cards. If you have a particular card, you may need to change places with other players, so there is much interaction between people at every turn. You win by making the first of a certain number of points.

Blokus

Who takes care of city building and resource gathering? You want a good puzzle game. If you like Tetris or Sudoku, the game is probably yourAlley. Think about how you go through a maze of rocks. They have many different pieces, and the goal of the game is all get on the board. Here's the trick, you can just touch the corner of your piece and you can block other players in Remember the advice is specific to the number of players you have, because the standard Blokus game, up to four players, the output can Travel two players.

We hope that these recommendations andfind a new game or two for you and your family. It 's a great way to get the time to your family or your computer for a period of game shows.

Best Board Games For Family Game Night

Families are starting to long for more time together. When each member is plugged into an electronic device all day long it is easy to spend time sitting together but not actually being together mentally. Board games have been around for a long time and hold a classic appeal because you actually get to talk, sit and interact together, face to face.

Kids especially like games because they have a nice tactile feel and focuses them on thinking differently. Electronic games will always be around but board games are making a come back, especially with the new ones.

There are so many games available it is dizzying. Picking the best board games can be hard, so here is a short list to get you going.

Simple Fun Card Games

For Sale...This is a very fun game of bidding and bluffing anyone can play
Sleeping Queens...You wake these sleeping beauties up with your kings and steal them with your knights.

Race Games

Jamaica...Race around the island battling other pirates and finding the buried treasure.
Around The World In 80 Days...Race around the world, trying to do it faster than you opponents, even riding elephants.

Strategy Games

Ticket To Ride...One of the most popular games. Build your train empire longer and faster than your opponents.
Finca...One the island of Mallorca, you can grow all the juicy fruits and sell them to be the richest farmer on the island.

Group Games

Incan Gold...A fun, quick, game of bluffing and pressing your luck.
Wits & Wagers...Trivia game that you don't need to know anything.

Abstract  Games

Taluva...Be the best at building your tribes and the island. The game changes constantly. This can be a mind bender.
Blokus...Great challenge to put all the pieces together better than your opponents.

2 Person Games

Hive...This is like simple chess, but with bugs. Faster and more fun than chess.
Lost Cities...Classic card game that everyone likes. Just be careful not to start an adventure you can't finish.

Kids Games

Elk Fest...Great table game to work the eye-hand coordination.
Labyrinth...A Tile sliding game that can challenge any one, yet simple enough for kids.

Our family has enjoyed all these board games and they will keep you busy for many family game nights.

Top 3 Family Board Games

Want to be a good way to pass time TV with kids? Shut down, put the laptop on the table and play games for the whole family can take. Children are the first item, but soon change their minds! Family Board Games have been available for hours of fun for generations and continue to do so for years and years.

One night a week we have Family Game Night. Cook a light dinner, clean, and then the wepullGames. E '> always a fun night out is cheap -. Our family is looking forward to game night a week, now is our family tradition.

Whether you are a board game in search of a new family favorite Add your shop or looking for something to start, here are a few that are favorites in our house over the years.

. Blokus 1:

This is a popular board game in our family home. It 's also the firstGame off when we visited cousins. Loved by all ages, the game does not require reading and can be played by all ages. Four players for maximum fun, but it can be played with 2 or 3 good players.

Each player starts with 21 cards. Each tile made a number of different configurations, organized in different places. The goal of this game is to put the pieces on board the boat in aAs your will to block the enemy, leaving most of the space to set tiles. The person with the least-squares, the end is the winner.

. Quiddler 2:

This game of "word" skill players that can play eight of these, or with up to yourself. This is a card game where each person has a set of cards, so that others see, not his hand. Each card contains a letter. Each letter has a numeric value (a Scoring). Your task is to create a word (or words) that the letters are distributed. Speed is a factor, but there are no bonus earned for the longest word.

This game was the Parent's Choice winner in 1999 and remains a best seller a decade later!

. 3 digits:

A very simple game to learn, this game can be played without reading, but is recommended by 6 Another game played with cards, thisSeveral game> that all players in the game at a time. Pandmonium isolation can and you need quick-witted. We love this game, because it is a play in which children and adults are on the same level.

