Overturn, from Pressman, is an excellent word game
- a lot of fun and plays pretty quickly. While not as deep as
Scrabble, Overturn is ideal for when
you don't have the time or stamina for a good Scrabble
game.
Overturn is also much more suited to solitaire play than
Scrabble - one simple game is to see how many letters you
can use, using each letter only once. A score of 34+ is very good.
I'm not really going to review the game here, but simply tell you easy
ways to make this game multiplayer.
For four players, it couldn't be easier: play teams. Partners sit
across from each other, play rotates around the table. Partners may
not point out possible plays to each other, though conversational
small talk is allowed (and even encouraged!).
For three players, you need a little preparation first. In the
U.S.A., at least, one- and two-liter plastic bottles of soda and
sparkling water usually come with twist-off caps. These caps are
secured to the bottle by a little ring, which breaks free the first
time you untwist the cap. Carefully remove these rings from the bottles
- they are the perfect size to play Overturn with! You
need about 20 rings to be sure of having a good number - more wouldn't
hurt, and you may get by with less.
I have colored the rings with red permanent marker, then sprayed them
with an acrylic sealer. The first process makes them easier to see
against the white board, and the second prevents the marker ink from
staining your hands as you play.
After that's done, a three-player game is simplicity itself, with one
player green, one silver, and one red. Take turns in rotation around
the table, and have a great time!
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