From en.wikipedia.org:
[Timed dice-based word game] [Other uses] {{Infobox game | name = _Boggle_ |
italic title=yes | subtitle = | image = Boggle.jpg | image_size = | image_alt
= | caption = A grid of _Boggle_ cubes and a sand timer | width = |
label_width = | other_names = | AKA = | manufacturer = Parker Brothers (now
Hasbro)<br>Winning Moves Games USA | designer = Allan D. Turoff (Inventor) |
illustrator = | publisher = | date = [1972] | years = | genre = Word game<br
/>Dice game | language = | players = 2+ | setup_time = 1 minute | playing_time
= | random_chance = | skills = Language | materials = Paper and writing
utensil | media_type = | website = | footnotes = }}
_BOGGLE_ is a word game introduced in 1972 and in which players try to find as
many words as they can from a grid of lettered dice, within a set time limit.
It was invented by Allan Turoff[1] and originally distributed by Parker
Brothers.[2]
** Rules
[[File:Boggle_examples.svg|thumb|Three words found in a sample Boggle game:
<br /> CRESSET (and subwords such as CRESS and SET), <br /> CHYPRES (plurals
are allowed), and <br /> SONG (extending to SONGS disallowed as it repeats the
S)]] One player begins the game by shaking a covered tray of 16 cubic dice,
each with a different letter printed on each of its sides. The dice settle
into a 4×4 tray so that only the top letter of each cube is visible. After
they have settled into the tray, a three-minute sand timer is started and all
players simultaneously begin the main phase of play.[3]
Each player searches for words that fit the following criteria:
- Words must be at least three letters in length.
- Each letter after the first must be a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal neighbor of the one before it.
- No individual letter cube may be used more than once in a word.
- No capitalized or hyphenated words are allowed.
Multiple forms of the same word are allowed, such as singular and plural forms
and other derivations. Each player records all the words they find by writing
on a private sheet of paper. After three minutes have elapsed, all players
must immediately stop writing and the game enters the scoring phase.
In this, each player reads off their list of discovered words. If two or more
players wrote the same word, it is removed from all players' lists. Any
player may challenge the validity of a word, in which case a previously
nominated dictionary is used to verify or refute it. Once all duplicates and
invalid words have been eliminated, points are awarded based on the length of
each remaining word in a player's list. The winner is the player whose point
total is highest, with any ties typically broken by a count of long words.
One cube is printed with "Qu". This is because _Q_ is nearly always followed
by _U_ in English words (see exceptions), and if there were a _Q_ in _Boggle_,
it would be challenging to use if a _U_ did not, by chance, appear next to it.
For the purposes of scoring, _Qu_ counts as two letters; for example, _squid_
would score two points (for a five-letter word) despite being formed from a
chain of only four cubes. Early versions of the game had a "Q" without the
accompanying "u".
Merriam-Webster publishes the _Official Scrabble Players Dictionary_, which is
also suitable for _Boggle_.[4] This dictionary includes all variant forms of
words up to eight letters in length. A puzzle book entitled _100 Boggle
Puzzles (Improve Your Game)_ offering 100 game positions was published in the
UK in 2003 but is no longer in print.
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" |- ! Word<br> length !! Points |-
| 3, 4 || 1 |- | 5 || 2 |- | 6 || 3 |- | 7 || 5 |- | 8+ || 11 |}
Different versions of _Boggle_ have varying distributions of letters. For
example, a more modern version in the UK has easier letters, such as only one
_K_, but an older version (with a yellow box, from 1986) has two Ks and a
generally more awkward letter distribution.
Using the sixteen cubes in a standard _Boggle_ set, the list of longest words
that can be formed includes _inconsequentially_, _quadricentennial s_, and
_sesquicentennials_, all seventeen-letter words made possible by _q_ and _u_
appearing on the same face of one cube.<ref name="bgedu"/>
Words within words are allowed, such as "mast" and "aster" within "master".
Neither the cubes nor the board may be touched while the timer is running.
** Game variants
Parker Brothers has introduced several licensed variations on the game.
[2006], only _Boggle Jr._ and _Travel Boggle_ (also marketed as _Boggle
Folio_) continue to be manufactured and marketed in North America alongside
the standard _Boggle_ game, apart from a licensed keychain miniature version.
_Boggle Jr._ is a much-simplified version intended for young children
introduced in 1988. _Boggle Travel_ is a version of the standard 4×4 set
designed to be traveled. The compact, zippered case includes pencils and
small pads of paper, as well as an electronic timer, and notably, a cover made
from a soft plastic that produces much less noise when the board is shaken.
_Big Boggle_, later marketed as _Boggle Master_ and _Boggle Deluxe_, featured
a 5×5 tray, and disallowed three-letter words. Some editions of the _Big
Boggle_ set included an adapter that could convert the larger grid into a
standard 4×4 Boggle grid. In the United Kingdom, Hasbro UK released _Super
Boggle_ in 2004 (now discontinued), which features both the 4×4 and 5×5 grid
and an electronic timer that flashes to indicate the start and finish.[5]
Despite the game's popularity in North America, no version of _Boggle_
offering a 5×5 grid was marketed outside Europe for an extended period until
2011, when Winning Moves Games USA revived the _Big Boggle_ name for a new
version. Their variant features a two-letter die with popular letter
combinations such as Qu, Th and In.[6]
In 2008, Parker Brothers released a self-contained version of the game with
the dice sealed inside a plastic unit and featuring an integrated timer.
