Object of the Game

The object of the game is to fill in the blanks on the board with words according to the rules. Some of the blanks are more difficult than others and more difficult blanks are worth more points. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

Playing the Game

This game is about having fun and being as creative as possible. Use the rules to keep chaos from setting in, but remember that creativity counts for as much as following the rules exactly.

1. Start by choosing a word for the center of the crystal. You can either choose a seed word by using the seed word cards and rolling a die, or use another word of the group’s choosing. No one gets points for putting in the seed word.

   

2. Moves are made by combining existing words on the board with new words to make familiar phrases or compound words. Each new word added to the crystal is placed in an adjacent oval, triangular or circular space, and only one space can be filled in per turn. For example, if the word “tea” was already on the board, a player could enter “time” in the adjacent space to create the phrase “tea time.” The next player might enter “machine” in the next space to create “time machine.”

3. To keep the game challenging and fair, words must be entered according to the following rules.

• The word combinations must work in the order indicated by the arrows on the board.

• A word cannot be used twice if it is connected to the same word at a circle.

• Purple spaces can only be filled in when the two white spaces on either end are filled in. The word entered into the purple space must work with both words in the adjacent white spaces in the order indicated by the arrows. For example:

  

• Pink spaces can only be filled in when either all three of its corner circle links or all three of its side oval links are filled in. The word entered into the pink space must work with either all three corners or all three sides, but it can work in any direction. For example:

  

Valid Word Combinations

1. Word combinations must be accepted by the group. In the case of a dispute, majority rules. You are strongly encouraged to have fun with this and take into account the creativity of the combination.
2. Valid word combinations include the following, but are not necessarily restricted to the following.

• Compound words and other word groups that go together to describe a unique object type. For example, “timecard” is a compound word; “time machine,” while not a compound word is valid because it describes a special type of machine; “big machine” is not valid because it describes only a specific size of machine.
• Common phrases (e.g. chill > out). These phrases can also include “connector words” that help link two words. A short list of acceptable connector words would include “of,” “of the,” “to,” “and,” “or,” “in,” “in the,” “on,” “on the,” etc. For example, “state > union” is valid as “State [of the ] Union”
• Proper nouns (e.g. union > pacific).

3. In the spirit of creativity, the following are also allowed.

• Changing the form of a word on the board by making it plural or singular, or changing its usage (from noun to adjective, for example). For example: queen > [of] hearts … heart > attack. Kite > string … stringing > beads.
• Using a homophone (sound-alike word) of a word on the board. For example: fresh > air … heir > apparent.
• Creating a compound homophone to form a valid word combination. For example: harbor > ring (harboring).
• Using a pun to change a word on the board. For example: heir > apparent … a parent > trap.

Scoring

• White Space = 1 point
• Purple Space = 3 points
• Pink Space = 5 points

Ending the Game

The game ends when the crystal is filled, there is no more time to play, or when the group decides it’s over. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

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This game is an Open Artifacts project. Learn more about how to contribute.