Board Game Arena

Can you use a dash to show where the clue sits in relation to the target word?

E.g. if the target is pine using -apple as a clue or Scots- etc

Most games I've played people are happy with this but someone got really unpleasant about it the other day as if it was breaking the ten commandments. Is there any official guidance on this?

I think it goes against the rules. The clues have to be nouns, numbers, onomatopoeia… Adding a dash turns a noun into a made-up word.

Ultimately, if the entire table is ok to allow that, then it’s fine. The rules for this game are subject to interpretation, but you should probably talk with the rest of the clue givers before taking a decision when rules application is blurry.

In a BGG thread about prefixes a Just One publisher made it clear that use of the hyphen is not allowed in that way:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/244319 ... es-allowed (7th post)

Bi, Re, Tri are good. [..]. Bi-, Re-, Tri- are not. The problem is the hyphen.

aghagh wrote: ↑16 November 2022, 13:57 In a BGG thread about prefixes a Just One publisher made it clear that use of the hyphen is not allowed in that way:

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/244319 ... es-allowed (7th post)

Bi, Re, Tri are good. [..]. Bi-, Re-, Tri- are not. The problem is the hyphen.

Doesn't that same publisher answer also go on to state:

Again, up to you to play like you want. Sometimes after 10 bad guess, a liitle help is OK.

So basically it's at your discretion. I would go with whatever is most fun. I've not played much though so I can't comment on what the wider community consider the normal thing to do. I like the hyphen suggestion though. I will try using it.

I understand that comment from the publisher as "If you are doing very poorly in a game, you can be a bit more flexible with the rules", which could be said for just about any game under the right circumstances. Not that you can be flexible from the start. The rules to me are clear.

And perhaps the first sentence (quoted in bold) might be interpreted as Do what you want, I'm not going to be there watching you).

I agree with above leniency. I think it's fine to use so long as the letters without the dash spell a word in its own right. So -apple would be fine, as would -Scots in the original example. I definitely agree that what matters is having fun, and excluding a clue that would otherwise be valid just because they stuck a dash on it seems petty and unecessarily pedantic to me given publishers comment that it is not 100% vetoed.

-apple would not be fine, unless you have missed the first 10 clues. According to the publisher.

fruktansvärt wrote: ↑16 November 2022, 16:52 -apple would not be fine, unless you have missed the first 10 clues. According to the publisher.

That is an overly pedantic and distorted view of what they wrote. It's wrong to imply that.

Have you ever played this game for real ? I did and even with total strangers and Just One team in a meeting.
It is just about having fun and laugh and, yes, why not, arguing if the clue is good or not but still in a fun way.
I do not understand the point to be strict on the rules here since there is no competition.
When I play home we do not even count the points.

So 100% with MrBeardy here and yes maybe agree on being casual or not at the begining of the game and abandon if all the players do not agree ?

What if a home rules setting was selectable when setting up a game. "loose rules" vs "strict rules" or something like that. Maybe settings for "just have fun and don't be a moron", "strictly follow game rules", "allow hyphens for clues like -apple for the word pine", "allow symbols", "allow etc..." The community could help BGA come up with a list of options. Then this friendly, non ranked game could be played at whatever competition level the game starter wants.