A slight twist on the old schooldays word guessing game to gently tickle your grey cells. Here, the guessers start off by building a nonsense anagram of the answer, because the setter will simply enter each correctly guessed letter (including any duplicates) into the first available space(s) in the outline, except for the first letter of each word which will be correctly placed. At some point, there will be enough letters to create scope for a guess at the answer by unscrambling them, or at least that is the general idea...

Rather than being limited to a single word the puzzle will often be a title or character, adding a flavour of the game of charades.

Please read the instructions carefully as these are not the usual rules of the traditional game. Hopefully everything is reasonably clear, but please do not hesitate to ask for help or clarification.

The rules

(i) The setter puts up the outline of a word or a short reasonably well-known expression in blank (so that all the other players know are the numbers of words and of letters in each word) together with an indication of the nature or category of the word/expression. An expression might be for example a book, play, film or music title or the name of a famous person or character, or perhaps a proverb or saying: it is entirely up to the setter, but please give enough of a hint to narrow the category.

(ii) Someone else posts at least two letters which he/she thinks might be in the word/expression.

(iii) The setter enters into the outline any correctly guessed letter, but only in its correct position if it is the first letter of a word: otherwise the letter and any repetition of it will simply be placed in the first available empty space (which might entirely coincidentally be its correct position). The space for the first letter of each word is therefore left blank until that letter is correctly guessed.

(iv) Meanwhile the setter also starts to add the hanged person to the gallows with one step for each incorrectly guessed letter or position of letter. Seven steps are needed to complete the victim (head, body, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, face). [If having to do this deters you from playing, feel free not to bother.]

(v) Someone posts another two (or more) letter guesses and/or a guess at the correct position in the outline of at least one of the already posted letters, and so on. There is nothing to prevent the same person from posting consecutive guesses, or even hogging an entire game; on the other hand, do not hesitate to steal a game from under someone else's nose!

(vi) The setter keeps score by posting a list of wrong guesses and the number of steps remaining.

(vii) Players are allowed to try to guess individual words of an answer consisting of more than one word. However, such a guess will be treated as separate letter or position guesses for each blank space in the word (which could therefore prove expensive if the guess is wrong).

(viii) At any stage anyone can try to guess the whole word/expression, and a wrong word/expression guess results in two steps towards the completion of the picture, but without any indication of whether any of the individual letters or words guessed are correct.

(ix) Any letter appearing in its correct position (whether coincidentally or as a result of a correct position guess, or because it is the first letter of a word) will be shown in bold italic.

(x) Apostrophes will not be shown, and any letter following an apostrophe will be counted as part of the word which it follows (so that for instance Wayne's World would be two words 6,5).

(xi) The setter wins if the picture of the hanged person is completed: otherwise the person to correctly guess the word/expression is the winner, and hopefully then sets the next word/expression. Don't be afraid to have a go: there is plenty of help available if you have any difficulty, and you can always edit your way out of any errors.

Note for setters on creating the picture of the gallows and hanged person

The picture steps (kindly contributed by Pandora) are in a photobucket album on the internet which are accessed by using one of the urls (web addresses) below, and here's how you do it:

In the full reply screen one of the option buttons across the top is "enter an image" which then offers you a choice of various image positions to insert followed by a dialogue box for a url.

You just copy and paste the url you need, deleting and replacing (using the edit process) as you go through the game and want to change the picture.

[I have been using the position "non-floating image"]

The urls

The gallows, in place at the start of the game
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/G4.gif

Step one, the head of the condemned person
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H1.gif

Step two, the body
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H2.gif

Step three, the right leg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H3.gif

Step four, the left leg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H4.gif

Step five, the right arm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H5.gif

Step six, the left arm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H6.gif

Step seven, the face of death
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H10.gif


Go on, you know you really want to give it a try!

This one is a historical thriller book title from within the last few years 3,5,8:

T H E * D T T H T * I E N N A I C _

The Death Instinct

Wrong guesses: RO
Steps remaining: 5

Asked a part-time thief, "What should I do?" He said, "Use that pain to sing them blues"

T, H

Pretty useful.

luck of the Irish

E, N

Both good.

A, R, first word the

A lack of R but otherwise good.

Ok, let's see if there are any more vowels.....I, O

Two of them Is but no O.

C, D

Both on the money.

The Death Instinct

Yes indeed.

another book title (3,2,4,1,4)

H O W * T O * R O O E * A * B A K _

How To Read a Book--guessed by Lex

incorrect guesses: N
steps remainig: 6

A and O.

