Greetings fellow addicts! This game is 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) Once only two steps remain, single letter guesses are permitted.

(viii) At any stage anyone can try to guess the whole word/expression or individual words of an expression consisting of more than one word, and each wrong word guess results in two steps towards the completion of the picture, but without any indication of whether any of the individual letters guessed (in a wrong word) 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). Any other punctuation will usually be omitted (including hyphens).

(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 head - game over!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H10.gif

This one is another film 6,

F T T R I I * N _ _ _ _

Fright Night solved by Manxman

Wrong guesses: EAOUYS.
Steps remaining: 1

E, T

T but not E.

A, R

R but not A.

O, U

Neither!

I, Y

I but not Y.

S

F, N

No S, but F and N - I think MxM has worked it out!

Apologies for tardy response: we are away from home this week.

Fright Night

Certainly is!

A TV series this time

_ E A A _ _ _ _ _ * E M P _ _ _ (9,6)

Boardwalk Empire solved by shroeder

incorrect guesses: T, S
steps remaining: 5

E,T

E is good

A,S

A is good

M,P

methinks that you have it

Boardwalk Empire

Well done

Another TV Series

B T A L L _ _ _ _ (9)

BLACKLIST - solved by the Manxman



Incorrect guesses: E, N
Steps remaining: 5

T, E

T is good

A and N.

A is good

B, L

Looks like you have it this time!

Blacklist

Well done "Red" Manxman

Thanks shroeder. A movie title this time.

S A L L F Y _ (7)

SKYFALL solved by Lex


incorrect guesses: O, T, R
steps remaining: 4

A, S

Both good

O, T

two misses

L, R

L is good

F and Y.

Did I post this one previously
Both good

I think that you may have, but I am not sure (and no matter)! - Skyfall.

Correct Lex. On to you

This one is a 19th century novel, also filmed, one word 7 letters:


_ E A N _ _ _

Ivanhoe zapped by Manxman.

Wrong guesses; T
Steps remaining: 6

E, T

E but no T.

A, N

Both good.

Ivanhoe

On the money - I had hoped it might prove a little trickier than that!

Movie title W A O O T * C I S N H _ _ (5,7)
WHAT'S COOKING solved by shroeder

incorrect guesses: E, L, Y, R, D
steps remaining: 2

A and E.

A is good

O, T

both good

I, S

again, both good

L, Y

two misses

R, N

N is good

D and H.

H is good

C

C is good (2 letters )

W

W is good.
You read Lex's rules

What's Cooking

That was a relatively recent rule change, possibly when I restarted this version of the game.

Turkey
A Thanksgiving movie. Well done shroeder

Another movie (Warning - it is a New Zealand movie that you may not have seen or heard of!)

Goodbye Pork Pie. Solved by Lex

_ E E O O O R / P _ _ _ / P _ _ (7,4,3)

Incorrect guesses: T, N, A, L ,S

Steps remaining: 2

Let's begin with the usual T, E

E is good

O, N

O, O, O!

A, R

R is good

L and S.

No and no

How about P?

Much better

Goodbye Pork Pie.

I had never heard of it, but it sounds like it might be amusing.

Regarded as a cult movie here in New Zealand. Iconic and just so Kiwi!

This one is a British TV show in two words 10,9:

_ A R T E E E I I S * _ H V _ _ _ _ _ _

University Challenge solved by Manxman

Wrong guesses: BD + about 11 wrong position guesses
Steps remaining: ???

A, R

T, E

All good.

Brideshead Revisited

Interesting guess, but wrong: you needed 2 Rs for that and there is only one.

That probably leaves you hanged, drawn and quartered!

...but keep going.

Does this rule impact on the steps? Sounds like a wrong guess of the expression leads to two steps only. In any case I guess University Challenge

(ix) 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.

Correct, and I see that rules (viii) and (ix) conflict: I had tried to implement (viii), which was a real headache!

I must have added one to replace the other at some point and then made the mistake of leaving the old one.

I have deleted the previous (viii) and amended what was (ix) and now becomes (viii). I think that works, but please let me know. It would have meant that your wrong guess cost 4 steps but with no letters being added.

Thanks for clearing that up Lex

A Canadian movie this time:

M E T A R L _ _ _ (9 letters)
MAELSTROM guessed by Lex

incorrect guesses: N, C
steps remaining: 5

E T

Yes to both

A and N.

A is good

R and C.

R is good.
My apologies for miscounting the number of letters

M and L.

both good

Maelstrom.

I was thinking Clearcut until the number of letters changed!

Correct

Another film in two words 5,8:

W T E E I * M I I C S H H _

White Mischief cracked by shroeder despite fumbling by Lex!

Wrong guesses: ARNL
Steps remaining: 3






BTW I have added to rule (x) to cover other types of punctuation.

Like Wheel of Fortune let's try: T, E, A, R

Two hits and two misses.

M, N

One hit and one miss.

I, L

Another one of each.

C, S

Both good.

W, H

Hi Lex, should the C be bolded