Although the older version has been discontinued, some retailers refer to the
newer one as "Boggle Reinvention" to avoid confusion.
In 2012, Winning Moves Games USA released a 6×6 version of the game called
_Super Big Boggle_. In addition to the two-letter dice with popular letter
combinations, there is also a die containing three faces which are solid
squares. These solid squares represent a word stop, which is simply a space
that may not be used in any word. The other changes are that the time limit
was increased from three minutes to four minutes, three-letter words are no
longer allowed, and there is a modified scoring scheme, outlined below.
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" ! colspan="2" style="background:
#ffdead;" | Scoring for the 6×6 version |- ! Word<br> length !! Points |- | 4
|| 1 |- | 5 || 2 |- | 6 || 3 |- | 7 || 5 |- | 8 || 11 |- | 9+ || 2 points per
letter |}
Other _Boggle_ variants have included:
- A version of the standard 4×4 set that included a special red "Boggle challenge cube", featuring six relatively uncommon letters. Bonus points are awarded for all words making use of the red cube.
- _Boggle_ CD-ROM, a version for Windows , produced and marketed by Hasbro Interactive, including both 4×4 and 5×5 versions, several 3-D versions, and facilities allowing up to four players to compete directly over the Internet.
- _Body Boggle_ , which is more akin to _Twister_ than it is to standard _Boggle_ . Two players work together as a team, using their hands and feet to spell words on a large floor mat containing pre-printed _Boggle_ letters.
- _Boggle Bowl_ , in which players roll their own dice and compete to build longer words, in order to move their token toward their goal on a (bowl-shaped) playing area. Similar to Scrabble, the play area has special spaces, but here they alter the play for the next round.
- A 1998 game show pilot episode hosted by Bill Rafferty that was not picked up for a full production season.
- _Boggle_ , an interactive game show hosted by Wink Martindale . It aired on The Family Channel (now ABC Family ) in 1994, replacing the interactive version of _Trivial Pursuit_ ..
- _Coggle_ , which functions similarly to _Boggle_ but involves creating a word to fit a particular theme. It was mainly marketed in France and Canada.
- _Boggle Flash_ . An electronic version of _Boggle_ , but consists of five tiles in which one to ten players make words by swapping tiles. This product is sold in the United States under the name _Scrabble Flash_ .
- _Foggle_ , where the 16 dice have to be used to form valid mathematical equations.
Numerous unofficial computer versions and variants of the game are available.
By 1989, users of MIT's Project Athena competed in the online game
_mboggle_.[7] In 2013, _Ruzzle_, a mobile phone game based on _Boggle_, topped
the most-downloaded iPhone apps chart.[8] Other games similar to or influenced
by _Boggle_ include _Bananagrams_, _Bookworm_, _Dropwords_, _Letterpress_,
_Puzzlage_, _SpellTower_, _Word Factory_, _Wordquest_, _Word Racer_,
_WordSpot_, _Word Streak with Friends_, _WordTwist_, and _Zip-It_.
Hub Network game show Family Game Night featured a game titled BOUNCE AND
BOOGIE BOGGLE, which used an electronic 5x5 game. Based on Boggle
Reinvention, the main difference is that the letters would be displayed on the
stage screen, and the players would have to jump on the letters in order to
display their choice. Despite being part of the TV series, this game did not
feature on its video game counterpart Hasbro Family Game Night 4: The Game
Show.
** Club and tournament play
While not as widely institutionally established as _Scrabble_, several clubs
have been established for the purpose of organizing _Boggle_ play. Official
_Boggle_ clubs exist at a number of educational institutions, including the
Dartmouth Union of Bogglers at Dartmouth College,[9] the Western Oregon
University Boggle Club,[10] the University of Michigan Boggle Club,[11]
Berkeley Boggle Club at the University of California, Berkeley,[12] CCA Boggle
Club at Canyon Crest Academy, and Grinnell College Boggle Club.[13]
Unlike _Scrabble_, there is no national or international governing or
rule-making body for _Boggle_ competition and no official tournament
regulations exist.[14] When it comes to creating _Boggle_ games for tournament
play, most of the time it is done by special software designed to generate
completely random and probably fair boards, using words oftentimes
pre-selected by the officiating committee.[15]
** Reception
_Games_ magazine included _Boggle_ in their "Top 100 Games of 1980", praising
it as a "fast-moving word game".<ref name=games100>[ date=November–December
1980 ]
** Reviews
- _Games_ #1 [16]
- _Jeux & Stratégie_ #6 [17]
- _Family Games: The 100 Best_ [18]
** See also
- Peggy Hill , a _King of the Hill_ character known for her devotion to competitive Boggle
- _Perquackey_
** References
[Reflist]
** External links
[Boggle]
- Fun and Games with the English Language (see http://phillipmfeldman.org/English/#Boggle) 4×4 _Boggle_ board generator and solver by Dr. Phillip M. Feldman
- _Boggle_ Solver (see http://www.bogglewords.com) Fast multiple languages Boggle word solver by M. van Moorselaar
- _Serpentine_ (see http://www.serpentinegame.com) Online multiplayer _Boggle_ game
[Hasbro]
Category:Board games introduced in 1972 Category:Dice games
Category:Multiplayer games Category:Parker Brothers games Category:Party board
games Category:Tabletop games Category:Word board games Category:Word games