Each card contains a random set of symbols and colors with various degrees of shading. Twelve cards on the table and start playing. All players study the cards, looking for a set of three matching cards.

Tickle your minds for children with word games

If you think your children are playing too many computer - try this trick. Them, spelling, word games known to both develop kids mentally while improving. It works!

Spelvin

http://www.deprice.com/spelvin.htm

Spell as many words as you can with 7 letters. Use the buttons and pull and hold the Spin want to update the tiles that were not. Spelvin plays like arguing over the words and play better with a squeeze of spinLetters.

Word Mojo Gold

http://www.deprice.com/wordmojogold.htm

Get ready for an exciting new word game, spell and takes to create chains of words to new levels of fun. Simply create intersecting words, the random colored tiles to acquire more than 3 or more Mega Mojo Letters, and will be completed prior to the Mega Mojo. Exceed the target score each round and have a great Mojo!

Flip Words

http://www.deprice.com/flipwords.htm

They areIn addition, our new word game: Flip Words. Click on letters to make words and phrases. The first letter of each word to make, in the phrase you're trying to solve are revealed. Once you recognize the phrase, you can send your guess or try to reveal all the letters for a special bonus. You will never go out phrases as you create your own and set new automatically created by others. You can save your game and return later!

Jig Words

http://www.deprice.com/jigwords.htm

Click on letters to make words and reveal fun photos! There are two modes of play: "Jig Words" mode challenges you to find all possible words and includes exciting "Word Duel" bonus rounds. "Letter Racing" puts you in competition with 3 other players to see who fast the words! How are words, is proving even hundreds of fun photos and you can even have the right in photo albums> Game. In addition, you can create packages of photos and share with your friends and family!

Best Outdoor games for a family reunion

Outdoor games are a great way to entertain everyone with a family reunion. If you are the host, it is your responsibility to provide hours of entertainment for guests. Meetings are usually scheduled on the weekend or summer, when most games are played outdoors on. You can send an incredible time if you have a perfect plan, if adults and children gather to play.

The following are some good ideas for low-budget games that are great for entertaininglargest group with members of all ages. several game options are available for your event. Many games are ideal for these meetings, such as washing machine Toss, Ladder Toss, Kubb and Mölkky.

Washing shot is another great game for a lot of fun. There are games to play more of a washing machine, dishwasher board with three holes as a slice of a hole in a platform box hole or a hole washer. Can be played in different ways and in neither case is a funto play.

Ladder litter is a game designed for gamers, 03:58. It includes a scale and a ball a couple of balls that will be tied with a rope. The player must throw the Bolo scale, groped for the rope to a block of three pegs. The stakes are worth different points, and the player has the exact score 21 points to win and nothing more. You can easily make these conductors with PVC pipe and connectors.

Another game that has a combination Horseshoes and bowling is known as Kubb. This game is a mix of strategy and skill. The player should knock out opponents' king before the other team does it mean for you. Ice can be heard on any surface such as concrete, grass, tiles, or even.

If you also have to play it creates more tension. Mölkky is a game that can be done easily yourself. All you need is an assortment of wood pieces to play, the> Game, and everyone should have "a diameter of about 2 ½. It consists of a Mölkky and 12 cones, a leader must be able bevel 45 a. The ideal wood for this game would cut branches landscape design or wood. L 'pins bear some of the figures, the notes are, if a player hits the pin with a Mölkky.

Outdoor games are a perfect addition to a family reunion. Most of these outdoor games are ideal for players of all ages cast. PlayerYoung and old can mix together to play on a variety of. The most fun is the next family gathering with great games like Kubb, Mölkky, Ladder Toss and washers!

Mexican Train Dominos fun games and other family members

Growing up, I liked it when our family was playing around. We would all gather around the table with snacks and drinks and playing Hearts. The time is a special place in my memories.

Even then, when life is not as hectic as it is now, seemed to pull us back together as a family. As obvious as we began educating our children, my husband and I decided we wanted to have this special time with family.

Good intentions, however, were only the beginning. We quicklynoted that with an age range YR 7 in our clan, looking for a game that everyone can understand and play () was! a challenge.

