...and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.

-------------------
https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/

Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games seriously.
If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new version might be just
right for you.

Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and easier to
play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation and collaboration
rather than competition. For those who found the original Scrabble a little
too intense, the new version could be a breath of fresh air.

On 4/12/2024 2:31 PM, BTR1701 wrote:
> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
>
> -------------------
> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
>
> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games seriously.
> If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new version might be just
> right for you.
>
> Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and easier to
> play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation and collaboration
> rather than competition. For those who found the original Scrabble a little
> too intense, the new version could be a breath of fresh air.

So, not real words? I wonder if 'Scribble' is trademarked...

On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
>
> -------------------
> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
>
> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
> seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
> version might be just right for you.
>
I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is "intimidating".
Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that intimidating, just
discouraging at the most. If you're intimidated by Scrabble, may I
suggest test some counselling by a mental health professional? Or maybe
just reading so that you can build a vocabulary.

A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play
Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level either,
just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a version of
Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and typically have half a
dozen games on the go at once. Over the course of literally a few
thousand games, I have lost almost exactly as many games as I've won.
I've never once been frightened to play or suicidal as a result of
playing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose: it's that simple.

> Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and
> easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation
> and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the
> original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a
> breath of fresh air.

This sounds like what they did with Sorry, a board game we used to
play as kids. A few years back, when my mother was in her final months,
I wanted to find a way to spend time with her that wasn't too taxing
for her so went to the toy store to find a game she already knew. I
found a copy of Sorry! and thought it was a perfect fit. There was some
verbiage on the box about "Fire and Ice power-ups" which was completely
unfamiliar but I didn't realize they'd altered the game rather
dramatically. When we actually started playing it, it was only barely
recognizable and the "improvements" really didn't make it better in my
opinion. In fact, the box was even missing a couple of things needed to
use the new power-ups, although I quickly figured out a workaround for
those.

These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
collaborating to clear the board!

--
Rhino

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
> BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
>>
>> -------------------
>> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
>>
>> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
>> seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
>> version might be just right for you.
>>
> I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is "intimidating".
> Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that intimidating, just
> discouraging at the most. If you're intimidated by Scrabble, may I
> suggest test some counselling by a mental health professional? Or maybe
> just reading so that you can build a vocabulary.
>
> A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play
> Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level either,
> just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a version of
> Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and

I play WORDS WITH FRiEnDS on mine.

typically have half a
> dozen games on the go at once. Over the course of literally a few
> thousand games, I have lost almost exactly as many games as I've won.
> I've never once been frightened to play or suicidal as a result of
> playing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose: it's that simple.
>
>> Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and
>> easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation
>> and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the
>> original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a
>> breath of fresh air.
>
> This sounds like what they did with Sorry, a board game we used to
> play as kids. A few years back, when my mother was in her final months,
> I wanted to find a way to spend time with her that wasn't too taxing
> for her so went to the toy store to find a game she already knew. I
> found a copy of Sorry! and thought it was a perfect fit. There was some
> verbiage on the box about "Fire and Ice power-ups" which was completely
> unfamiliar but I didn't realize they'd altered the game rather
> dramatically. When we actually started playing it, it was only barely
> recognizable and the "improvements" really didn't make it better in my
> opinion. In fact, the box was even missing a couple of things needed to
> use the new power-ups, although I quickly figured out a workaround for
> those.
>
> These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
> to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
> the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
> path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
> collaborating to clear the board!
>

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:22:21 -0700
anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

> Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
> > On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
> > BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> >
> >> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
> >>
> >> -------------------
> >> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
> >>
> >> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
> >> seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
> >> version might be just right for you.
> >>
> > I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is
> > "intimidating". Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that
> > intimidating, just discouraging at the most. If you're intimidated
> > by Scrabble, may I suggest test some counselling by a mental health
> > professional? Or maybe just reading so that you can build a
> > vocabulary.
> >
> > A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play
> > Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level
> > either, just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a
> > version of Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and
>
> I play WORDS WITH FRiEnDS on mine.
>
I played that one briefly but deleted it due to excessive ads. Words By
Post has no ads at all :-)

