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Related Categories:      Fun for Kids & Adults      Mind Challenging Games      Word Play for Adults     


#PG002 - Platypus Games
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List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $20.99

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Ships: Within 1 business day
Ages: 8+
Weight: 1.6 lbs

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Jumbulaya is an addictive, multi-faceted word strategy game in which each player works with five letter tiles on his/her tray and all the letters on the board, rearranging, adding, and trading them, building and claiming longer and longer words each turn. Simultaneously, as players build words horizontally, they also look for a Jumbulaya. A Jumbulaya is a seven-, eight-, or nine-tile word that can be spelled vertically on the board. Players strategize and plan multiple moves ahead to create longer and longer words. A player earns points for all lines he/she claims, bonus points for using "letter-combo" tiles, and even more points for being the first to find a Jumbulaya. The player, who earns the most points, wins! For 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up.


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One B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T Game!
I have been a fan of word games almost my whole life. I think my first word might have even been Scrabble. If my kids end up sharing my passion, I think their first word might just be Jumbulaya! This game ROCKS! It combines word play with strategy and really pushes you to think on multiple levels and in a variety of ways. The beautiful part about it is that you have nine lines to play off of, not just one or a few. You can even change your own word if you need to. The versatility and method of play make it superior to any other word game I have played. You can even trade out tiles with tiles on the board so, if you need a letter, and can figure out a way to take it and replace it in another word, it's all yours. Sounds simple right...wrong! Just as you think you've figured out the game, it twists on you and your opponent flattens you with moves you never saw coming. The fact that there are more than one way to win is another twist as well. The regular play can get so intense, you completely forget to look for a Jumbulaya, which is a word that you can build vertically, and in sequential order, using one letter from each of the lines (if you can pull off the 9 letter word). The other day, I actually found B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T as my Jumbulaya and that pretty much summed up my feelings about this game. BRILLIANT!
--Morgan from Indianapolis, IN

a severely challenging strategic word game
If I wanted to explain the concept of "excruciating fun" to a word game player, I would start with Jumbulaya. You get 100 letter tiles, which are played onto a 9x10 matrix. Some of the letter tiles contain two-letter combinations (QU, CH, ED, ER, LY, ST, TH). Each row in the matrix is for another word. To start the game, the three center columns are seeded with tiles randomly drawn from a conveniently included drawstring bag. Each of up to 4 players then draws 5 more tiles to put on their letter rack. And the game begins. On your turn, you make a new word by rearranging, adding to, trading letters with the letters on any single row. You (temporarily) claim that word by using one of your color-coordinated scoring cubes (matching your tile rack). Until someone else rearranges, adds to, or trades letters with your word, that particular word remains yours. The longer it is, the higher your potential score. And so the game continues, turn-by-turn, word-by-word, until someone builds a 10-letter word, claims all 9 rows, or calls a seven-or-more letter JUMBULAYA. A JUMBULAYA? A JUMBULAYA is a word that can be made by taking one letter from 7 or more of the words already on the board. You can skip word lines, but you can't rearrange the letters. Once all 9 rows contain words, JUMBULAYA can be called at any time during the game, whether or not it is your turn. As for the excruciating part: in the early phases of the game, when it's your turn, you have to consider each of the 9 possible word rows - even those you've already claimed. If you can make one of your words longer, you might be able to keep it from getting claimed by someone else. If you can change someone else's word, you can add to your scoring potential (you get points for every word that you've claimed by the end of the game, the longer the word, the more points). Even when it's not your turn, it pays to think ahead as many moves as you can possibly contemplate (albeit highly likely that the most exciting opportunity for you gets claimed by someone else before its your turn again). And then, any time after all 9 rows have been made into words, there's the JUMBULAYA possibility. There's also the possibility that someone might make a 10-letter word, or that someone might claim all 9 words (either event resulting in ending the game), but the JUMBULAYA possibility is more common and far more fun to contemplate. Since anyone can call JUMBULAYA at any time, you must always reckon with the possibility that if you don't claim enough words quickly enough, the game will be over. As for the fun part, there are so many things for you to think about, so many opportunities for you to surprise even yourself with your uncanny brilliance, that you become totally absorbed in the challenge. At first, it's a little slow. You have to wait for your turn. Even though you can plan for various possibilities, the unforeseen has it's way of happening before it's your turn again. But once all nine words are claimed and the JUMBULAYA possibility is activated, you are thoroughly engaged, all the time, regardless of whose turn it is. Designed by Julie and Karl Archer of Platypus Games, and distributed by the Farkel Factory, Jumbulaya proves itself to be Major FUN, of the excruciating kind - for people who like word games, and like to think hard. The rules are long, but logical, well-written, and not overly complex. Newbies will probably start playing in less than 15 minutes. The tiles are wooden, rounded, and pleasant to touch. Though it can be played by anyone old enough to appreciate ScrabbleÂ®, it is such an intense game that we recommend it especially for groups that are roughly the same age and of similar maniacal tendencies.
--Major Fun from Indianapolis
