Upwerdz Tile Game (Just like UpWords!)

WerdUp Tile Word Game
 

WerdUp is a tonne of fun for the whole family.   Challenge your opponents by creating words on the gameboard.  Test your vocabulary skills – and most importantly – have fun!

1-4 players

Game Play Instructions

ASSEMBLY

1. Clip the four quarters of the 3d-printed board together using the alignment slots and tabs; they’ll click together.  You can keep them separatable or glue them together such that they’re a permanent fixture.
   
    
2. Clip the two halves of each of the tile placards together using the alignment slots and clips.  You can also keep these separate parts or glue them together and store them as a single component.
   
    
3. You’ll need a small bag or sack for the letters to be placed in.  The bag should obscure the contents (you shouldn’t be able to see the letters in the bag).  
   
    
4. A small dictionary or Dictionary App should be handy, but can only be used to check the validity of a word.  The dictionary should not be used by the person who is currently taking their turn as to avoid cheating!

SETUP

1. Place all the letter tiles into a small sack or bag.
   
    
2. Provide each player with a tile placard.  
   
    
3. Each player takes turns drawing one (1) tile from the tile bag and placing it in front of them, facing upwards so that everyone can see it.  
   
    
4. The player that draws the letter closest to the letter ‘A’ goes first, for example, “Player A” draws a J, and “Player B” draws a G. This means Player B will go first, because G comes before J in the alphabet.
   
    
5. Now place all the tiles back into the tile bag, shake the bag to shuffle, then each player draws seven (7) tiles from the bag and places them onto their tile placard – don’t let anyone see your tiles!
   
    

GAMEPLAY

First Turn:

1. The first word should be at least 2 letters in length, and must be placed on the board so that at least one of the letters sits on one of the four central ‘beginning’ squares (the beginning squares are the four squares in the centre of the board with the circles on them).  
   
   The word can run across the board, or down the board.
   
    
2. Your score is now added, where each tile you place is worth 2 points.  This should be written on the gameplay score sheet (score sheets are in this document at the end!).
   
    
3. Draw new tiles from the tile bag, ensuring you always have seven (7) tiles before your next go.

All other turns:

1. Each player takes turns playing one (1) or more tiles to make a word.  Words can only be created by joining to existing words on the board.
   
   You can create a new word by doing one or both of the following :-

• Add letters to new spaces to form a new word and/or
   
• Modify an existing word by placing letters on top of existing letters.
   
• If you can’t play a tile, you can select one tile to swap out, and place it to one side. Draw a new letter, then place your old letter back into the tile bag – however, this will be your turn over and the next player will begin their play.
   

1. Now the fun part, you need to add up your score and add it to your existing score on the score sheet.

• If a letter is only 1 tile high, add 2 points to your score
   
• If a letter is stacked, add 1 point per tile stacked.
  
  If you form 2 or more words on the same turn, each word is scored.  Score for all letters and/or stacked tiles that your word(s) share with existing words.

When adding letters

• All letters must be played on a single line, always across or down (never diagonally).
   
• Any adjacent letters to the word you formed must also form a word.
   
• Letters can only be stacked five (5) tiles high in total.
   
• You cannot stack the same letter on top of a letter, for example, you cannot place a “T” on top of a “T”.
   
• You can only ever stack one (1) letter tile on top of another single tile in any one turn – for example – you cannot place 2 tiles down on top of an existing tile stack per turn.

Plurals:

• You cannot just add an ‘S’ to the end of a word to pluralise it, this is not a legal turn.  You can however add ‘S’ to the end of a word to pluralise it if your ‘S’ is used to create a new word.   If you do this, you obtain a score from each of the words (the pluralised word AND the new word).

3. Now draw additional tiles from the tile bag so that you have 7 tiles in total in your tile placard, ready for your next turn.

LEGAL AND ILLEGAL WORDS

Legal words are all words in the dictionary and does not fall into any of the categories below:

• Words that are always capitalized,
• Words that require a hyphen (hyphenated),
• Words that require an apostrophe (’),
• Abbreviations and symbols (eg, etc, C, km, Ltr, etc),
• Prefixes and Suffixes that cannot stand alone,
• Foreign words unless they appear in the dictionary.

CHALLENGING A WORD

You may challenge a word if you believe that it falls into an illegal category, but it must be challenged before another word is played on the board.

You must use a dictionary to determine whether a word is valid or not valid; and that word must not fall into any of the categories of “Illegal Words” listed above.

If the challenged word is illegal, the player who played the word must remove the letter tiles from the board and either plays another word, or passes their turn.

If the player attempts to play a subsequent illegal word and it is challenged, that player then misses that turn and the game moves to the next player.

ENDING THE GAME

To complete the game successfully, one of the below scenarios must occur:

• When all letter tiles have been played, and none are left in the tile bag or on player placards.
• When none of the players can make a word on the board with the letters they have left.
• When all players pass their turn in consecutive order.

When the game is over, total each of the players final scores on the score sheet.   You need to subtract five (5) points from a player’s score for each letter tile he or she has left on their placard.

THE WINNER is the player with the MOST POINTS!

HAVE FUN!