sure, it’s legal. you’re just a jerk.
what the hell kind of dictionary are you using? the official scrabble dictionary says zit is a word. so let’s see, you used a crappy dictionary that doesn’t have the word “zit” in it, you played the word anyway, then challenged your gf when she pluralized it on the basis that the (faulty) dictionary you two were playing by did not recognize it as word. refer to #1.
:rolleyes:
It’s not fair because people are supposed to have an advantage due to their superior play, not due to their superior knowledge of the rules.
Whenever my nephew loses at Candyland, I verbally berate him and then go over every wrong move he made. Sure, he usually ends up crying, but it’ll make him a better player.
Fascinating book, isn’t it?
Certainly an answer to those saying “it’s only a game”. Scrabble gives meaning to the lives of many of its top players, arguably becoming a art form at the highest echelons. A little scary too, some of the guys featured in it.
Huh? How is knowing the rules not part of superior play?
Hold on, re: my chivalry quote. I didn’t mean “let your girlfriend win.” I simply meant “don’t be a jerk.” Perhaps I shoulda left in just the second part of my sentence.
Here’s what it boils down to me: Most people would accept “zit” as a legal word. (Or so I think.) I would never have challenged it, and as we’ve seen it is part of the OWL and OSPD3. Now, somehow you had knowledge that the particular dictionary you were using did not include the word “zit.” I certainly don’t have time to pore over every dictionary and find which common and usually acceptable words have been omitted. For some reason, you knew. Since you both agreed on a dictionary in the beginning (I assume) then technically, your play was fair. I would never ever say from a strict strategic and rules point of view that your play was illegal or wrong. However, it seems some people here are just overly competetive. Fine. In a friendly game I do put down illegal words occassionally. Part of the game. If somebody adds to it, maybe I’d challenge, maybe not. I don’t know. I don’t think I have in the past. But with a word like “zit” which any reasonable person would accept and assume is in any decent dictionary, I find your move questionable. How you knew the word wasn’t in your dictionary, I don’t know. Strictly speaking, you’ve got the rules on your side. But, really, you’re not in a tournament, and this is a friendly game. Does no one here play games simply for the fun of it anymore? In your situation, this would be my compromise, and what I have done in the past: allow her the word, explain to her that technically the rules are on your side, and next time this happens we agree that the proper penalties apply. That’s fair, isn’t it?
Sorry, but no. This is not an obscure rule. Anyone I’ve ever played Scrabble with knows of this rule. If the girlfriend has an inferior knowledge of the rules, then it’s her own damn fault for not reading the two small leaflet pages they’re printed on.
In other news, new editions of Scrabble have a list of all the 2 letter words in the rulebook. So the rule book is now 2 small leaflet pages with all the 2 letter words written in the column. I can see why the girlfriend didn’t want to look through it. :rolleyes:
Sex first, Scrabble second.
Write it on your arm if you must.
Sex first, Scrabble second.
Write it on your arm if you must.
Rhum Runer and Munch: In any game, everyone is supposed to know the rules. Having superior knowledge of the rules is an unfair advantage. Yeah, she should have studied up beforehand, but Scrabble is a simple game and those of us who have rarely played assume we know the rules. An experienced player knows that there are some rules that are not intuitive, and it’s his responsibility to inform the inexperienced player. If you don’t know the rules exist, you don’t know to ask. (And it appears from the excerpts on this thread that the written rules are less than clear.) Even after you do everything to teach a new player the rules, a normal people let mistakes slide the first few games before imposing tournament rules.
So let me get this straight–the girlfriend fails to challenge a word that is commonly known to exist in many (if not most) dictionaries. If she does challenge the word as illegitimate and is wrong, she is penalized. This does not indicate her failure to understand the rules, it merely indicates her level of familiarity with this pos dictionary.
So, Gassendi chooses to capitalize on this situation by playing a word that would ordinarily be acceptable but isn’t in this case because of the dictionary being used. He (quite understandably) is not challenged; what ordinary Scrabble player would if they knew they’d be penalized under ordinary circumstances? Then, he shafts the gf by challenging that same word–one that ordinarily would be in the dictionary but not in this particular one. Then he defends his actions as “fair”? :rolleyes:
Did he cheat? Technically (and marginally), No. Is he a Grade-A jerk for pulling this stunt (capitalizing on his girlfriend’s ignorance of that dictionary, not the rules themselves)?
Yup. Absolutely.
If you explained the rules to her before play, if you and her had equal knowledge of the rules etc, I fail to see the problem.
I used to play Magic the Gathering (it’s a very geeky card game for those who don’t know. If, for whatever reason, you’ve seen an episode of Yugi-oh, it’s a lot like duel monsters). You play with your own deck. Land cards make mana. You use mana to cast spells and summon monsters. My friend had a monster who could not attack unless he destroyed 7 of his land cards. This was a big loss. I waited until he had destroyed them, and then used a card I’d had the whole time to send the monster back to his hand. I could have done that before he destroyed any lands. But, I chose to sit by while he shot himself in the foot. His response to my play was “You had that card the whole time? Well done!”
My friends are currently big on Talisman(great board game). We make sure that we know the rules and agree on their interpretation before playing a different version of the game or with a new person. Then, completely within the rules, we lie and stab all the other players in the back. It’s a great way to spend an evening.
Re-Letting Kids Win
My Mom never let me win. When I learned to read, and could thus play Scrabble, Mom won. My sister came in second, and I was last. But in time, I could beat my sister. Then, I beat Mom for the first time. Then, I began to beat her most of the time.
That gave me a real sense of accomplishment. When I play a game with my friends' kids, I explain the rules. I make sure that the game is not too difficult for them. I give them tips on how to win. But when we play, I play to win. Beating adults is an important milestone.
King Aegeus hides his sword and sandals beneath a truly heavy stone. He tells Aethra "If you bear me a son AND he can lift that stone, he will be worthy to slay the Minotaur." Aegeus does not give his son an easy task. Aethra never helps her son. When Theseus finally lifts the stone, he know he accomplished something great. Only then does Aethra tell him that his father is a king and that he is a prince.
You don’t have to be Joseph Campbell to see what I’m getting at.
Perfectly ok? obviously not - you lost
I agree with the sense-of-accomplishment arguement. But, in what the gf obviously saw as a friendly game, the I-play-to-win-even-if-I-have-to-beat-my-own-mother-with-a-frying-pan arguement doesn’t hold weight. IMO
You too? 
No, she wouldn’t let me shaft her that night, remember? 
The ups and downs in this thread have me hanging by… well, a thread. One moment I’m a cold blooded, ultra competitive bully. The next I’m simply playing the game as best as I’m able, and correct to take any advantages I can.
This thread contains such great insights into how we view competition, and the situations in which it takes place.
In the end, the GF and I are having a good laugh about this together. And we’re going to get a new dictionary for our Scrabble play!
I don’t mean to keep bumping this thread up, so this will be my last contribution. But she and I will continue to follow any further debate with interest.
Glad to hear! As they say - don’t sweat the small stuff.
Hey girl, I would have done (or rather, not done) the same thing. 