sightlesswordfight 2006

In sightlesswordfight, two or more players (as many as you can handle, logistically!) battle blindly with words! The start player declares a word, which each player must place on her secret grid. The next player then declares a word that crosses the original word, which each player places wherever she wants, crossing the original word. For the rest of the game, each subsequent player declares a word that crosses at least one previous word, and everyone else must place the word on her grid such that it crosses at least one previous word. Each time a player can't place a word, the game gets a strike. Three strikes, and the game's over.

In the introductory game, players simply earn a point for each letter of each word placed. In the recommended Be Fruitful and Multiply variant, when you place a word, you multiply its length by the number of other letters it crossed. This has the nasty side-effect of encouraging players to make their grid less suitable for more words, because the players strive to cross as many words as possible.

Finally, Zero Tolerance, a cutthroat variant ideal for two players, proclaims that one strike ends the game.

Download the instructions and game sheets to print and play!