all 29 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 62 points 6 months ago (10 children)

At a high level, Scrabble isn't about what words you know -- it's about strategy and board control, being able to take advantage of space to play while denying your opponent space.

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (6 children)

    You sound like you scrabble, so have you ever tried playing a round where you can only use combinations of letters that are NOT a word?

    Do scrabblers do that?

    I mean, I just "invented" it in my mind but immediately decided someone has SURELY done so before, it's probably common.

    And does it have a name?

    If not, dibs on Elbbarcs!

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 18 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    I played a few games of reverse Scrabble where you try to get the lowest score...

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Sounds like it would be a lot easier, and even more of a 'board control' game.

    And you'd be able to play your whole 7 letters in pretty much every turn (if you wanted to), since you'll always be able to find some combination of your 7 letters that doesn't form a real word. Or ... at least almost always? I find it hard to imagine any combination of 7 letters that will always spell a real word no matter which order you put them in.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago

    Yes it would be more about board control, and for instance finding arrangements that place high value letters on triple squares, without accidentally creating words. You'd need to know enough obscure words to avoid spelling any, and to catch your opponent out.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 6 months ago

    Sure but that's just because there is a maximum amount of word knowledge that can be accumulated and all of them have at least come close to fully memorizing the dictionary. That doesn't mean they can skip all the time spent memorizing. People involved in tournament level Scrabble have practice routines that involve memorizing words.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 19 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Just memorize all the two letter words.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 18 points 6 months ago

    Athletics is just people who did the same movement over and over again until they got good at it. Totally skill free.

  • source
  • [–] 17 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Don't forget the bluffing aspect

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 9 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    At one stage the “French Scrabble” world champion came from New Zealand, spoke no French, but had memorised the dictionary.

    This dude: Non-French Nigel

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 7 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Me: "I can't have caught the family autism gene; my language skills are too good."

    Older me: "so apparently hyperlexia is just another autism presentation..."

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago

    Just wait until they hear about moral luck

  • source
  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago

    ... because it's true 😪

  • source
  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    The inability to leverage the board against a player with a larger vocabulary is a skill issue.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    and the fewer vowels you have the fewer opportunities you have to draw more vowels. the consonant shift becomes the consonant trap.

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    Americans wondering how we got this message from the future.

  • source