Designed by: T. C. Petty III
Handsome is a word-making game that comes in a tiny package.
Inside a wallet is a thin deck of letter cards representing the consonants of the alphabet (J/Z and Q/X double up, sharing a card each). A round is simple: everyone is dealt a small number of cards and they keep some for themselves, whereas others are ‘shared’ by being placed face-up on the table. Once that’s sorted, everyone makes a word using using as many vowels as they like, but only the consonant cards on the table or in their hand.
Once everyone has a word – writing them down helps, so make sure everyone has pen and paper – they are scored. Each card is one of three suits: bow ties, bolos or necklaces, and if your word uses the most of a suit, you get a point for it (in ties all players score points). The player who made the longest word also scores a point, then a new round begins! The first player to reach nine points wins. Note that the S/Y card represents no suit, and the J/Z and Q/X count for two suits if you use either letter on them.
None
If everyone plays at much the same rate, Fidget Factor is minimal. However it's more likely there may be moments where everyone is waiting for somebody who is sure they're on the verge of a brilliant word... might be worth integrating a timer if you prefer to keep things moving.
None for the rules. Plenty for your vocabulary.
You can't predict the fall of the cards, but you do have some control over what you contribute to the table and that adds a dollop of tactical play too. If you like that combination, Handsome lives up to its name.
2-6
Players
10+
Years
15-30
Mins
Sam says
Most word games invariably involve some time staring (possibly in despair) at letters and wondering how on earth you'll make them work for you, which is a turn-off for some. But both Joe and I rather enjoy that mental challenge and Handsome is a new and idiosyncratic take on something we always enjoy, whether it's the (comparatively) snappy Movable Type or the tactical letter-collecting of Paperback. Games designed to be in small packages - a default setting for mini-game US publisher Button Shy, who produced a Joe favourite in Circle the Wagons - can sometimes feel compromised, a big idea beholden to the publisher's criteria; but that's not the case here. The mildly fiddly scoring system - there may be double and triple checks - is a minor caveat to a word game I can and have enjoyed with enthused veteran gamers and family too.