Linkword Snap is a game that can, in principal, be played by any number of players greater than one. This version is designed for up to four players. It also makes a great pastime for one player.

Snap is, of course, a game for young children, in which cards are dealt out one at a time, and if a player notices that the latest card dealt is the same as the previous card dealt, then that player shouts 'Snap' and takes all the cards dealt.

Linkword Snap is a version of Snap intended for older minds.

In outline, cards are dealt and normally there are two cards showing at any one time. Each card has on it a definition or condition, some of which are essentially reliant on general knowledge, such as:

  • Word or name closely associated with France
  • Type of Mammal
  • Family or only name of A President (of a Country)
while others are based on the structure or spelling of the word, for example:
  • Word or name beginning with C
  • Word or name containing Exactly 6 letters
  • Word or name whose letters Are in ascending alphabetical order
The players try to be the first to find a word or name that links or matches both the definitions or conditions.

So, for example, if the two cards were:
  • Type of Mammal
  • Word or name beginning with C
a player might shout out 'Camel', or 'Cat'.

More difficult are words that match two cards based on general knowledge, but these can often be found. For example, if the cards were:
  • Family or only name of A President (of a Country)
  • Name of A Car (Make or Model)
then a player might shout out the answer 'Ford', or, maybe, 'Lincoln'.

Sometimes, three cards are displayed, in which case the players are expected to shout out an answer that matches all three cards.

The player that calls out the first acceptable linking word takes all the cards currently on the table. If nobody calls out an acceptable linking word, another card is dealt out and placed on one of the two displayed cards.

The winner is the player with the most cards in his possession when the cards run out, or when some agreed time has been reached (or otherwise as agreed by the players).

Playing the game

Before a game begins, the players should agree when the game is considered to have ended, at which point the player with the highest score is the winner. Typical end points are:
  • When a card is to be dealt from one of the two packs but there are no cards available. Note: if this situation is reached, the game automatically ends;
  • When a certain time has been reached;
  • When one player has gained a certain target score (i.e. number of cards), e.g. 100
To begin a new game, press the New button.

The players of the game each play as one of the four colours at the top: red, yellow, green or blue.

Conceptually, there are two pack of cards from which cards are dealt:
  • Pack A, with pale green cards containing conditions based on the word structure
  • Pack B, with pale blue cards containing definitions or conditions requiring general knowledge
The number of cards in each pack is shown on the right in green and blue boxes.

The two packs are each shuffled, and play then continues as a series of rounds.

A round

Initially, one card is taken from pack A and placed in the top card position (1), and another card is taken from pack B and placed in the middle card position (2). A countdown is started (displayed just above the die).

The players must then try to call out a word or name that matches both the cards, before the countdown ends. The first player to call out a linking word that is acceptable wins the round. In that case, the box of that player's colour at the top is pressed. The total number of cards that have been dealt in the round are then added to the player's score, which is dislayed in that box.

The total number of cards dealt in a round is always visible in the white box at the bottom on the right.

If no player calls out an acceptable linking word in the time available, the No button is pressed. A die is thrown by the system, and the number thrown determines how the next card is dealt:
  • 1: Deal a card from pack A onto position 1
  • 2: Deal a card from pack A onto position 1
  • 3: Deal a card from pack A onto position 2
  • 4: Deal a card from pack B onto position 2
  • 5: Deal a card from pack B onto position 2
  • 6: Deal a card from pack B onto position 1
The card is dealt, based on the above, so that one of the cards is changed. The players then try to be the first to find a linking word for these two cards.

The round continues in this way until somebody finds an acceptable linking word, in which case all the cards on the table are added to that player's score (by pressing on that player's coloured score box).

Three cards

Each of the two packs also contains some 'Three' cards. As soon as one of these is dealt, three cards are dealt: a card from Pack A is dealt to card position 1, a card from Pack B is dealt to card position 2, while another card is dealt from the same pack as the Three card was dealt from to card position 3.

Words or names must then be found which match all three of these cards. If a linking word is found, the winning player receives all the cards, and play then continues with the usual two card positions. If no linking word is found, the die is thrown and the following actions take place:
  • 1: Deal a card from pack A onto position 1
  • 2: Deal a card from pack A onto position 3
  • 3: Revert to playing with two card positions only
  • 4: Deal a card from pack B onto position 2
  • 5: Deal a card from pack B onto position 3
  • 6: Revert to playing with two card positions only
When a 3 or 6 is thrown, the cards in card position 3 are moved onto card position 1, but then, immediately, two cards are dealt: one from pack A onto position 1, and one from pack B onto position 2.

Valid Words

With any word-based game, there are always grey areas and disputes. Here we try to give some guidance, but ultimately it is up to the players to decide whether a particular answer is acceptable and to resolve disputes.

It can be useful to have one person appointed as a referee - maybe a non-player or maybe the players take turns to be referee. It is also useful to agree that a particular dictionary, encyclopedia, or web site be used to resolve disputes.

A valid word must be used in English and contain 2 or more letters, with no hyphens, apostrophes, spaces, numerals, or other symbols. Proper names, beginning with upper-case letters, are acceptable. Whether letters would normally be lower- or upper-case is irrelevant, so that the name 'Mark' would match up with the word 'mark'.

Accented letters are accepted and treated in their base form, so the word 'resumé' is acceptable and would match with 'resume' (even though they are pronounced differently). Words or names comprising only a set of initials pronounced as individual letters, e.g. NBC, OK or BP are not valid.

In order to make it more likely that linking words can be found, and to encourage more creativity with answers, words that are spelt differently but sound the same (homophones) are also acceptable. So, the name 'Forde' could also be matched with the word 'ford' or 'Ford', and the words 'bare' and 'bear' could also be matched up. This opens up the possibility of finding answers to two apparently incompatible conditions, such as:
  • Word or name containing Exactly 4 letters
  • Word or name containing Exactly 2 letters
or
  • Word or name beginning with K
  • Word or name beginning with N
In both cases, 'know'/'no' would be an acceptable answer. Likewise, given the two cards:
  • Type of Vegetable
  • Word or name containing the sequence EE
an acceptable answer would be 'bean'/'been'.

Players may also, at the beginning, agree to relax certain rules. For example, they might agree that 'words' with hyphens or apostrophes are acceptable (the hyphen or apostrophe not counting as a letter).

People's names are a particularly contentious area. Looking for just about any name of a person, e.g. of an Author, Painter or Sculptor, or Sports Personality, beginning with S, the name Smith could probably be proposed, and a search on the internet would be likely to find such a type of person with that name so confirming the answer given.

However, to be acceptable, the person proposing a name should be able to give some information about the person they are thinking of (unless, of course, the name in the given context is so well known that every player agrees it is acceptable). So, for the name of an Author beginning with S, 'Smith' would be acceptable if the player also said 'Wilbur', or 'The author of the Courtney series' to support it.

Dead heats

If two or more people all call out an acceptable linking word at the same time, none of them should be awarded the cards in play. Instead, the game should continue, but for the next turn only those players involved in the dead heat may answer.

Countdown time

The time allowed for calling out answers is, by default, 20 seconds. The time may be adjusted by pressing the More button, and then by pressing the + or - buttons. These buttons increase or decrease the time allowed (as displayed in the box between these buttons) in 10s increments. Pressing the Back button displays the main playing screen again.

New game

A new game may be started at any time by pressing the New button.

Linkword Snap is an original game devised by Dr. David Wolstenholme

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Version: 3.0 (20170327)
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