HARD-SCRABBLE FEVE
So you all know that words are kind of my schtick, right?
I write them (obvs), I play with them, I give them double meanings. I tease (and get teased) with them, I explore their possibilities, I feel them out — literally — physically rolling them around in my mouth…
And, when the opportunity presents itself, I puzzle them out. Like, literally. In Scrabble-y word-puzzle fashion.
*grin*
So what happened was this: Someone in my life was feeling the need for more connection, and I as reminded of the way I used to stay connected — continuously — by sharing words with one of my friends on a Scrabble app. Person One asked me to use Words With Friends (which I quickly learned to dislike — because, dumbass trolling-for-ass men think the chat function within the game is for highly stimulating [NOT] “hey baby, you so fine” conversations); Person Two, who totally groks me in ways nobody else does (and vice versa), offered up WordFeud as a solution.
So now I am playing Scrabble-y games all day long with both people.
And sometimes, with other people. 🙂
And y’know…
I didn’t realize how much I missed it!
I used to play Fightin’ Words with Person Two all.the.TIME when we both had Blackberry phones and it was a total blast. It’s such a fantastic brain exercise — you’re working both the linguistics and the mathematics capabilities of your brain when you play word puzzle games — but it’s also great vocab-calisthenics. Like: Hello, letter Q. Shall I make jonquil or suq or qis or piqued? Oh so many choices!
*laugh*
Playing like this again, though… It’s also a bit of a Personality Type thing. Not in an MBTI kind of way. Just…
Let’s just say it’s telling.
I use the whole board. I’m more interested in expanding possibilities and utilizing good words than getting points. If you play against me (and ‘against’ is an issue; I play ‘with’ people, not ‘against’) and you make it about points — especially if you play for the short win, focusing only on *that* turn and jamming up the board because all you care about is the points for that round instead of in exploring all the options or setting yourself up to enjoy the long game —
Well.
You see where I’m going, yes?
[pause, while y’all apply that analogy as you please]
I *can* play for points. (And win.)
But I prefer not to cram myself into corners. And if I have my way, never ever is half the board left untouched.
[again, analogize as you will]
*grin*
My husband… His approach to Scrabble-ing with me is: JUST SAY NO.
*laugh*
And when we play together on a real board, he stares and stares at his letters, thinking and pondering and thumbing through the dictionary (yes, an actual dictionary — the kind with pages) for half an hour at a time, and then after an excruciatingly long wait, he plays something like BUT. Or HA.
: groan :
And then, after his letters are down and his points have been scored, he’s like: Oh, I guess I could have made HALIBUT. Or Darn it, I didn’t realize I had the right letters for CHAISE.
(That’s okay; we stick to games like Yahtzee and Monopoly here at chez Feve and it’s all good.)
A n y w a y
Wording.
That’s what I’m getting a kick out of these days.
You?
.
.
If this kind of ‘gaming’ is your kick, I’d love to know if there are any apps you find helpful/useful/fun/amazing. And if you want to play with me (double entendre not intended!), send me an email or let me know in the comments below. I will send you an invite. 🙂
I’m sure I wouldn’t play Scrabble with you – you like words a lot more than I do!
Haha! There are some folks out there who either have obscure dictionaries for brains or else who cheat like nobody’s business, because I have gotten totally whomped more than a few times! *laugh*
You could draw the game out for 2 rounds, making ‘RUM’ (with DL) for 8 pts, and ‘ICE’ (with TL) for 14 opts.
I did have to look-up ‘LICH’ in the dictionary though.
A fellow wordsmith.
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I’ve seen some pretty fun Science words show up in games — OOCYTE and GAMETE, for example. I find the ‘i’ words to be a challenge, where vowels are concerned. AIOLI is a fun one. Or DIVISI. 🙂
ARe you kidding? I don’t have a deathwish. I may be a sucker for punishment but I suspect playing with you would only be something I’d do if I ever wanted to feel worse than I already do. 😉
Noooo! *laugh*
I actually try to play to skill. I’ll build off smaller words for people who play them, or I will make good words without worrying about points if my opponent is scoring low. I’m not out to whomp on anyone, I promise! I just think it’s fun. 🙂
We play scrabble – and it really surprised me that even though i am dyslexic i am quite good at scrabble. It appears to be because I can play with the letters – move them around and create words in that way. Which works for my brain better than have immobile words on paper in front of me.
May x
May More recently posted…Bachelor Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ~ Flash Part 4
Yes, I can see why that would make it a good fit — the kinesthetic element is a great tool! 🙂
I have tried several Scrabble apps but couldn’t find one that worked for me. There was always something I didn’t like. And it has been ages since I last played Wordfeud, which is something I might have to attempt again. But, I play Triominos and absolutely love it. It’s just… relaxing.
~ Marie xox
I’m not familiar with Triominos… I will have to look it up. 🙂
I think I’m going to buy the Wordfeud app. It’s only $5 (one time payment, not monthly subscription) and then I won’t have to deal with the ads. They drive me crazy!
LOL! This made me laugh. Snake refuses to play word games with me, unless he is forced into them with one of my games.
My hubby is like “NooooooOO!” and runs away screaming. Lol.
I don’t like virtual or app based scrabble, but if ever we meet, I’m happy to challenge you to a game!