Grabble Rules
Allow 2-3 hours for the game
Rationale
The rules of Grabble are significantly different from the
rules of English Scrabble. The rules are designed to facilitate
group learning of the Greek language whilst maintaining an
element of competition.
The score is calculated at the end of the game, after a short
"group quiz" on each of the words placed.
The scoring system rewards players for:
- Teaching words to other players
- Learning words that other players have placed on the
board
- Helping other players to place a word
- Placing rare words on the board
- Strategically using the board setup.
Basic gameplay
Use the score sheet to record words and scores
To start
- Each player is issued with a scoresheet.
- All the letter tiles are turned face downwards or kept in
a bag. To decide who will start the game, each player
picks out one tile and the person drawing the letter
nearest to the start of the alphabet plays first.
- Each player picks ten tiles. An "open game" is
preferred, where each player can see the tiles of all
other players and assist them to form words.
Turns
- Each player puts the letters on the board to make a word,
either across or down (as in a
crossword).
- The first player places one letter of the word on
the central square (marked arcou)
- All subsequent new words must use at least one of
the letters that is already on the board.
- Single-letter words are not acceptable
- Elided prepositions are acceptable
- The player must demonstrate to the satisfaction of all
other players that this word (or words) is a real Greek
word. At the very least, the player must fully parse each
word formed.
- NB It is to your advantage to employ creative
means to teach your words to other people. The
more people learn your word, the higher your
score.
- The player may get help from any source, for example
- Lexicons
- Grammar books
- Other players
- NB It is to your advantage to help other players
form and parse words
- All players write the word and its "base score"
on their scoresheets. Scoring rules for the base score:
- A premium square increases the base score of any
word which covers that square for the first time.
Either the individual letter (gramma) or the
whole word (logoV) can be multiplied by two or
three.
- The first word always scores double, as the
centre square has a double word score.
- A bonus of 50 points is awarded to any player who
uses all his or her tiles in one move.
- Players score for any word made or changed by
their moves but premium bonuses apply only
the first time that letters are played.
- The first player picks out from the unused tiles the same
number of tiles as was used to make the word, so as to
make up the number to ten again.
- Instead of laying down a word, any player can exchange
any number of tiles from their rack for new tiles from
the bank.
- The Grabble set includes two blank tiles, which can
represent any letters its player chooses, after which it
cannot be changed during the game.
Ending the gameplay
The game ends when all the tiles have been used and one player
has laid down all his or her tiles, or nobody can think of new
words to place on the board.
Scoring
- After the gameplay has finished, conduct a group quiz on
each of the words played during the game
- For each turn, all players should attempt to
parse the word (or words) formed
- Each player who perfectly parsed the word (or
words), including the player who placed the word,
gets a "learning score" for that turn
- The learning score is equal to the base
score for that turn
- Partial points may be awarded if the
group agrees
- In addition, the player who placed the word (or
words) gets a "teaching score" for that
turn
- The teaching score is equal to the sum of
all the learning scores of the word (including
the learning score of the player who
placed the word).
- The final score for each player is the sum of all
learning scores plus the sum of all teaching scores.
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