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


The next puzzle will shortly be set by shroeder.

Another Movie

R O O O N / _ _ _ _ (5,4)

Robin Hood answered by Manxman

Incorrect Guesses: T, E, A
Steps remaining: 4

T, E

Nope to both.

A, R

R is good

O, N

Now we're cooking with gas

Robin Hood

All yours Friar manxman

Film title 8 letters
S A R E O T _ _

SABOTEUR solved by Lex

incorrect guesses: N, I, L, H
steps remaining: 3

That last one flashed past!

A and N.

A is good

R and E.

both good

I and L.

two misses

O and T.

both good

S and H.

S is good

After much thought and near despair, Saboteur.

Good one Lex

This one is another film, one word 7 letters:


J A I N J _ _

Jumanji solved by Manxman

Wrong guesses: TEROS
Steps left: 2

T, E

Sorry, no luck!

A, R

There is an A, but no R.

O,S

I, N

Two misses for shroeder, but two good shots by MxM!

J

On target.

jumanji

Indeed!

A TV series (7, 4)

_ E R O I I _ * _ _ _ _

CHICAGO FIRE

incorrect guesses: T, S, N, B, D, L, Q, U
steps remaining: 0

The ubiquitous E & T

E works

R,O

both good

S,N

two misses

B,I

I is good

D and L.

2 misses

What the heck...

Q, U

two misses

Chicago Fire

A movie title, one word 11 letters

U E E A A N B B L K _

Unbreakable guessed by shroeder

incorrect guesses: T
steps remaining: 6

[i][/i]

E and T might be good choices!

E is good

A and N.

both good

B and L.

on track

U, K

good choices

Looks like it could be Unbreakable

Right it is

Pipped to the post!

Yet another movie...

_ E A A P O R _ _ _ _ _ (12)

QUADROPHENIA guessed very quickly by Manxman

Incorrect Guesses: T
Steps remaining: 6

T, E

E is good

A, P

Both good

O, R

Methinks you're just playing with me now!

Ok, I'll guess Quadrophenia

All yours Manxman

Thanks shroeder. Another movie title. 2 words (4,6)

H E A R * S R H _ _ _

High Sierra guessed by shroeder

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

E,T

E works

O,S

S is good

A and R.

C and H.

H is good

M,U

Sorry but I seem to have skipped a couple of blanks when filling in the letters.

All Corrected Now

High Sierra

Yes, well done shroeder

Just for a change lets try a...

Movie title!

H A O U N D / H _ _ _ (6,4)

Hudson Hawk. Solved by Manxman

Incorrect Guesses: T, E, R, I, L
Steps remaining: 2

T, E

Neither sorry

A, R

A is good

I, L

Nope

O.

O is good

This is probably going to be a weird title with hardly any vowels, but I'll try U.

Would I do that to you?

U is good

I am sure you would, and i would return the favour!

How about N?

hehehe

N is good

D.

Yep

Just bringing this up to the top...

H.

Now you're cooking with gas

Stealing from Lex (while he sleeps) who did all the hard work, I will guess Hudson Hawk

Good solve

Thank you shroeder Apologies Lex

A 20th century writer. 3 words (3, 7, 3)

G E A * G A R I U Y Y * K _ _

Guy Gavriel Kay guessed by Lex

incorrect guesses: T, O, S, N
steps remaining: 3

No apology needed! I was away in England visiting my children, hence intermittent participation.

E and T (just to be different).

E is good.
Hope you had a good visit

O,S

two misses

A and N.

A is good

R, I

one of each

U,Y

Very good

G,K

Yes. Are you toying with me

With no apology whatsoever to shroeder (but some thanks to Google), Guy Gavriel Kay - not a name with which I was familiar, but sounds like an author to explore.

Lex, the boys and I really enjoy reading his books.