| Recommended Age: | 8+ |
| Players: | 2-6 |
| Cost: | $12.99 |
| Play Time: | 45 minutes |
| Company Site: | www.setgame.com |
| Contents: | 110 cards, 1 Timer, Instructions |
| Our Recommended Age: | 6+ (Or any age that can read and spell) |
| Awards: | Creative Child's Game of the Year Award 2017 Pal Award 2017 MENSA Recommended Designation 2017 Parents' Choice Silver Award 2017 Playonwords Top Ten Recognition 2017 The Noise on Toys Award of Excellence 2017 |
I love word games of all kinds but my favorite type is a card game I can play with other people. WordSpiel from Set Enterprises, Inc is everything I ever wanted in a word game! You make words using the cards in your hand and have to be the first to go out to win, however, there is a catch. I usually don’t love catches, but in this case it is brilliant. The last letter of the word (or series of letters) needs to be the beginning of your word! Words Spiel = WordSpiel!
I know it seems confusing but believe me it isn’t really. Not even one round in and you will get it…and if you like word games at all you will love it. Though even if you don’t love word games you will probably enjoy this one. In case it was confusing….if player A plays the word Well your word HAS to start with either L, LL, ELL or even can include WELL like Wellness. I’ll explain more in a bit.
My Diva likes word games too, well both kids do but these are the types of games where I actually win…a lot. I can even beat their dad which almost never happens in other games! We do give each other quite the challenge in this game and the kids can keep up too! Though we might have to go a bit easier on them and they will challenge us on words hehe.
It is meant for ages 8+ however the Diva at 7 does just fine. Kids who can read/spell can play no matter the age. It could even help them learn new words! The game allows for any length of words including 2 letter ones so it should be fine and fun for younger readers.
The game comes in a easy to take with you box but it has the type that opens on one end that you have to fold into the box…that I always rip. Never fails, I rip the things on the sides trying to get them open. Oh well, that isn’t the game so I’ll move on. The part i love though is the plastic insert. Also, just an FYI Spiel in German means Game, so WordSpiel is Word Game!
Open the box and there is one insert that you pull out that has the cards and the timer inside in two separate sides of the insert. Neat, simple and cards aren’t sliding all around in a box. Love it! The cards themselves are standard size and style and in fact feel a lot like playing cards. The smooth kind though which I like better. The timer is really well made. It is an actual electric timer with start/stop and reset buttons.
That is all there is to the game..well the components anyway so now I’ll explain the how to play part so you can see for yourself if you like it…and I’ll try not to confuse you.
Objective:
Be the first to get rid of all 10 of your cards AND have the lowest score at the end of the game…which is 5 rounds.
Setup:
Shuffle the deck!! Then pass out 10 cards to each player and put the rest face down in the middle of the playing area. Player to the left of the dealer goes first and when everyone is ready flips the top card of the deck to get the game started.
Play:
The first player has to use the flipped over card as their starting letter and can either build a word on it OR if they cannot make a word they draw a card from the deck.
If you do that though you can’t look at it until you decide if you want to put it in your hand OR add it to the word spiral (you create a spiral of words!) as the last letter which makes the next player have to use that letter instead of what was played. No it doesn’t have to create a word.
Keep playing words as you can or drawing when you can’t until a player runs out of cards, but keep the words going in a spiral shape. Makes it fun and also saves space in the playing area! The deck should be in the middle of the spiral with that first card nearby. The instructions show it being on top but I don’t think it matters that much honestly.
At the end of a round everyone figures out there score. Each card you have in your hand is worth one point so it’s not like scrabble which is good! Someone should keep track of the points or everyone can keep track of their own. Then shuffle the deck and pass out 10 cards again but this time the person who went first is now the dealer. Keep doing that for each round too.
The timer is to keep track of players turns so no one takes too long. We use it for adults only games and when the kids have already taken 5 minutes we set it, but usually we let them take their time…to an extent anyway. When playing with kids the adults also only get one minute to make it fair but if the kids can keep up on words…either everyone or no one gets a timer.
Don’t worry about turning it off, it will turn itself of after 60 seconds of not being used. Also, there is a 10 second warning beep…just to add pressure!!
When it isn’t your turn or before a round starts you can trade up to 3 cards by putting them face down in front of you and grabbing the same amount off the top of the deck. Other rules or things to keep in mind, you cannot use Contractions, Acronyms, Hyphenated words, Proper Nouns or Common Abbreviations that stand for Proper Nouns (like IN for Indiana).
You CAN use a dictionary, you CAN challenge other players on words if you don’t think they are real words and if you are right that person has to pick up their cards plus a penalty card from the deck! There isn’t a penalty for being wrong which is nice.
Normally you play 5 rounds, however if you are playing with younger kids or just don’t have time for 5 rounds you can decide to do 3 rounds or 4 or even 2 and just decide who wins based on who has the lowest score after that number.
Winning:
At the end of 5 rounds whoever has the lowest score wins! …OR whatever you decided as a group was the winning factor. We like to mix it up a lot and sometimes we play for 5 rounds, sometimes we play for 3 rounds and sometimes we play for more like 10 hehe.
This is a great resource for homeschool as well as just a fun game for the whole family. It is a really fun game with just adults too and can create a great deal of “fun stress” when you only have 1 minute to come up with a word!
If you are looking for a new game to help ring in the new year, WordSpiel should be on your list! Did I mention I love word games?
Show us your WordSpiel WordSpiral! @MyGeeklings @Set_Game #WordSpiel
Is there not penalty for trading in cards? Seems like there should be?
“When it isn’t your turn or before a round starts you can trade up to 3 cards by putting them face down in front of you and grabbing the same amount off the top of the deck.”
I double-checked just to be sure and there is no penalty for trading in cards. There is no guarantee that your new cards will be an improvement though and I believe you can only trade a maximum of 3 cards per round.