Subject: words by post

Date: Mon Sep 5 14:09:39 2011
User: Denny
Message:
Search for "words by post" in the app market of iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone 7. It's a really fun game and well suited to phone as you can run a bunch of games simulaneously and when the phone bleeps saying someone made a move take a few minutes to analyze a next move wherever you are. Here's his page with some info about the game. I had a number of questions that weren't answered on the site. A couple questions I had: * When someone won against me I just got the message they'd won but didn't see the winning move. If you explore the game a bit you'll find it keeps a complete history of each game so you can go back and work through the moves * When you're in a game you can always go back to the pending games list using "back" * The UI for chat wasn't immediately obvious to me and it probably varies by phone, but on Windows Phone just swipe the whole game board to the left to get to the chat screen and send an annoying message to your opponent. * You're ranking is calculated via the Elo method which you can read about on wikipedia. * Pay close attention to the double and triple word score tiles--they're your friend. * I've played some folks who came up with some unbelievable words. Maye they do crossword puzzles, I dunno. But I quickly found http://www.anagrammer.com/scrabble/ which helps me compete with highly superhuman word folks who put in words like 'robalo' or 'chadri'. My game name there is 'confudido' which means 'confused' in Portuguese. Try and beat me, baby, cuz I know words like 'pakora'. P.S. Lemme know if you find any other good anagram/scrabble resources. It's not cheating! Denny

Link: Jeff's page about the game

Date: Sun Sep 11 08:30:08 2011
User: machbannai!
Message:
There are several versions of this available through Facebook: Lexulous Wordscraper Words with friends All are variations on Scrabble. I play online with my girlfriend daily. These are turn based games where you take turns playing but do not have to be online at the same time and you can play your turn at will. If you'd like to try it you are welcome to challenge me to a game: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000461299022

Link: http://apps.facebook.com/lexulous/

Date: Sun Sep 11 10:58:34 2011
User: Denny
Message:
It doesn't surprise me that there are multiple Facebook versions. What this guy has done is that he's wed scrabble to the unique characterics of the phone such that you can make a move at any time anywhere and that's pretty neat. To challenge you I think we'd need to be Facebook friends, right? And I'd need to know your name? If you have any kind of smart phone, I'm playing Words by Post as 'confundido' and my ranking is 1500 something now cuz I'm super awesome. Denny

Date: Sun Sep 11 19:47:08 2011
User: jimmyp
Message:
Denny, take a look at the two-letter word lists. AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EX FA GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI RE SH SI SO TA TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO That will help. KI, QI and ZA were added since this list was published and are useful. There are no two letter words with C or V. Also look for a list of Q words that don't use a U. Some of them are QI, QAT, QANAT, QAID, QADI, QOPH and QINDAR. SUQ comes in handy sometimes, too.

Date: Sun Sep 11 19:55:52 2011
User: xeena
Message:
jimmyp, with all due respect, that is baby stuff for such awesomicity as possessed by Denny or myself.

Date: Sun Sep 11 20:11:39 2011
User: .!.
Message:
I love the Xi. The right placement of that baby can be the difference tween an average game and a 600-700 game. Of course the new beasts you list(KI,QI and ZA)could REALLY open up a close game!

Date: Sun Sep 11 22:42:26 2011
User: TNmountainman
Message:
I have a good friend who wrote a dictionary of short words. Not sure if he published it or not, but I kinda think he did. He also invented the world's best, most incredible, card game ("karma"), but never patented it (partly because it's so complex, and relatedly because only about 4 or 5 people could fully comprehend it, that I know of). (He's like that. He's an absurd genius who looks more than a bit like Ted Kaczynsky. Or a cross between Kaczynsky and Manson.) Oh yeah, and if that's not enough weirdness, he used to be world-ranked in table tennis (though not *real* high), and once beat the reigning world champ in an exhibition. But in a word game, I would put serious money down on him against any other poster(s) ever to appear on this forum - and I know that's saying quite a lot.... Yes, even against MrFixit's and Dr. X's super awesomicty.....

Date: Mon Sep 12 01:39:28 2011
User: Denny
Message:
Yeah, jimmy, I've heard the two letter words are super important to learn. I've also been told you need to "manage your rack" so you can "bingo" once or twice a game. Link below to the scrabble resource I found. Denny

Link: various useful scrabble pages

Date: Mon Sep 12 08:11:12 2011
User: xeena
Message:
I've bingoed 4 or 5 times in a game, possibly 6. In fact the game bores me now....

Date: Mon Sep 12 09:33:38 2011
User: jimmyp
Message:
Denny, I have to say that using some of these resources during a game would definitely be cheating unless you have an agreement with your opponent to do so. Some of the e-versions allow you to keep trying words until one of them is accepted, and that can get a bit frustrating at times when an opponent uses a word or two that they had no idea were actually words but figured he should try it anyway (I'm guilty of that, too, though I feel guilty after doing it). In order of increasing spirit of the board violations, I'd list the following offenses: referring to a two-letter word list referring to a three-letter word list (there are about 900, I think) trying a word you kinda think is a word (without there being challenges) referring to a heavy vowel or common letter list and using a word you know trying a word that you've never heard of because it sounds like it might be a word referring to a heavy vowel or common letter list and using a word you DON't know using an anagrammer entering a board into a Scrabble solver and letting it figure out the best play (though this wouldn't work on one of those alternate boards)

Date: Mon Sep 12 16:54:54 2011
User: .!.
Message:
jimmyp-"Im guilty of that,too,though I feel guilty after doing it". You funny! Sounds like something hotnurse occasionally crax me up with. Some board games,particularly those that require experience(or knowledge),I feel,should remain just that-board games. This is,of course,due to the ability of players looking up info.

Date: Mon Sep 12 17:03:10 2011
User: Denny
Message:
I personally feel you're naive if you don't think the Internet changes these games. Scrabble on the 'net is still a ton of fun, it just shifts the skill set from having a huge vocubulary and knowing words like SHAIRN to using tools and selecting strategy.

Date: Mon Sep 12 17:40:54 2011
User: .!.
Message:
The very THOUGHT of it sickens me. What makes board games so much fun is all the people and camaraderie involved. I guess the good thing is its an option if you want it and competetive players can use it for practice when nobody is around. Some games seem tailor-made for the net such as poker,video poker,slots,video games,solitaire and,of course,freecell. Before you know it theyll be playing frisbee on the net. All this cellphone,ipod,facebook and ipad hype is shairn. Its all just shairn.

Date: Fri Sep 16 00:39:56 2011
User: sprucegoose
Message:
Why am I even playing this Freecell card game? I beat the international Mega-Scrabble champion a few years ago.