Some ideas

Sure, I have some suggestions! We found a very funny game last year called Mexican Train Dominos. Easy to learn, fun to play and play some people - for a family of seven and always some friends to strangle. The rules for Mexican Train Dominos, we have learned are different from thosewas that the game, but it worked better for our group.

Apples with apples (which are available in junior version) makes it easy and fun for all play, because the asset is the subjective opinion of the court - does not read right or wrong answer.

Another new game in our game room (the very grandmother who bought holiday last year), is Blokus. This fun tile game for four players and includes the ability to see, such as smartTheir children are, how to use their critical thinking skills.

All these games are relatively inexpensive and robust. Mexican Train Dominos, etal are some must-haves for your family evenings. Enjoy bringing the laughter and memories will be!

Thomas Train Station - Home For All the Engines on the Tracks

Thomas train station is home for Thomas and all the other train engines that take the loads on the tracks. A pre-schooler's first exposure to Thomas the Tank Engine will most likely be a cartoon or video. But most toddlers like to have their hands on items and if this sounds like your child then there is Thomas Train Station Stop Matching Game. This game has 36 tiles and 4 style lotto boards. This is played by matching the different tiles of Thomas and his friends from the Island of Sodor. This is a great way for your child to develop their memory while having fun.

When it comes time to develop or expand your wooden Thomas the Train set, then the different stations that are on the Island of Sodor will be needed. There is the all Aboard Station that features Sir Topham Hatt. This station has the name Vicarstown on the plaque and Thomas and his friends ride thru the middle. Sir Topham comes out the side to greet all that pass by.

The Deluxe Knapford station is another that is needed to complete any Thomas the Train set. This is an authentic passenger railway station with a 2 piece switching track and see thru awnings. Another added feature is the realistic train sounds that are produced when a train enters the station. This station can handle 4 trains at once for more action.

Make sure you have a Thomas train station as part of your set so Thomas can sleep at ease during the night.

Fun Card Games Play alone or with family

As the cards, but not gambling? Then turn on your PC. The Internet has great card games in the sense tingle, but has not bet a penny for. Curious? Try these PC games:

Shape Solitaire (Dekovir)

Shape Solitaire is a new unique card puzzle. The game adds a modern touch, the classic card game. By Shape Solitaire is usually necessary to fill all our cards on the tiles with the following simple - you need a card to the next field to be held another card with a value of less than one or a larger one, irrespective of color. Shape Solitaire is a fantastic game for card and puzzle lovers alike. Download and try your luck.

Pretty Good Solitaire (Gamesol)

Enjoy hours of endless fun with Pretty Good Solitaire. It is probably the biggest game of solitaire card collection, the original can play 600 different solitaire card games, from classic games like Klondike, FreeCell and Spider, to> Play it elsewhere, such as demons and thieves, Aces and Kings, and Double FreeCell .. You can also Pretty Good Solitaire Pyramid, Cruel, gaps in a game (Montana), Crescent, Diplomat, or Indian Patience. Pretty Good Solitaire contains a solitaire game for every mood. Whether you want to make a simple, stupid or an intellectual game, you can find here.

BVSSolitaire (BVS Development Corporation)

BVSSolitaire is an award winning collection of385 solitaire games. You will be able to learn solitaires BVSSolitaire the founders created and not found elsewhere. Another advantage of this game is that you BVSSolitaire wealth of statistical and scoring screens. It can guarantee the performance and progress in solitary all-around more people using a computer to track their finances in length. And you can BVSSolitaire your personal statistics on the site in the Top Scores list will appear.

Rummy(YPR Software)

In the addictive Rummy game, you play the cards on the table in groups of three or more, and you win if you play all the cards before your opponents do. You can choose to play online against other online players or computers, varying difficulty. As an added bonus, you can choose from many variations of Manipulation Rummy game, playing with cards or tiles. You can ask the program for a hint while you play. You can undo and redoE 'in progress and may also set a deadline for making the game more quickly for everyone. Save the game and resume later if something suddenly distracts you.

Free Download Links:

Shape Solitaire:
http://www.deprice.com/shapesolitaire.htm

Pretty Good Solitaire: http://www.deprice.com/prettygoodsolitaire.htm

BVSSolitaire:
http://www.deprice.com/bvssolitairecollection.htm

Rummo:
http://www.deprice.com/rummi.htm