Quiddler
Encyclopedia
Quiddler is a proprietary card game created by Set Enterprises
. Players compete by spelling English
words from cards in hands of increasing size, each card worth various points. The game may be considered a mixture of Scrabble
and gin rummy
. The word "Quiddler" is a trademark
.
A player can go out if they can use all the cards in their hand to spell one or more allowable words. After a player goes out, each player then has one more turn. On their last turn, each remaining player uses as many of his cards as the player can to spell one or more allowable words. The points on the cards used to spell words are counted toward the player’s score. The points on any remaining cards are subtracted. Ten-point bonuses are added to the score of the player with the longest word and the player with the most words. (If there are only two players, they should decide between them to limit the bonus to either the longest word or the most words.)
The subsequent rounds follow in the same manner, with the hands increasing in size by one card each round. Thus, in the second round each player is dealt four cards, the third round five cards, and so forth. Points are added at the end of each round. The game continues until the end of the eighth round. Depending on the number of players, the discard pile may need to be shuffled to resupply the draw pile. The player with the most points at the end of eight rounds wins.
to be used during the game. An allowable word must appear as an entry in that dictionary or as one of the listed inflected
forms of an entry word. Words must also use at least two cards. The makers of Quiddler have established several restrictions on the words used in a game. No proper noun
s may be used. Capitalized adjective
s, such as Iraqi and Scottish, may be used. Prefixes and suffix
es by themselves are not allowable words. Words requiring a hyphen
for proper spelling, such as ex-wife and twenty-two are also not allowed. The Quiddler rules disallow abbreviation
s, but do not differentiate between various forms. Players need to decide for themselves (or follow the example of the game dictionary) if they will allow such abbreviations as laser and NATO. The rules contain no restrictions on English words with accented
letters, such as née, though the deck contains no such letters. Players must also decide for themselves if they will allow shortened word forms such as ad (for advertisement) and math.
A player may challenge any other player if he feels that the latter has used a word that is not an allowable word. If the word is an allowable word, the challenging player must subtract from his score the number of points in the word. If it is not, the challenged player must subtract from his score the number of points in the word. The challenged player may not re-arrange his cards to form other words.
or common two-letter combinations. These include QU, IN, ER, TH, and CL. Each card has a point value reflecting its use in English words. The colorful and stylistic designs on the cards are based on illuminated letters found in Celtic manuscripts written over 1000 years ago. These source inspirations include the Book of Kells
and the Book of Durrow
.
, groups can play Quiddler with varying degrees of competition. Players in highly competitive games may consider memorizing lists of two- and three-letter words. It is also a good idea to know whether the game dictionary includes colloquial and contemporary words.
Set Enterprises
Set Enterprises, Inc., is a game publishing company based in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Set Enterprises, Inc., produces several dedicated-deck card games and that have won several Mensa Select awards from American Mensa....
. Players compete by spelling English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words from cards in hands of increasing size, each card worth various points. The game may be considered a mixture of Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
and gin rummy
Gin rummy
Gin rummy, or simply gin, is a two-player card game created in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker. According to John Scarne, Gin evolved from 18th-century Whiskey Poker and was created with the intention of being faster than standard rummy, but less spontaneous than knock...
. The word "Quiddler" is a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
.
Play and scoring
Before play begins, all the cards are shuffled. A game of Quiddler consists of eight rounds beginning with a three-card hand and ending with a ten-card hand. While there is a single-player variation, the regular game requires at least two players. In the first round, the dealer deals out three cards to each player. The remaining cards form a draw pile. The top card is turned over to start a discard pile. The player to the dealer’s left goes first. The player may choose the top card from either the draw pile or the discard pile. The player adds this card to their hand. The player ends their turn by discarding one card from their hand so that the player ends up with the same number of cards as were dealt. A player may not use a dictionary during their turn, but the other players may. Turns are taken in the same manner in a clockwise rotation among the players. The round continues until one player can go out.A player can go out if they can use all the cards in their hand to spell one or more allowable words. After a player goes out, each player then has one more turn. On their last turn, each remaining player uses as many of his cards as the player can to spell one or more allowable words. The points on the cards used to spell words are counted toward the player’s score. The points on any remaining cards are subtracted. Ten-point bonuses are added to the score of the player with the longest word and the player with the most words. (If there are only two players, they should decide between them to limit the bonus to either the longest word or the most words.)
