User Guide

The Gameplay Screen
The Gameplay Screen features several on-screen
buttons. Note: The actual buttons that appear
and are active depends on the selections you made
on the Options Menu described on page 19. The
on-screen buttons are described through page 15:
PLAY – Play your turn.
TAKE BACK – Remove tiles you have just placed
from the board and return them to your rack.
SHUFFLE – Shuffle the tiles on your rack.
PASS – Pass your turn to the next player without
playing a word. Note: If all players pass in three
consecutive turns, the game ends.
GAME MENU – Open the Game Menu window.
From here you can select from the following:
Main Menu – Return to the Main Menu.
Start New Game – Start another game with
the same players and configuration.
Save Game – Save your current game.
Load Game – Load a previously saved game.
Options – Bring up the Options Menu.
Quit – Exit the program and return to the
Windows
®
desktop.
Cancel – Return to the Gameplay Screen.
DEFINE LAST – Define the last played word.
From the Define Last window, complete the fol-
lowing steps:
• Click on the arrow to open a drop-down menu
featuring all words previously played.
• Check the “Show Every Turn” box to bring up
the Define Last window after every word is
played on the board.
• Click DONE to close the box.
EXCHANGE – Click here if you would like to
exchange the tiles in your rack. Then click on
each tile you wish to exchange. The unwanted
tile(s) will automatically be removed. Click
DONE when you are finished selecting your
unwanted tile(s). (If you change your mind, click
CANCEL instead of DONE.) The Tile
Tray will then appear. Select your new tiles by
clicking on the ones you want, or clicking on
AUTO PICK to have the program select your
new tiles for you.
PAUSE – Pause the game.
HINT – Need help? Get a hint from Maven as
to what the best play would be with the tiles
currently in your rack. Hints will be given in
progression, with each additional hint giving
you more and more information. When you’ve
exhausted the hints, the actual answer will
be revealed. To play that answer, click on the
“Perform Hint” button when it appears.
Note: Hints are not allowed under
Tournament rules.
• Premium word squares: The score for an entire
word is doubled when one of its letters is placed
on a pink square; it is tripled when one of its
letters is placed on a red square. Premiums for
double or triple letter values are included (if any)
before doubling or tripling the word score. If a
word is formed that covers two premium word
squares, the score is doubled and then re-doubled
(four times the letter count).
Note: The center <star> square is pink, which
always doubles the score for the first word.
• Letter and square premiums count only on the
turn in which they are played.
• When a blank tile is played on a pink or red
square, the value of the word is doubled or
tripled, even though the blank itself has no
score value.
• When two or more words are formed in the
same play, each is scored. The common letter is
counted (with full premium value, if any) for
each word.
• Any player who plays all seven tiles on a turn
scores a “Bingo” for a premium of 50 points
after totaling his or her score for the turn.
• When the game ends, each player’s score is
reduced by the sum of his or her unplayed
letters. If a player has used all of his or her
letters, the sum of the other players’ unplayed
letters is added to that player’s score.
How to Win
The player with the highest final score wins the
game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest
score before adding or deducting unplayed letters
wins.
Turn 1; Score 14 Turn 2; Score 9
Turn 3; Score 25 Turn 4; Score 16
Examples of Word Formation
and Scoring
In this example, the scores are the correct scores if
the R is placed on the center <star> square. In turn
1, count HORN. In turn 2, count FARM. In turn
3, count FARMS and PASTE. In turn 4, count
MOB, NOT and BE.
12
13
HORN
PASTE
F
A
R
M
F
A
R
M
F
A
R
M
HORN
HORN
OB
HORN
PASTE