Gamehelphardback

Minimum System Requirements

This game requires a vaguely modern web browser (2017 or newer: Google Chrome 61+, Firefox 60+, Edge 79+, or Safari 11+). A computer still running Windows XP is far too old, for example. If you meet the minimum requirements and cannot load the game, please use the bug reporting system to vote/file a report. If another player at your table cannot load the game, please kindly agree to abandon without penalty.

This game works well on mobile devices, but the small screen size means you'll end up choosing between larger cards that are easier to read or smaller cards that are easier to rearrange. A user preference is available (under the top-right corner menu) to adjust the card size on mobile devices.

How To Play

Hardback is a deck-building word game. Each player starts with their own deck of 10 Starter cards: The 8 letters (A, E, I, L, N, R, S, T) plus 2 random letters from the set (B, C, D, G, H, M, O, P, U, Y). Each player has their own draw and discard piles.

There are 5 genres: Starter (gray), Adventure (yellow), Horror (green), Mystery (blue), Romance (red). A colored bar in the player panel displays the current composition of each player's deck.

Spell A Word

Each round you receive a hand of 5 cards from your deck. Use these cards (and any Timeless Classics, if available) to spell a word. When your turn begins, your hand of cards automatically move into the current word area. Simply drag and drop the cards to rearrange them. You're not required to use all your cards and can remove cards from your word by clicking the card or dragging it up to your hand area. If you change your mind, you can re-add a removed card by clicking it (adds to the end of your word) or dragging it down to your word in the proper position.

Any card can be made wild, but wild cards do not provide any benefits. Click WILD below a card to flip it face-down and assign any letter by clicking or typing the letter. If you change your mind, click RESET below a wild card to flip it face-up.

Any cards left in your hand are discarded. You cannot save cards from one round to the next. If you can't spell a word, you may choose to skip your turn.

Resolve Card Benefits

The face-up cards in your word provide various benefits. Coins (¢) allow you to purchase new cards and ink. Points (★) increase your final score. Abilities alter the state of play in special ways.

• Benefits listed above the line, in black are Basic Benefits. You gain all of these every time you use the card face-up to spell a word.

• Benefits listed below the line, in color are Genre Benefits. You gain all of these if you have at least one other card of the same genre (color) in play (in your word or in the Timeless Classics area).

Board Game Arena automatically resolves benefits for you in an optimal order: [ ALPHA LIMITATION: The current timing of the Mystery N special ability may be suboptimal. ]

• Uncover adjacent cards
• Double adjacent cards
• Earn coins and points
• Special abilities (Adventure O, Horror H, Mystery N, Romance R)
• Trash cards from your word
• Trash cards from your discard pile
• Benefits offering a choice (coins or prestige, ink or remover)
• Jail or trash cards from the offer row

Flush Offer Row

In certain situations, you can trash all 7 cards in the offer row (removing them from the game) and draw 7 new cards. You will be prompted to do this once per turn, before purchasing, if either conditions is met:

• At least 4 cards in the offer row cost 6¢ or more

• At least 4 cards in the offer row are the same genre (color)

Purchase

You can purchase ink and cards from the offer row using the coins you earned this turn.

Each card's cost is indicated in the price tag in the top-left corner. Some Adventure (yellow) cards also indicate a number of points on the price tag. This is a one-time benefit you earn when purchasing the card. Click a card to purchase it.

Ink costs 1¢. Any coins you do not spend are automatically converted to ink at the end of your turn. You cannot save coins from one turn to the next.

Timeless Classics

All cards from your word are discarded at the end of your turn, except Timeless Classics.

There are 12 Timeless Classic cards, which are printed sideways. When you spell a word using a face-up Timeless Classic card, it stays in play at the end of your turn. On subsequent turns, you continue to gain the benefits of the card whether or not you use it in your word!

Your Timeless Classic card stays in play until another player uses it in their word, which sends it to your discard pile. Any player can use any active Timeless Classic when spelling a word, no matter which player owns the card, but these cards cannot be made wild.

When you use another player's Timeless Classic card, you do not get any benefits and its genre does not count towards triggering other genre benefits in your word. Astute authors will use other players' Timeless Classic cards anyway in order to discard the card.

Ink and Remover

After your turn is complete, you may immediately begin working on your next word, including using any previously obtained ink and remover. At any time before you spell a word, even during another player's turn, you can draw additional cards from your draw pile by spending 1 ink per card. Inked cards must be used in your next word and cannot be made wild.

Remover cancels ink. You can spend 1 remover to convert an inked card back to a normal card, meaning you are no longer required to use it in your word. Remover can only be obtained by playing certain cards; it cannot be purchased.

Pressing your luck with ink is the only way to make words longer than 5 letters. If you push your luck too far and can't form a word with all inked cards, you must skip your turn.

Game End

When a player reaches 60 points, the game ends at the conclusion of the current round (all players receive the same number of turns). The player with the most points is the winner and the finest author of the age! In the case of a tie, the player with the most ink remaining wins the game.

Variants

Literary Awards

Literary Awards provide bonus points to the player who spells the longest word of the game, encouraging players to compete more directly and spell longer words.

The first player to spell a word with 7 or more letters claims the appropriate award. The first player to subsequently spell a longer word claims the appropriate award and discards all lower awards. In this way, only one award is ever in play at a time. Whichever player is holding the award at the end of the game earns the stated number of points. Because these points are not scored immediately, they do not count towards the 60 point threshold needed to end the game.

Length	Literary Award
7 letters	5 points
8 letters	6 points
9 letters	7 points
10 letters	9 points
11 letters	12 points
12 or more letters	15 points

Adverts

Adverts allow you to purchase points with coins.

Each advert can only be purchased once and must be purchased in the order listed. You can buy multiple adverts (in order) during your turn. Points from adverts are scored immediately.

Cost	Advert
6¢	3 points
9¢	6 points
12¢	10 points
15¢	15 points
18¢	20 points

Cooperative Anthology & Solo Mode

In this challenging co-op variant, 1 - 4 players win or lose together against archrival Penny Dreadful. The following rule changes apply:

• Penny Dreadful takes a turn after each player. She purchases the oldest (right-most) card in the offer row and earns points equal to the card's cost.

• In the Cooperative Anthology With Signature Genre variant, Penny Dreadful also earns points based on the condition displayed in her player panel.

• Players can never flush the offer row.

• Any player can use your Timeless Classic cards without discarding them. Instead, your Timeless Classic cards are discarded if a card of the same genre is added to the offer row at any time during your turn or Penny Dreadful's turn immediately following your turn.

• The game is played to a final score of 60 points per human player (for example, play to 180 points with 3 players). The game ends immediately when one side - either the players or Penny Dreadful - earns enough points. The players win if they beat Penny's score (tying with Penny is a loss).