Bananagrams

01Discover the game

Bananagrams is a race of crosswords without trays. Each one builds his own grid with his letters while the others do the same. You can undo one word to build another, move a large part of your grid or leave a new idea: nothing is permanently fixed as long as you respect the words at the time of claiming victory.

We follow the mechanisms of classical Bananagrams with 144 letters, notice ©2018, playing with French words. The choice of dictionary and language are announced for this table. The editions Party, Wild Tiles, Duel and My First Bananagrams are not used. The overall difficulty is hard: finding anagrams, reorganizing a grid and keeping a correct spelling under pressure requires practice. The game accepts one to eight players; count about 15 to 30 minutes for several rounds, according to the rhythm of the group.

02Equipment

It takes 144 tiles of letters, the storage bag and the package leaflet. No tray, pencil, score sheet, hourglass or die is required for a handle. The distribution of letters varies with the language of the edition; do not replace the tiles of your game with a foreign distribution found online.

Words are built with a tile by letter, without values of printed points to be added. Prepare a table where each can extend its grid without encroaching on that of others and a central area for common hidden letters. Choose a dictionary for end-of-hand controls.

03The goal

Be the first person to use all your letters in a single valid word grid when the central reserve contains fewer tiles than the number of players. Finishing his letters too soon does not yet give victory: it triggers a new stock for everyone.

There is no score of length or bonus for difficult letters. A very long word can help to use letters, but it can also block your reconstruction. Victory depends on the full use of tiles, the timing of the announcement and the validity of the entire grid.

04Distribute Letters

Place the 144 tiles in the center, hidden faces, and mix them together. This common reserve is called the "pocket" in this tutorial. Each person takes his initial tiles without turning them back: two, three or four players, 21 each; five or six, 15 each; seven or eight, 11 each.

Decide together on the language used and the dictionary. Here, all the words are French, the proper names and abbreviations are excluded. Conjugate and plural forms are accepted if they appear in the chosen dictionary; this is our convention of control of the part in French. The accents are mentally marked according to the spelling of the word when the tiles do not carry them.

At the common signal "On separ!", the French equivalent of SPLIT, everyone returns their letters and starts. There is no first player to designate or schedule: everyone acts simultaneously.

05Build, pick and exchange

A personal connected grid

Arrange your letters in words that cross like crosswords. The words read from left to right horizontally and from top to bottom vertically. They do not read backwards or diagonally. All your letters must end up in a single connected grid, and each sequence of letters created by a neighbourhood must form an acceptable word.

A cross-section divides a single tile between two words. You can move the letters and transform your grid as many times as you want. Never touch the grids of others. Temporarily waiting letters are not yet played; you can't announce the end as long as they remain outside your grid.

When a person uses his last letter

If you have integrated all your letters and there are at least as many letters left in the Stock as players, announces "A Letter!" equivalent to PEEL. Everybody, including you, then takes a tile hidden in the center. No one can refuse because its grid seemed finished. Integrate this new letter by adding or reconstructing words.

The ad can arrive several times quickly. Keep the samples clear: only one tile per person for each Stock ad. A person still occupied by his previous letter must still take the next one. There is no rule that limits the Stock to the only advertiser.

Exchange a difficult letter

At any time, you can announce "Exchange!", equivalent to DUMP, put one of your tiles face hidden in the reserve and take three more. This exchange only concerns you; the neighbors do not take anything. You can do it again several times, but each exchange increases by two the number of letters you will have to use.

Do not use this procedure as a choice of three visible letters: you pull without knowing the faces. To avoid confusing the exchange with a general picket, pronounce a separate signal and return a single tile. The reserve must contain something to realize the action; cases of too small final reserve are treated by the end condition, without making tiles.

Claiming victory

When there are fewer tiles left in the center than players, there is no more general stock possible. The first person who uses all his letters in a connected grid announces "Banane!", equivalent to BANANAS. The others suspend their game and inspect the announced grid.

If everything is valid, this person wins the handle. If a word is wrongly spelled, forbidden or invalid, it becomes the "porous banana": it is removed from this round and puts all its letters face hidden in the Stock. The others then resume the game and continue until a valid ad. The returned letters can again make general picks possible; re-evaluate the number of tiles available.

06An example of reconstruction

You put CHAT horizontally. With an S, you could get CHATS, provided that the new box does not otherwise create an invalid vertical word. A new letter is not automatically easy to use: you must inspect all the neighborhoods of your grid.

Suppose you have to incorporate an E and an S into this word CHAT. You can reorganize these six letters to form TACHES: C, H, A, T, E and S are all reused once. You do not have to keep the original word. In a real part, also check all crosses and tiles taken up: they are not returned to the center for free.

To four players, if there are seven tiles left in the Stock and you finish your hand, you announce a general stock. Each one takes a letter: there are three left. These three tiles are fewer than the four players. The next person to finish his grid can then claim victory, instead of imposing an incomplete stock.

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07The rounds and the solo

An ordinary round wins after a valid final announcement. For several rounds, the package leaflet offers a better of three or five: simply count the winning rounds. Advertise this format before the start. There is no sum of word lengths or an encrypted penalty for the remaining letters.

In solo, start with 21 tiles. Build your grid and follow the picket mechanisms to use the letters, looking for a better personal time or as few words as possible, two objectives proposed by the leaflet. Choose a single objective to compare your essays. This mode does not reproduce a race against absent players.

Variations without a general picket, such as Banana Café, or without exchange, such as Banana Smoothie, change the structure of the handle. They are not activated here. If you try them then, explain their new distribution and their end conditions before mixing tiles.

08Frequent errors

• Wait for his turn while everyone plays simultaneously.
• Forget to take a letter at the general stock of an opponent.
• Make a tile and take only one instead of three during an exchange.
• Form two separate grids to use the last letters.
• Leave a neighbouring assembly that creates an invalid word.
• Announce victory while the reserve still allows a Stock for all.

09Tips for starting

First build a few simple words that cross. A compact grid is often easier to rebuild than a large word surrounded by fragile branches. Look at the endings that you can prolong, but keep in mind that each neighbourhood must remain legible.

A difficult letter is not automatically exchanged: three new letters can create a bigger problem. After the round, reread the words discussed and show a possible reconstruction. The educational objective is to improve vocabulary and flexibility, not to memorize questionable words to win a disagreement.