WORDYS: The Pachanga of Letters társasjáték

Angol leírás

Wordys: The Pachanga of Letters is a tabletop word-guessing game inspired by the classic hangman activity, redesigned as a non-elimination game based on points, turn structure, and controlled uncertainty. Players score by correctly guessing letters under changing turn conditions defined by dice and a VSD card deck. The game is played in rounds (or until a target score is reached, depending on the chosen variant). The winner is the player (or team) with the highest total score.

Components and What They Do

Wordys typically includes:

Word Board / Word Lines: one or more rows of blank spaces that represent each hidden word.
Each blank space equals one letter. Word length is always visible from the start so players know the size of each word and can plan their guesses.

Letter markers / writing method: any method to reveal correct letters in their positions (markers, tiles, dry-erase, etc.).

Blue Die: defines the type of attempt a player can make on their turn (how the guess is performed and whether special conditions may be triggered).

Red Die (optional): adds extra conditions for the current turn. It is used only when triggered by the Blue Die or enabled by the chosen variant.

VSD Deck (Value & Social Dynamics), 30–40 cards: the main deck that determines scoring values and turn modifiers.

Pachanga Cards (about 5% of the VSD deck): defensive cards that can be held (max 1) and used to avoid losing points from a negative VSD effect.

NOPE! Cards: one per player (or per team), used to cancel a VSD card effect entirely (single-use per game).

Tokens (3 per player recommended): a limited resource used to avoid risk/uncertainty by skipping the dice step and choosing a safer/cleaner attempt structure (see Turn Flow).

Mini abacus (one per player): physical score tracking. Players move beads as they gain/lose points. Score is public and always visible.

Setup (Core)

1. Shuffle the VSD deck and place it face down.

2. Give each player:

3 tokens

1 NOPE! card

1 mini abacus

3. Choose a play mode:

Classic Mode: one shared word per round, provided by a rotating player.

Pachanga Mode: multiple words are active at the same time (typically one per player), and players guess on words that are not their own.

4. For each active word, create a row of blank spaces equal to its length (maximum length can be set by the group). The blanks remain visible throughout the round.

Turn Flow (Core Sequence)

On your turn, you follow the same sequence:

1) Choose Control (Token or Dice)

You must choose one:

Spend 1 token to skip the dice step and take a “clean” attempt (the game’s safest option).
Tokens are limited and do not refresh unless a variant explicitly allows it.

OR

Roll the Blue Die to determine the attempt type for this turn.
Some results are simple (normal attempt). Some results may impose constraints (e.g., attempt type changes) or trigger the Red Die if that option is enabled.

2) Optional: Red Die Condition (Only if Triggered / Enabled)

If the Blue Die triggers it (or if the chosen variant uses it), roll the Red Die and apply a temporary condition that affects this turn.
Examples of condition types (general categories, not fixed faces):

letter-type restrictions (vowel-only / consonant-only)

turn-flow changes (direction/sequence changes)

scope changes (how many words are affected by the guess)

3) Make the Letter Attempt

Based on the dice conditions (or the token “clean attempt”), the player chooses the letter(s) they are allowed to attempt.

The chosen letter is checked against the active word(s).

Any matches are revealed in the correct positions.

The game does not eliminate players for misses.

4) Draw and Resolve 1 VSD Card

After the attempt, the player draws one VSD card and applies its effect.

The VSD deck is designed as three functional groups:

A) Scoring Cards (about 50%)
These cards mainly define how many points are awarded on a successful turn, commonly in a simple range such as +1 to +5, where higher values are less frequent.

B) Pachanga Cards (about 5%)
Defensive cards that can be kept (maximum 1 at a time). They are used later to avoid losing points from a negative VSD effect. If you already have one and draw another, the extra card is not kept (commonly placed at the bottom of the deck).

C) Action/Modifier Cards (the rest of the deck)
These add small turn modifiers that change the context of guessing without breaking the flow. Examples of effect categories:

change turn direction / order

change the scope of a guess (applies to 1 word, 2 words, or all active words)

allow an extra letter attempt

impose temporary restrictions (vowels-only / consonants-only)

5) Scoring and Protection (Pachanga / NOPE)

If the turn produced at least one correct letter, the player applies the scoring outcome from the VSD card (and any modifiers).

If the VSD card causes a negative scoring effect, the player may:

use a Pachanga Card (if they have one) to avoid losing those points (then discard/recycle it), or

use their NOPE! Card to cancel the VSD card entirely (single-use for the whole game).

6) Update the Mini Abacus

The player updates their score on the mini abacus immediately. Scores remain visible to all players.

End of turn → next player.

End of Game and Winning

The game ends using the chosen variant:

after a fixed number of rounds, or

when a player reaches a target score.

Winner: the player (or team) with the highest total score at the end of the game.

—description from the designer