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Welcome to the Exeter Area Scrabble® Club
Here are some of the questions we have answers to.
If you want us to make up some other answers, please send us your questions!
Do you meet EVERY Monday at 6?
Does it cost anything to play?
What do I need to bring?
Did you say "clock"?
What dictionary do you use?
Who will I be playing?
Can I look up words or use a cheat sheet?
Do you ever have tournments?
Must I be a member of the National Scrabble® Association (NSA)?
Why do you always say Scrabble®?
Do you meet EVERY Monday at 6?
We meet EVERY Monday from 6PM until about 10 PM. While we encourage people to come at six and stay for each game, don't worry if you can't be there right on time. We start games whenever two people are ready to play, and play as many games as we can fit in before 10 PM. Some people come early and play a game or two; others come later and stay until everyone leaves. Pick the time that's best for you and your schedule!
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Does it cost anything to play?
Currently, no! Your first visit is always free. In the past we have collected one dollar is collected per player per visit to help cover our printing expenses and other costs, but currently we are not collecting that.
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What do I need to bring?
Just yourself! Regular club members bring tiles, boards, racks and clocks. The club provides scoresheets and dictionaries.
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Did you say "clock"?
That's right! We play tournament-style Scrabble®, which means players use a clock during their games to help keep things moving along, and to help practice for tournament play. We use a chess clock, which is actually two individual timers, only one of which is running at any point in time. Each player is allowed 25 minutes. Your timer runs when it's your turn. When you complete your turn, you press a button which stops your timer and starts your opponent's timer. The clock can also be paused, or neutralized, for special situations like challenging, checking the score, questions for the director, and at the end of the game. If you happen to use more than the allotted 25 minutes, an overtime penalty of 10 points is subtracted from your final score for each additional minute or fraction of a minute used. This penalty DOES NOT apply to newcomers who are unfamiliar timed play.
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What dictionary do you use?
The official dictionary for club and tournament play is the National Scrabble® Association's Official Word List, second edition, or OWL2. While the paperback version of this dictionary is only available for purchase by NSA members, many word lists are available on the web. Most of our club players study words to help improve their play, and nearly all of us know at least all of the acceptable two-letter words. We recommend Mike Wolfberg's website and WHAT? program as a great starting point.
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Who will I be playing?
We are a small, casual club, and while we tend to pair players of similar skill, all players who come regularly will play every other player from time to time. We promise to make you feel welcome, regardless of how much or how little Scrabble® you've played - we love helping others enjoy playing as much as we do!
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Can I look up words or use a cheat sheet?
Our goal is to help every player, at whatever skill level, to be comfortable. Newcomers are provided with a one-page sheet of all the acceptable two- and three-letter words which they can refer to during games. You may use this sheet for as long as you feel you need to. Most newcomers use this reference sheet their first two or three club sessions.
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Do you ever have tournaments?
YES! Please click here to get information on our next CLUB tournament, or here for information on our next fully-rated NSA tournament!
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Must I be a member of the National Scrabble® Association (NSA)?
The Exeter Area Scrabble® Club is affiliated with the National Scrabble® Association (NSA). While we encourage you to join the NSA, not all of our players are members. The NSA has a lot of great resources for Scrabble® players. Check out their website : NSA website
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Why do you always say Scrabble®?
Scrabble® is registered trademark. As a club affiliated with the NSA, we appreciate that Scrabble® is not a generic term. HASBRO is the owner of the registered SCRABBLE® trademark in the United States and Canada. "SCRABBLE® Brand Crossword Game" is the proper way to refer to the unique group of word games and related properties marketed by HASBRO. All HASBRO asks is that when we mean the SCRABBLE® Brand Crossword Game, we say so. The SCRABBLE® trademark is owned by J.W. Spear and Sons, PLC, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. outside of the United States and Canada.
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For more information:
Kath Mullholand
603-834-0676(cell)
kathnh@comcast.net