>
> typically have half a
> > dozen games on the go at once. Over the course of literally a few
> > thousand games, I have lost almost exactly as many games as I've
> > won. I've never once been frightened to play or suicidal as a
> > result of playing. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose: it's that
> > simple.
> >> Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and
> >> easier to play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation
> >> and collaboration rather than competition. For those who found the
> >> original Scrabble a little too intense, the new version could be a
> >> breath of fresh air.
> >
> > This sounds like what they did with Sorry, a board game we used to
> > play as kids. A few years back, when my mother was in her final
> > months, I wanted to find a way to spend time with her that wasn't
> > too taxing for her so went to the toy store to find a game she
> > already knew. I found a copy of Sorry! and thought it was a perfect
> > fit. There was some verbiage on the box about "Fire and Ice
> > power-ups" which was completely unfamiliar but I didn't realize
> > they'd altered the game rather dramatically. When we actually
> > started playing it, it was only barely recognizable and the
> > "improvements" really didn't make it better in my opinion. In fact,
> > the box was even missing a couple of things needed to use the new
> > power-ups, although I quickly figured out a workaround for those.
> >
> > These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated
> > decision to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is
> > essentially the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy
> > follows this path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE
> > PLAYERS TO WIN by collaborating to clear the board!
> >
>
>
>

--
Rhino

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:22:21 -0700
> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
>>> On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:31:32 +0000
>>> BTR1701 <no_email@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
>>>>
>>>> -------------------
>>>> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
>>>>
>>>> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games
>>>> seriously. If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new
>>>> version might be just right for you.
>>>>
>>> I'm at a loss to think of any way in which the game is
>>> "intimidating". Sure, you can lose but most people don't find that
>>> intimidating, just discouraging at the most. If you're intimidated
>>> by Scrabble, may I suggest test some counselling by a mental health
>>> professional? Or maybe just reading so that you can build a
>>> vocabulary.
>>>
>>> A vocabulary of words is pretty much all you need to be able to play
>>> Scrabble. I'm not talking about playing at a competitive level
>>> either, just the level of friendly games with strangers. I have a
>>> version of Scrabble called Words By Post on my phone and
>>
>> I play WORDS WITH FRiEnDS on mine.
>>
> I played that one briefly but deleted it due to excessive ads. Words By
> Post has no ads at all :-)

Cool.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
<no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

>These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
>to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
>the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
>path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
>collaborating to clear the board!
>
I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
you describe would be absurd.

On 4/12/24 1:31 PM, BTR1701 wrote:
> ..and less competitive. 'Cause being competitive is just the worst.
>
> -------------------
> https://scrippsnews.com/stories/new-scrabble-edition-aims-to-make-game-more-inclusive-less-intimidating/
>
> Scrabble's fan base is full of people who take their board games seriously.
> If you're intimidated by the classic word game, a new version might be just
> right for you.
>
> Scrabble Together Mode seeks to make the game more accessible and easier to
> play. The emphasis in the updated game is on cooperation and collaboration
> rather than competition. For those who found the original Scrabble a little
> too intense, the new version could be a breath of fresh air.

Because board games are so important in the 21st century, right? Here's
a hint: shut the fuck up.

On 12 Apr 2024, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca> posted some
news:jc5k1j1gnqlc3eitm8vpm6jfml802og01s@4ax.com:

> On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
><no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
>
>>These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
>>to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
>>the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
>>path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
>>collaborating to clear the board!
>>
> I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
> you describe would be absurd.

Participation trophies all around.

On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 22:18:36 -0700
The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca> wrote:

> On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
> <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
>
> >These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated
> >decision to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is
> >essentially the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy
> >follows this path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE
> >PLAYERS TO WIN by collaborating to clear the board!
> >
> I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
> you describe would be absurd.

That's basically my point: it is as absurd to collaborate with other
Scrabble players as it would be to collaborate with other Jeopardy
players.

--
Rhino

On 2024-04-13 05:18:36 +0000, The Horny Goat said:
> On Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:51:12 -0400, Rhino
> <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
>>
>> These Scrabble "improvements" actually sound like a calculated decision
>> to take the competition out of the game entirely, which is essentially
>> the whole point of it. I can hardly wait until Jeopardy follows this
>> path and the whole point of the game is for ALL THREE PLAYERS TO WIN by
>> collaborating to clear the board!
>
> I wouldn't mind if they gave a bonus for clearing the board but what
> you describe would be absurd.

Scrabble Together: 'It feels a bit like cheating'
<https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68801704>