Last Tuesday V and I walked through Thornbury at dusk towards a not-so-secret rendezvous. Our course took us through gentrified back streets and lanes where a great deal of renovation of Victorian and Edwardian houses was apparent. As evening fell, householders turned on their lights, illuminating stained glass windows in both modern and traditional designs.
Arriving at the crest of the incline in G street, where the land begins to slope down into the valley of the Darebin Creek, we reached our destination. It was a friend’s place and this was our traditional Scrabble night. Joined by three other players, AC, CC and RF, we decided to play an unusual form of the game involving one board but two sets of tiles.
We consciously tried to open up all sectors of the board, but even so it became crowded very quickly. Crafty players who saw opportunities to infill with small but high value words began to creep ahead in the scoring. No sooner had I successfully placed a Q and an X, I was landed with several other high-rating tiles and no room to discharge them. Result: at the end of the game I had to subtract 14 points from my score.
Our game with two sets of tiles
This didn’t matter because Scrabble is one of those utterly addictive board games that I enjoy just as much when I lose as when I (rarely) win. I’d like to have another go at the double-tile version, but I’ve heard on the cyber-grapevine that RF might be designing a giant board for us. That sounds like fun. Maybe I can repeat one of last year’s triumphs and place a word like ‘vortex’ on a triple word score…
Credits: Scrabble (R) is a Hasbro game. Stained glass entrance panels: Pater Leadlights. Scrabble board: V
I love Scrabbles too! (I think I told you that before!) It’s all right about winning or losing since I’m on the same boat as you – regardless of the game I play.
By: DTLCT on July 11, 2009
at 11:49 am
I won both games that night
Just a friendly reminder.
By: V on July 11, 2009
at 11:54 am
But that ‘emoted-god’ sequence at the bottom of the board was mine, all mine!
By: vgag on July 11, 2009
at 12:05 pm
Chagrin! My small intended contribution [I had a spare D] was DEMOTED by some little RUNT who got in the way! Cockney wordskills aside, I didn’t feel I could ask for RUNTDEMOTED [despite PM Howard losing his seat on the last Federal election] because they’d graciously let me get away initially with TENTPEG …I began playing doubletiled Scrabble in London 40 years ago. Some games would go for more than 3 hours with lots of tea, homemade biscuits, verbal jostling and hilarity…
By: CC on July 12, 2009
at 8:18 am
Seems to me that scrabble is a little like 18th century sword play, for fun or deadly serious and every variant in between. Mmmm, I observe there is a considerable adrenalin component for those competitive souls really into it.
Why else would I remember SO clearly a weekend of scrabble games 8 years ago.
Still you can’t get knicked by a scrabble tile, preferable to a sabre any day!
By: AED on July 12, 2009
at 8:29 am
Well, CC, I agree that ‘runtdemoted’ deserves a place in the NED, or at least in the Macquarie, for its recent electoral associations alone. On the other hand, as I recall, we were very evenhanded: ’spagbol’ didn’t get a guernsey either.
I loved the double tiled game. It forces the players to slow down, especailly as the board becomes crowded and thus it becomes both about game strategy and great conversation!
AED, I am indeed a very competitive person, but somehow I don’t care greatly that I routinely lose at Scrabble. I think I get a lot of satisfaction about coming up with great words, even if they are not high scoring.
By: vgag on July 12, 2009
at 9:12 am