Note: This preview uses pre-release components and rules. What you see here may be different from the final, published game. This post was a paid preview, you can find out more information here.
“Well, ‘slithy’ means “lithe and slimy” and ‘mimsy’ is “flimsy and miserable”. You see it’s like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word.”
– Humpty Dumpty, Through the Looking Glass
You’re updating your blog about your next cosplay when you start to feel a little hangry. Not only do you need a fast snack, but you’ve also just used three portmanteau’s to describe your afternoon. Worge takes this smash-up to a whole new level, giving you just a few minutes to create a single word from two, AND think up its definition.
Worge is a word game for 2-8 players that takes about 30-45 mins to play.
Gameplay Overview:
Worge takes place over a series of rounds. In 4-8 player games, play starts with one player taking on the role of the Worge Master, while the others will forge words. The Worge Master draws two words from the deck and sets them face up in the center of the table.
Players have 2 minutes to come up with as many words as they can by merging words from the two cards. When time is up, players will then have 1 minute to find their favorite word and create a definition for it. Answer sheets are given to the Worge Master, who will read the words and definitions aloud and pick their favorite of that round. The next player then becomes the Worge Master and a new round begins. Play continues until one person has been awarded enough points to win.
In 2-3 player game, all players forge words together and score for unique worges. Play continues through a mutually agreed upon number of rounds, and the player with the most points is crowned the winner.
Game Impressions:
To be honest, I didn’t realize how many words are portmanteauses until I started writing this article. And I live in a town where brunch is something you’re obligated to do at least every other week.
The rules to Worge are a single page long, and if your group is into word games you’ll be straight into gameplay in no time.
The word forging itself has some interesting results. Most cards contain at least a couple of compound words that make forging easy, but the funniest results generally come from mashing two completely unrelated longer words together and writing a cracking definition. (Admin-osaurus, the secretary that guards the office microwave. Or Wax-idermy… I’m leaving the definition up to you on that one.)
Depending on the group, this may fill out part of an evening or last just last a few rounds depending on the skill of the wordsmiths and the hilarity of the definitions.
Final Thoughts:
If Wordsy and Wise & Otherwise had a baby, they’d be Worge. Word game lovers will enjoy this twist on the genre, while creative thinkers will have fun stretching word means to their limit. Vocabulary is not a limiter, but knowing word definitions could be. If your game group is into word games, Worge is sure to make you chuckle.
If you are interested in picking up a copy of Worge, it launches today on Kickstarter. So head over to the campaign page to be a backer, or find out more information.
As always, we don’t post ratings for preview copies as the components and rules may change from the final game. Check back with us after the game is produced for a full review. This post was a paid preview, you can find out more information here.
