General rules

The board

The Wordbox board consists of a 17x15 grid of cells, where players place letter tiles. Up to four players can play the game simultaneously. At the game beginning each player is given seven letter tiles which are drawn from the bag. Having completed a move, a player is given the number of letter tiles which replenishes the seven letter tiles given. A player’s letter tiles are concealed from the opponents. Initially, the bag contains 115 letter tiles. The letter tiles are of different colors, which determines their point values. The number of the letter tiles which are left in the bag is displayed below the board next to the available letter tile field. There are two blank tiles among a player’s tiles, which can replace any letter. A player’s move is about placing at least a two-letter word using the letter tiles from the rack. The points are scored by summing up the values of the letters that the words which are placed on the board consist of as a result of the move. If letter tiles are placed on the bonus or special cells, the player scores extra points or influences the game in a way.

Placing a word

In each turn a player can combine a word placing any number of letter tiles on the board, decide to exchange the tiles or pass. The player who starts the game must place a word so that it is placed on the cell in the center of the board.

The next words are placed in the following way:

	A new word can be placed at the right angle to the existing one but the word must include one of the letters of the existing word or add at least one new letter to it;
	A player can extend a word on the board by placing the letter tiles on its one or both ends;
	A player can place a new word which is parallel to the existing one so that the neighboring letters at the right angle also combined correct words.

When one of the players completes a word, the „OK” option is selected (or the F2 key is pressed), and the opponent(s) can accept or check it with a dictionary. It is done by selecting “Accept” or “Check” in the menu. The options are also accessible on the keyboard: Accept – key F2, „Check” – key F3. If all the opponents select the „Accept” option, the placed letter tiles remain on the board. If one of the opponents selects the „Check” option, and the questioned word is not in the dictionary, it is removed from the board and the tiles return to the player who has placed them. If none of the opponents selects the “Accept” or “Reject” option within 10 seconds after the „OK” button was pressed, the word is automatically checked in the dictionary as if the “Check” option has been selected.

Undoing a move

The player who has placed the letter tiles on the board and selected the „OK” option can select the “Undo” option within 10 seconds (the F2 key). Then, each opponent can decide whether to agree for him to undo or not. If all the opponents agree, the letter tiles of the player asking for agreement are removed from the board and the move can be repeated.

Exchanging

When a player decides to exchange the letters, they should move the selected letter tiles to the field on the right of the counter of the letter tiles left in the bag as well as select the “Exchange” option (key F3). The exchange is only possible when there are at least seven letters in the bag. Each player is allowed to exchange letters three times during one game.

Passing

Each player is allowed to resign from performing a move by selecting the „Pass” option (key F4). Nevertheless, if all players pass twice in two successive turns, the game is over. If the move time limit is switched on in the game and a player has failed to combine a word and to select the „OK” option on time, the move is regarded as passed.

Legitimate words

The words which are permitted are included in the relevant language dictionaries, the correct grammar forms inclusive. Proper nouns, abbreviations, prefixes, suffixes and the words with an apostrophe or a hyphen are excluded. The lists of legitimate words are in the word game dictionary included in our service.

Game over

The game is over when:

Calculating score points

The number of tiles in the bag is displayed in the following table:

The number of points scored by the letter depends on the tile color. There are the following tile colors in the game:

0 pts.	1 pts.	2 pts.	3 pts.	4 pts.	5 pts.

The value of a blank tile is 0. If the “Show Letter Values” is on, the letter point value is displayed having pointed it with the mouse. The points for each turn are calculated for every letter tile of a new word placed on the board.

Bonuses

If the word covers the bonus cell(s), the word letter number is multiplied by the bonus value. The following bonuses are allowed:

Blank letter selecting

If a player places a blank tile on the board, a letter selection window will be displayed. If a player changes their mind and wishes to change the letter, the blank tile can be double-clicked and a letter selection window will be displayed again. If a player puts the blank tile away, the letter will be removed.

Details

Below we try to solve the most common problems arising while playing the game: