One-"Part" Word Game

Rules:

  1. You may only use monosyllabic (1-syllable) words.
    1. "Use" means both in speech and in writing.
      1. In all parts of these rules and guidelines, assume that any words implying communication encompass the defininitions of all forms of communication.
        1. Words implying communication can be: "speak", "write", "address", "state", "say",...etc.
        2. All forms of communication should be considered as spoken or written - in person, by physical means (on paper,...etc), or by electronic means (phone, email,...etc).
      2. "Written communication" should only indicate interactive communication and is not intend to include typical 1-way communication.
        1. Interactive communication can be: email, chat, passing notes in meetings/class, forums,...etc.
        2. 1-way communication can be: blog posts, addressing a classroom on a chalk board...etc.
      3. Any sort of written communication that may be included with in-game communication, but was not written by a player during the current game does not count.
        • An email/forum signature
        • Any extraneous text that is generated by a thrid-party (email forward/reply details, chat timestamps,...etc)
        • Any pre-existing words/text (other emails in an email reply/forward...etc)
        1. Any text that is used and/or manipulated by you automatically becomes your text.
          • If you cut and paste some text from a website or an email, the pasted text becomes your words.
    2. Non-word interjections are acceptable as long as they only contain 1 syllable.
      • "Hmm...", "Ugh!", and "Oi!" are acceptable.
      • "Heyo!","Ahoy!", and "Phooey..." are not acceptable.
  2. If you use any polysyllabic (multi-syllable) word, you lose.
    1. In all parts of these rules and guidelines, assume that "polysyllabic" means "more than 1 syllable", and "speak normally" means "use polysyllabic words".
    2. Once you have lost, you can then use polysyllabic words at any time.
  3. The last person still playing wins.
  4. You only need to be playing the game if you are addressing other players while a game is in progress.
    1. This includes addressing a group of non-players, as long as it consists of at least 1 player.
    2. Anyone that has played in the current game but has lost are still considered to be players, even though they may have resumed using polysyllabic words.
  5. Conflict Resolution Rule: Any questions, conflicts, or unfair gameplay (regarding issues that these Official Rules don't clearly address) can be resolved by a >50% majority vote with all players.
    1. Note that in a game of even numbered players, to achieve a >50% majority you must have MORE than half of the players vote to achieve a majority.
      • In a game of 8 players, 4 players does not constitute a majority - only 5 or more palyers.
      1. In the event of a 50%/50% tie, the majority is awarded to the one who initiates the challenge.
      2. If there are only 2 players in the current game, a 50%/50% tie should be resolved by a pre-designated third-party.

Keywords:

  1. Word Fail: Players can claim another player's loss by saying "Word Fail: [polysyllabic word]".
  2. Word Check: Any questionable word can be decided upon by saying "Word Check: [questionable word]".
    1. Word Check should be allowed/denied by the players by saying "yes"/"no", respectively.
      • Player 1: "Word Check: wasn't?"
      • Player 2: "No."
      • Player 3: "No."
      • Player 1: "Word Check: won't?"
      • Player 2: "Yes."
      • Player 3: "Yes."
      • Player 4: "Yes."
    2. Word Check can be decided by a unanimous vote by all players.
    3. If Word Check cannot be unanimously decided, it can be determined by a reference to a reputable dictionary.
      1. "Dictionary" is defined as any book or website that literally describes itself as a dictionary (eg, it has the word "dictionary" in its title or subtitle).
      2. "Reputable dictionary" is defined as any hardback dictionary, the official website of any hardback dictionary, the Reference.com dictionary, or any other dictionary that has been unanimously voted as reputable by all players.
      3. Wiktionary will not be considered a reputable dictionary in this case.
      4. More than one dictionary may be referenced, as long as it meets the definition of "reputable" as described above.
      5. If the checked word can be considered monosyllabic in ANY way, then it is acceptable.
    4. Word Check can also be used as a challenge.
      • Player 1: "Oh crap - my pants are on fire!"
      • Player 2: "Word Check: fire."
      • Player 1: "What?!"
      • Player 3: "Yes."
      • Player 4: "Yes."
      • Player 5: "Yes."
      • Player 1: "Whew...wait, my pants are still on fire!"
    5. If it is belived that Word Check is being used to circumvent the basic rule of the game, then a player can challenge the Word Check abuse by saying "Word Check Fail".
      1. The decision will be left up to a >50% majority vote of all players.
      2. Other players can vote by saying "fail" to claim the loss of the player in question, or "check" to claim the usage as a valid Word check.
        • Player 1: "I can not use -Word Check: monosyllabic words in my -Word Check: sentences."
        • Player 2: "Word Check Fail."
        • Player 3: "Fail."
        • Player 4: "Fail."
  3. Rules Check/Rules Set: If a polysyllabic discussion of the rules is necessary, you may say "Rules Check". From the time that phrase is said to the time that "Rules Set" is said (by the same player), any polysyllabic word may be used, as long as it is directly discussing the rules of this game.

