Mattel changes rules, ruins Scrabble

emor · #1 04-06-2010, 06:21 PM

Probably a socialist plot.
I want my country back.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8604625.stm

Pilgrim · #2 04-06-2010, 06:31 PM

Oh, pleeeeeze. A minor rule change - means nothing.

Now changing the NFL overtime role to its new enhanced stupid status - that MATTERS!

santucci218 · #3 04-06-2010, 06:31 PM

stupid uk news. just because your country doesnt have murders you have to report about this as news!?

bongomania · #4 04-06-2010, 06:33 PM

That's lame and weak. But it's not new--they have been diluting and essentially pooping on the rules of Scrabble for years. The official Scrabble dictionary is chock full of words that violate the original rules, making it so people who memorize heinous little tidbits like "qat" (not a word in the English language) can get points for a three-letter word with a Q and no U, without feeling penalized for being otherwise illiterate.

**smperry** · #5 04-06-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

That's lame and weak. But it's not new--they have been diluting and essentially pooping on the rules of Scrabble for years. The official Scrabble dictionary is chock full of words that violate the original rules, making it so people who memorize heinous little tidbits like "qat" (not a word in the English language) can get points for a three-letter word with a Q and no U, without feeling penalized for being otherwise illiterate.

Agreed with all of this.

Since I couldn't get a "U", I did actually use "qintar" in a Scrabble game once. That was sweet.

Simo98 · #6 04-06-2010, 08:08 PM

Wait.. They are allowing names??

Has this not essentially removed any point to the game of scrabble.. like.. actually making words?

I can take all the letters in my possession, arrange them in a humurous fashion, and place them down to spell 'Ynarphle' and get a score for it?

Surely Ynarphle is just as valid as a name as John?

Benjamin Strange · #7 04-06-2010, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by santucci218

stupid uk news. just because your country doesnt have murders you have to report about this as news!?

More proof that if you want to know what's really going on in America, you can't look to American news sources.

DudeistMonk · #8 04-06-2010, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simo98

Wait.. They are allowing names??

Has this not essentially removed any point to the game of scrabble.. like.. actually making words?

I can take all the letters in my possession, arrange them in a humurous fashion, and place them down to spell 'Ynarphle' and get a score for it?

Surely Ynarphle is just as valid as a name as John?

It's only for established brands/places/people. George Washington, Baltimore, Nabisco.

It's still watering down Scrabble, but I was never a huge fan anyway so w/e. Ps. Boggle destroys Scrabble.

Simo98 · #9 04-06-2010, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DudeistMonk

It's only for established brands/places/people. George Washington, Baltimore, Nabisco.

It's still watering down Scrabble, but I was never a huge fan anyway so w/e. Ps. Boggle destroys Scrabble.

Bah, Im still going to name a cat Ynarphle.

Gopherbassist · #10 04-06-2010, 10:27 PM

That's the best rule change ever. Seriously, not being able to use proper nouns has caused me to lose.

bongomania · #11 04-06-2010, 10:38 PM

Yeah, and not being able to use my hands has caused me to lose at soccer, and not being able to travel the ball all over the court has caused me to lose at basketball, and not being able to use steroids has caused me to lose at baseball.

Thunderscreech · #12 04-06-2010, 10:46 PM

I never actually played scrabble by the rules. If the word could be found in a dictionary, it was good enough. Of course, that gets annoying when 2 people start sticking obscure words in, and then you don't feel like looking them up, and then it all descends into chaos anyway when you decide to allow for curse words and then someone gets upset because someone else used their word and then it all ends in a big fight...

...and if you think that's bad, you should've seen us play Monopoly...

jive1 · #13 04-06-2010, 10:49 PM

That is a totally lame rule change. Dumbing down the game, IMO.

Simo98 · #14 04-06-2010, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderscreech

...and if you think that's bad, you should've seen us play Monopoly...

My mum still refuses to play Monopoly, she hasn't played a game in over 20 years :P

superbassman2000 · #15 04-07-2010, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Yeah, and not being able to use my hands has caused me to lose at soccer, and not being able to travel the ball all over the court has caused me to lose at basketball, and not being able to use steroids has caused me to lose at baseball.

lol!^^

I agree with the people who dislike this change--in my opinion this is all part of the dumbing down of our culture. Granted it's just a game, but it has to start somewhere...I can't wait until the scrabble dictionary includes "words" like lol

Bob Lee (QSC) · #16 04-07-2010, 10:16 AM

lmao (5 points)

add rof

rof+lmao (11 points)

Thunderscreech · #17 04-07-2010, 10:27 AM

Lol your guys, False Alarm. It was a big misunderstanding

http://www.geekosystem.com/scrabble-...er-nouns-fake/

Gopherbassist · #18 04-07-2010, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Yeah, and not being able to use my hands has caused me to lose at soccer, and not being able to travel the ball all over the court has caused me to lose at basketball, and not being able to use steroids has caused me to lose at baseball.

Dick post is Dickish.

Not being able to use proper nouns is a rule that exists to keep people from just making stuff up. When' you're playing Scrabble, no one at the table is going to let you make stuff up, because everyone wants to win. There is no reason not to be able to use proper nouns.

gkbass13 · #19 04-07-2010, 01:09 PM

As a scrabble fiend, I was a tad worried when reading the thread title, but it is all overblown(this news has been "Ron Jeremied"?) and the original game will remain untouched("Dakota Fanning'ed"?). I love OT.

bongomania · #20 04-07-2010, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopherbassist

Dick post is Dickish.

Not surprising you feel hurt by the inability follow Scrabble's rules.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopherbassist

Not being able to use proper nouns is a rule that exists to keep people from just making stuff up. When' you're playing Scrabble, no one at the table is going to let you make stuff up, because everyone wants to win. There is no reason not to be able to use proper nouns.

Among "serious" (or even literate) players, in every game people introduce words that other players are unfamiliar with. When these words are played, the other players challenge. There are established rules for these challenges. That's part of the game. The way a challenge is resolved is by consulting a dictionary--one that all the players have agreed on beforehand. Sure there are some proper nouns in most dictionaries, but which ones? How is it fair if one person can play the name "Methuselah" but the other person can't play "Eleazar", just because one name is in the dictionary and the other isn't? And what about Mattel's stated intention, to appeal to the younger set: will the dictionary they use include both "Methuselah" and "Miley"? And what about Fred? If the rules say you can use proper nouns, do they have to be famous names, or can they be anything from Navritar to Haa'poo'no? What about Kjnste? Or Haedtke?

You're right that the point of the rule is to keep people from making things up; but you're wrong that allowing proper nouns could ever be a viable rule for the game in general. And there is literally no difference between whining that you lost "because you couldn't use proper nouns" and whining about any of the other kinds of cheating mentioned in my "dickish" post. You didn't lose because you weren't allowed to cheat; you lost because you aren't a good Scrabble player.