Hangmanagrams

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.

(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 another (singer and) band 5,3,3,7:

Derek and the Dominos guessed by Manxman

Wrong guesses:
Steps left: 7

T, E

Both good.

A, N

And again.

D, 2nd word AND, 3rd word THE

On the money!

K, O

Just about there.

Derek and the Dominos

You have the key to the highway!

Thanks Lex.

Lionel Richie guessed by Lex (singer 6,6)

incorrect guesses: A
steps left: 6

A and L.

L is very good.

I'll guess I and O.

Excellent LadyKestrel

R and C.

Both good Lex

Lionel Richie.

Yes, well done Lex.

Here's another singer 7,5:

Frankie Valli guessed by Manxman


Wrong guesses: TS
Steps remaining: 5

New Jersey Turnpike in the wee wee hours...

T, E

S, R

One of each for each.

Welcome to crazy corner, Lady K!

A, L

Getting warmer!

I, N

Should be pretty hot now!

Frankie Valli

He's the man!

Veronica Mars(TV show 8,4)

incorrect guesses: T, L, H, Y, B, K, D
steps left:

S, E

both good

How about R, A?

Excellent guesses

Let's go with T and L

Two misses Cue

Ouch! How about H and N

N is good

C and Y.

Is the second word four or five letters (only four blank spaces shown)?

C is good.
Sorry about the inconsistency, the blanks were correct.

I still have no idea - B and K...

Two misses. It's an American tv show that ran for 3 years in the mid-2000's

As a Brit, I will defer to a player from the USA!

Don't have an idea so I'll throw out a couple letters.

How about M and D?

M is good

How about 'G'?

Sorry, no G

Whoa...I am stumped

I am wondering about the second word being Maze

Sorry Lex, that's not it.

The title is the name of the female lead.

Times up....Veronica Mars

Malcom Lowry--guessed by LadyKestrel (20th century writer 7,5)

incorrect guesses: I, E, U
steps left: 4

A and R.

I did consider Mars as the second word of the previous puzzle but had not heard of that show.

Excellent choices

I and E.

Two misses

O and U - got to be some more vowels in there somewhere!

O is good

L and M

Excellent choices Cue
This should seal it

I think that there is one l missing, and I'll wait for Cue (or another player) to take a shot.

You're right Lex

I'm thinking the first name is Malcolm.

…and??

Good one Cue. Now for the last name

I know the answer, but since I didn't do any of the work this time, I'll leave it to Cue.

Stealing answers from under the noses of other players is definitely legitimate and perhaps even encouraged, LadyK!

I don't know the last name so feel free.

You've twisted my arm. The answer is Malcolm Lowry.

Correct LadyK

This one is a movie title: 1,4,6,5
A* _ESA * _AALLI * _CDD_
Answer: A Fish Called Wanda
Incorrect letters: T, R, O
Steps left: 4

T, E

E is correct but T is not, Manxman.

I have a question. Should I show in which word the E belongs?

LadyK, no: you use the first available space in the whole outline (which you need to show in blank).

Okay, Lex. I think I edited it correctly, but let me know.

LadyK, it looks like the first letter of the second word, but not shown bold or italicised (the first "word" being a single letter).

That may mean that it needs to be one place further to the right, on the basis that first letter spaces remain blank until there is a correct first letter guess (I hope that makes sense…!).

A and R.

A is correct but R is not.

LadyK, can you separate the words a * please and there are only 15 spaces for 16 letters?

Since typing spaces between the blanks doesn't work, I did put the number of letters in each word, but I'll go ahead and type in the asterisks.

Suggestion: A visual sample in the first post would be helpful for anyone who hasn't been "it" before. I didn't remember how the words were configured, and once the phrase is solved, it's hard to tell.

Looks good LadyK. Is the fourth word 4 or 5 letters

L, S

It's 5, Manxman. I added the space.

Both L and S are correct. Since L appears twice, I put it in twice. None of the new letters are placed correctly.

We need some more guesses before this falls off the page.

I, O

There is an I but not an O, Manxman. I also have to add several more As to the answer. I was so busy focusing on the first one that I forgot the other 3!

Edit: Since the As were guessed before the Ls, I changed the order of the letters, which should give you some more clues.

Sorry for the confusion. I think I've finally gotten the hang of this.

No problem
C, D

Good choices, Manxman!

A Fish Called Wanda

Your got it, Manxman! I thought those letter As would make it easier.

Thanks LadyK

Apocalypse Now guessed by Lex (movie title 10,3)

incorrect guesses: D, I, T, R, H
steps left: 2

I'll guess S and E.

both good

A and L.

two more good ones

D and I.

Sorry Lex. Two misses

Let's try O and T.

O is good

How about R and C?

C is good

H and N?

N is good.

Took me a while to get to the second word, but then Apocalypse Now!

That's the movie Lex

Good for you, Lex! This was a tough one.

I'll start another thread as there still seem to be a few of us getting a kick out of this game!