The subsequent rounds follow in the same manner, with the hands increasing in size by one card each round. Thus, in the second round each player is dealt four cards, the third round five cards, and so forth. Points are added at the end of each round. The game continues until the end of the eighth round. Depending on the number of players, the discard pile may need to be shuffled to resupply the draw pile. The player with the most points at the end of eight rounds wins.
Allowable words
Players should decide on an English dictionaryDictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
to be used during the game. An allowable word must appear as an entry in that dictionary or as one of the listed inflected
Inflection
In grammar, inflection or inflexion is the modification of a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense, grammatical mood, grammatical voice, aspect, person, number, gender and case...
forms of an entry word. Words must also use at least two cards. The makers of Quiddler have established several restrictions on the words used in a game. No proper noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
s may be used. Capitalized adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s, such as Iraqi and Scottish, may be used. Prefixes and suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
es by themselves are not allowable words. Words requiring a hyphen
Hyphen
The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...
for proper spelling, such as ex-wife and twenty-two are also not allowed. The Quiddler rules disallow abbreviation
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
s, but do not differentiate between various forms. Players need to decide for themselves (or follow the example of the game dictionary) if they will allow such abbreviations as laser and NATO. The rules contain no restrictions on English words with accented
Diacritic
A diacritic is a glyph added to a letter, or basic glyph. The term derives from the Greek διακριτικός . Diacritic is both an adjective and a noun, whereas diacritical is only an adjective. Some diacritical marks, such as the acute and grave are often called accents...
letters, such as née, though the deck contains no such letters. Players must also decide for themselves if they will allow shortened word forms such as ad (for advertisement) and math.
A player may challenge any other player if he feels that the latter has used a word that is not an allowable word. If the word is an allowable word, the challenging player must subtract from his score the number of points in the word. If it is not, the challenged player must subtract from his score the number of points in the word. The challenged player may not re-arrange his cards to form other words.
Deck
The card deck consists of 118 cards with individual letters from the English alphabetEnglish alphabet
The modern English alphabet is a Latin alphabet consisting of 26 letters and 2 ligatures – the same letters that are found in the Basic modern Latin alphabet:...
or common two-letter combinations. These include QU, IN, ER, TH, and CL. Each card has a point value reflecting its use in English words. The colorful and stylistic designs on the cards are based on illuminated letters found in Celtic manuscripts written over 1000 years ago. These source inspirations include the Book of Kells
Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier...
and the Book of Durrow
Book of Durrow
The Book of Durrow is a 7th-century illuminated manuscript gospel book in the Insular style. It was probably created between 650 and 700, in Northumbria in Northern England, where Lindisfarne or Durham would be the likely candidates, or on the island of Iona in the Scottish Inner Hebrides...
.
Awards
Quiddler has won the following Best Game Awards:- 2008 Monthly Top-10 Most Wanted Card Games
- 2008 TDmonthly Classic Toy Award
- 2008 Creative Child’s Seal of Excellence Award
- 2007 Creative Child's Seal of Excellence Award
- 2005 Creative Child's Preferred Choice Award
- 2004 Newsweek - Perfect Present
- 2004 ASTRA Hot Toys
- 2002 First Choice by The Detroit News
- 2001 Educational Clearinghouse A+ Award
- 2001 3 Stars by The San Francisco Chronicle
- 1999 Parents' Choice Award
- 1999 MENSA Select Award
- 1999 Games Magazine ‘Games 100’ Award
- 1999 Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Winner
- 1999 Parents’ Council Award
- 1998 The Freedom Editions Award
- 1998 Best American Game - Tiger Award
Degrees of competition
In a similar vein to ScrabbleScrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
, groups can play Quiddler with varying degrees of competition. Players in highly competitive games may consider memorizing lists of two- and three-letter words. It is also a good idea to know whether the game dictionary includes colloquial and contemporary words.
External links
- Quiddler product page at Set Enterprises