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Title
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1969_Sackson_259_August 27.jpg
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Creator
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Sid Sackson
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Date
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1969
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Type
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image
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Format
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.jpg
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Source
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Box 1, Object 7, Sid Sackson collection
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Language
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English
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Coverage
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1969
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Rights
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The Strong, Rochester, New York.
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transcription
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English
8/25
WEDNESDAY 27 AUGUST
1969 239th day - 126 days to come
Thinking that "Sackson Games" might need a word game I
thought of an idea for a game FREEWORD. There are a
number of cards with 12 x 12 grids filled in with a
random selection of letters (both sides of the cards
can be used. There are also (say) 6 plastic overlays, each
one having 30 spaces filled with letters (which are
different than those of any of the cards in those par-
ticular spaces. To set up a card is placed in a holder
and one or more overlays placed over it. A grease pencil
of a different color than the color of the letters is used
for playing the game.
The first player starts at the upper right hand
corner. Using that letter and 2 or more additional ones
horizontally or vertically in line with it he makes a
word. The letters on the board can be [crossed out] used in any
order and any number of additional letters can be sup-
plied at the Player's wish. (For example if the letters
are LXART_ _ _ the player could use eXpLAineR.) The
letters used are crossed out with the grease pencil.
Players in turn then use letters starting at right angles
from the last used letters or crossing them. (In other words,
starting from or crossing the last played line.) If a player
cannot play within a specified time limit he loses his turn
and the next plays. If all players fail to make a word,
the next in turn can start from the next corner at the
top. And so on in clockwise rotation. When no further words
can be formed the game is over.
Scoring. In playing from a corner the value is the number
of letters crossed off on the board (not the length of the
word formed). In other cases it is the number of letters
crossed [crossed out] off times the number of lines met or crossed.
Certain letters (J, Q, X, Z) are colored differently and
each one used doubles the value of the play. Also using
only letters on the board doubles the value.
Variation (to keep players from stringing on pre-
fixes and suffixes): The letters supplied at will
cannot number more than those from the board.
Claude picked up the May 1969 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
for me. I am now completely up to date.
Claude saw that Childcraft was selling out WATCH.
He bought 6 at $2 each. They have 2 dozen more and
Claude will pick up some more when he has more spare cash.
A pencil & paper version of FREEWORD could be played
by drawing a 12 x 12 grid and then filling in
letters from any arbitrarily chosen piece of reading
material, starting at the upper lefthand corner
and then along the diagonals. A pencil of another
color could be used for the lines.
(cont. on 8/25)
