Lexicon is a card game that might strike
one as a cross between gin rummy and Scrabble in that it proceeds in a similar
manner to the former but is concerned with the creation of words, as is the
latter. It was first produced (by John Waddington Ltd) in 1933 and is therefore
older than Scrabble (which dates from 1938), but it may have influenced the
invention of the younger game. Although the firm of Waddingtons is no longer in
business, Lexicon is still available from Winning Moves UK.
A Lexicon pack comprises 52 cards of
standard playing-card size, but each card displays a letter of the alphabet
(apart from the “master card” which acts like a joker or the blank tiles in
Scrabble). There is a single card for 15 of the letters, three cards each for 8
of the letters, and four cards each for A, E and I.
Each letter has a score value, this being 2,
4, 6, 8 or 10, with the master card having a value of 15. Because the idea is
to score low rather than high, the letters that occur most frequently in words
have a higher score than those that are more difficult to use, which is the
opposite of what happens in Scrabble.
The game can be played by two, three or
four players (if more want to play, a double pack can be used). Ten cards are
dealt to each player, with the rest of the pack being placed face-down with the
top card turned over and placed next to the pack. Play then proceeds clockwise,
with the first player being the person sitting to the left of the dealer.
This player has a choice between three
courses of action. He or she can make a word (of two or more letters) and place
it on the table so that it can be seen by all the other players. Alternatively,
he or she can pick up the exposed card and replace it with one from their hand.
Or they can take the “blind” card from the top of the turned-over pack and also
discard a card from their hand and place it on top of the card that is exposed.
If a player chooses this third option, he or she must discard before they pick
up the blind card. If, during play, the pack is played out, the exposed cards
are shuffled and become the new pack, with one card turned over as the start of
a new exposed pile.
The next player, and all subsequent
players, has two more choices. The first of these is to play one or more of the
cards from their hand to change a word that has already been formed by another
player (or, as the play moves back to them, one of their own words). The rule
for changing a word is that cards can be added at the beginning or end of a
word or inserted between two of the letters. The order of the letters of an
existing word must not be changed, but any number of new letters can be added,
in any position, as long as a legitimate new word is created.
As an example of how a word might be
amended, “are” could become “bare” with a letter added at the beginning, or
“area” with a letter added at the end. If letters are inserted it could become
“arise”, or if letters are added at the beginning and the end it could change
to “caress”. One could add letters at the beginning, middle and end to create “fearless”.
The other choice is to exchange a card for
one already played, as long as a new word is thus created. For example, if
“larch” is on the table and a player needs an A to create a word of their own,
they could get rid of an unwanted U by changing the existing word to “lurch”. A
player might be able to get hold of the master card by this means, but they
would run the risk of being left with it in their hand if the round ends before
they are able to make use of it.
As might be expected, all the words created
by players must be standard English words, correctly spelled, as found in a
dictionary. Proper names are not acceptable. It is open to players to challenge
any word created by another player, either “new” or as the result of subsequent
amendment. If a challenge is substantiated after a dictionary check, the
offending player must withdraw the word or letters and lose their turn. They
are also penalised by ten points. Should the challenge not be allowed, the
player who made the challenge suffers a ten point penalty (penalties are added,
not subtracted, because the aim is to score low rather than high).
In their turn, a player must perform one,
and only one, of the above actions, so a player who picks up a card they want
cannot use it until their turn comes round again. They can also only create or
modify a single word in each turn.
Unlike in gin rummy, a player is not
required to discard a card every turn, so all the cards in one’s hand can be
used to create or change a word. This means that, should they have one card
left over after making/changing a word, a player must hold on to that card
until their next turn.
In each round of play, the aim is to get
rid of all one’s cards as quickly as possible. When this happens, the other
players must add the points on the cards still in their hands, and these points
are recorded as their score for the round. Clearly, the player who used all
their cards will score zero.
Play continues with a new deal, with the
dealer being the player who was the first to start play in the previous round. If,
after a round of play, the score of one or more players exceeds 100, they are
eliminated from the game and the remaining players carry on until only one is
left, who is therefore the winner.
For people who enjoy card games, Lexicon
offers an extra twist by playing with letters instead of standard playing
cards. Every round of play will be different due to the huge variety of words
that can be created by the letters of the alphabet, and this offers skilful
players many opportunities to apply their ingenuity. Lovers of word games and
crosswords will find that this is a card game that can get them hooked and
provide many hours of enjoyment.
© John Welford
