Countdown
| No. of Players: | 2+ |
| Type of Game: | written or spoken |
| What you need: | pen & paper or nothing |
Goal
To form the longest word possible from a random set of letters.
How to play
Players choose a set of letters at random. Pure randomness can be approximated by opening a phone book, sticking the page with a pin and recording the letter it lands on. Nine letters are usually selected, but eight or ten letters work just as well. Players then have a certain amount of time (say, one minute) to form a single word from those letters. The player with the longest word wins the round and is awarded two points. If players tie for the longest word, they each get one point. The winner of the game is the player with the most points after a set number of rounds have been played.
Example
Aubrey selects nine letters by closing her eyes, opening an old book and marking the page with a pen. The letter the pen lands on is recorded. Players have one minute to form the longest word they can using just these letters:
N–O–Y–W–M–M–P–L–E
Aubrey forms the 5-letter word LEMON (although she could have formed LEMONY).
Braxton forms the 4-letter LONE.
Calvin forms the 6-letter EMPLOY.
Daisy forms the 6-letter EPONYM.
Calvin and Daisy each score 1 point in this round.
