for 2 players
materials:
- graph paper
- pens / pencils
- a mutually agreed-upon dictionary (just in case)
On the graph paper, use a pen to outline 25 boxes in a 5x5 array. Boxes in the same row or column must each be separated by two other boxes, as shown in this illustration:
play:
The gameplay is very similar to Paddocks (Dots and Boxes): players take turns filling segments of the grid, and when a player adds the fourth segment to a square, they initial it and continue their turn. This can lead to a player completing and claiming several squares on one turn.
But rather than drawing lines between dots, players in this game write four-letter words reaching from one square to the next. Words always read left-to-right or top-to-bottom. The game is called "Allocation" because each outlined box must contain a different letter of the alphabet. Players may also want to write the alphabet on the paper and cross out each letter as it is used in an outlined box.
Here is an example of a completed game:
As you can see, the grid is incomplete at the end of the game as neither player could find words to fit certain segments. The upper-left outlined box is empty for the same reason (the only unused letters are F and U).
Player 1 wins with a score of 5 to 2. Though Player 2 has only 1 box filled, one point is added to his score, as he was able to add a word to the grid after Player 1 passed his turn. If both players pass on consecutive turns, the game ends and the current score is final.
Proper nouns, acronyms, and abbreviations are forbidden.
alternate versions:
- Make a larger grid to accommodate five- or six-letter words.
- Space rows and columns unevenly for a mixture of word lengths.
- Forbid plurals formed by adding an S.