Allowances:

  1. Any communication with a person or persons that are not playing in the current game (as long as the group you are addressing contains NO players) may include polysyllabic words.
  2. Any meaningful communication or any communication with someone meaningful may include polysyllabic words.
    1. "Meaningful" communication may be entered without declaration, as long as it's agreed (via the Conflict Resolution Rule) that the communication is indeed non-recreational.
      • If your boss/teacher walks in and asks you a question, you may speak to them using polysyllabic words without having to declare it beforehand.
    2. You may answer the phone normally, but as soon as you realize the caller is another player, you must immediately resume playing the game. If the caller is not playing the game, then you may speak to them however you wish - as long as you are speaking only to a non-player or non-players.
    3. As a courtesy, you should resume playing the game by stating, "Back In".
      • Player 1: (to Player 2) "...and then I said--"
      • Boss: "Hello, Peter. What's happening? We need to talk about your TPS reports."
      • Player 1: (to Boss) "Yeah. The coversheet. I know, I know. Uh, Bill talked to me about it."
      • Boss: "Yeah. Uh, did you get that memo?"
      • Player 1: "Yeah. I got the memo. And I understand the policy. The problem is, I just forgot this one time. And I've already taken care of it so it's not even a problem anymore."
      • Boss: "Yeah. It's just that we're putting new coversheets on all the TPS reports *before* they go out now. So if you could just remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. Alright!"
      • Player 1: (to Boss) "Alright."
      • Player 1: (to Player 2) "Back In."
      • Player 2: "K."
      • Player 1: "So, then I said..."
  3. Any word that has a common monosyllabic alternative is acceptable.
    1. "Common" is defined as a word that can be found in a reputable dictionary or a word that has been used by at least 2 players outside of gameplay.
      • "e'er" (pronounced like "air") would be an acceptable alternative to "ever".
      • For gamers and most geeks, "WoW" (pronounced "wow" - as it is spelled) would be an acceptable alternative to "World of Warcraft".
  4. Contractions, plurals, and verb tenses are allowed as long as they don't make the word polysyllabic.
  5. Spelling is only allowed when:
    1. You are addressing only players, have made at least 1 attempt to use only monosyllabic words, and every player still does not understand.
    2. You are addressing any number of non-players, have made at least 1 attempt to use only monosyllabic words, and any non-player still does not understand.
    3. The word is an acronym.
      • "U. S. A." is acceptable.
      • "PM" (as in "2:36 PM") is acceptable.
      • "OK" is acceptable as "OK" or "O.K.", but not as "okay".
      1. Any acronym discrepancies must be resolved by the Conflict Resolution Rule.
  6. Any word that can be split up into 2 or more monosyllabic words and maintain its definition is allowed. This includes hyphenated words.
    1. This usage does not need to be declared beforehand.
    2. One exception to this rule is for proper nouns or titles. If a proper noun is split up into multiple words, it no longer identifies the connected person/place/thing, and, therefore, does not maintain its definition.
      • "micro soft" does not hold the same meaning as "Microsoft", so it is not allowed.
      • "world of war craft" does not hold the same meaning as "World of WarCraft", so it is not allowed.

Restrictions:

  1. Not all numerals can be treated as monosyllabic words. Numbers and numerals should be treated like they are pronounced.
  2. Making incoherent sounds or using other words that, when run together, make another word are not acceptable.
  3. Using polysyllabic words while speaking to inanimate objects or non-players with the intent of communicating to another player is considered unfair gameplay and is not allowed.
    1. A player doing this can be challenged by a Word Fail.
    2. Challenges can be resolved by the Conflict Resolution Rule.

Notes:

  1. Any tongue-tied sounds or typos are subject to the Conflict Resolution Rule.
  2. "fire", according to reputable dictionaries, is monosyllabic.

Game Variants:

  1. Only Polysyllabic Wordings Allowed: Players can only use polysyllabic words. This variant is practically the opposite of the One-"Part" Word Game. The same basic rules apply, only with polysyllabic words.
    1. "Word Fail" becomes "Verbiage Failure".
    2. "Word Check" becomes "Verbiage Audit".
    3. "Rules Check" becomes "Protocol Audit", and "Rules Set" becomes "Protocol Decided".
    4. Any usage of "yes" in the above rules becomes "affirmative", while "no" becomes "negative".
    5. Any usage of "fail" in the above rules becomes "failure", while "check" becomes "audit".
  2. Sounds Like Charades: Any form of "sounds like" or physical charades will also cause a player to lose.
    1. If a player uses rhyming or charades at any point, someone can challenge the usage by saying "Word Fail: rhyming" or "Word Fail: charades". This challenge would be decided by the Conflict Resolution Rule.
  3. NAA (No Abbreviations or Acronyms): Neither abbreviations nor acronyms may be used.