Both very good

N and T.

T is good

H and W.

both good

E and K, first word HOW.

Good on all counts

R and B.

How to read a book (it took me a while to discard make/bake/cake...).

You read that one well Lex.

This one is a (relatively new) blues/country singer 7,6:


L A R O N N I * D L C _ _ _

Lincoln Durham

Wrong guesses: TE
Steps left: 5


Most the time I just walk the line wherever it goes, 'cuz you can't hang yourself if you ain't got enough rope.

T, E

Neither!

You're getting devious
How about A, R

Dem two is good.

O, N

Dem two too!

I, L

Both on the money.

C, D

Definitely getting there!

Lincoln Durham

Indeed - he's a very cool dude and I am hooked on his first album, although not so taken with the new one (or at least not yet).

Thanks for the heads up on this singer. Looked him up on You Tube and have now ordered his albums. Great voice, lyrics and sound

Glad you like him! As with much of my newer music, I blame Bob Harris's weekly Country Music show of which I usually only catch an occasional 10 minutes on my way home from work.

On the basis that we may share other musical tastes, you may care to try Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo (especially the most recent album which is a move from what I would loosely call roots folk toward folk/rock), Eric Church, and Jamestown Revival (album ordered but still awaited from USA, so not yet listened to in any depth).

I am also very impressed with what I have heard from the about to be released new album from Paolo Nutini (what I would call rock and soul).

Thanks for the suggestions Lex. I will definitely look them up on You Tube

Ok, so now you have me hooked on Emily Barker and the Jamestown Revival

I E A I * M N N D _ _ Name of a band. (4,6)

Iron Maiden---guessed by Lex

Incorrect guesses: B, L
Steps remaining: 5

As a resident of Canada you must already be aware of Bruce Cockburn...

B and E.

Yes, of course. And I like his music

E is good.

I do too

Yes Soot Some of my favs are
Lovers in a dangerous time
Wondering where the lions are
If I had a rocket launcher

A and L.

I'm a bit selective, but there are three albums I particularly like: Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu, The Charity of Night and Dart to the Heart.

Going back to Country recommendations, you might try Sally Spring and Tift Merritt.

Thanks for the recommendations Lex

A is good

I and N.

2 of each

Looks like M and D might work!

Quite correct

Iron Maiden.

That's the group

This one is an old TV series named after the central character 8,7:

_ N S S O O A A * C D I L G _ _

Hopalong Cassidy

Wrong guesses: TE
Steps left: 5

Jody fell out of his tractor, couldn't b'lieve what he seen, laid on the ground and shook fearin' for his life...

T, E

Nary a one!

You're being devious again

N, S

N is good.

O, R

Oops, not keeping my eye on the ball here! Too distracted by other things...S was also correct, as is O (but definitely not R).

A, D

Both good.

I, L

And again!

C, G

Anyone might think you know the answer!

Hopalong Cassidy

Sure is.

An oldie movie title. (4,4,6)

_ A A L * _ E E S * N N C _ _ _

Baby Face Nelson guessed by Lex

incorrect guesses: R, T, D, M, H, K
steps left: 1

A and L.

both good

E and R.

E is good

S and T.

A couple more music suggestions: the Barr Brothers (album of same name), and for something rather different The Awesome Wave by Alt-J.

S is good.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll youtube them

N and D.

N is good

C and M.

C is good

H and K.

Two misses

Assisted by google and running out of lives, I think this must be Baby Face Nelson (no doubt prompted by the recent death of Mickey Rooney).

Exactly

This one is a current author of fiction 5,6:

_ E R A _ * C C _ _ _ _

Wrong guesses:
Steps remaining: 7

E, R

Two good starts.

A, C

Both good.

I think that I may have made this one too obvious by posting elsewhere!

Blake Crouch

Yes indeed: my wife Linda and I are both immersed in his books at the moment - very hard to put down!

A TV show this time (4,9)

T E E E * _ E T T I _ _ _ _
True Detective guessed by Lex

incorrect guesses: L, A, M
steps remaining: 4

E and L.

E is good

A and T.

T is good

I and M.

I is good

I'm being very slow here: True Detective!

Well deduced Lex

Another current writer of fiction 4,8:

J O H N * S N R O A F D D

John Sandford

Wrong guesses: LET
Steps left: 4

O, N

Both good.

L, R

R is good.

J, H

Both good.

E, T

I was wondering where those had got to - two misses!

I knew you set me up but I had to eliminate all the possibilities

A, S, First name JOHN

Correct on all fronts!