RULES & VARIATIONS

How to Play

1. Setup

• Each player or team starts with an OCTAGION deck. There are 48 cards that have a letter and a number (1 through 8).
• Included are Treatment Cards (having blue backs) and Countdown Cards (red backs). Set aside these cards for your first few games. Then, read the Variations section to add even more excitement to your game.

2. Starting a Round

• Shuffle your deck. You may not pre-sort or rearrange your cards before the timer starts.
• One player chooses an 8-letter word, known as the “sequence,” from a Word Card (green back) and reveals it to everyone. Each team may study the sequence for a moment.
• Start a 2-minute timer when everyone is ready.

3. Constructing the Word

• Search through your deck for the letters you need to complete the sequence.
• Place letters into a row of cards in front of you to spell the sequence, separate from any other cards. This row is called the “variant.”
• You may replace or remove any cards in the variant or stack them if desired.

4. Ending the Round

• The round ends when the timer runs out or when a team member calls “Got it!”.
• At that moment, all players must stop adjusting their cards. Then, everyone tallies their score for the round.

5. Game Length

• A standard game continues for 8 rounds. The player or team with the highest total score wins!

Scoring

1. Only the first 8 letters count. If your variant has more than 8 letters, remove the trailing cards.

2. Start with 8 points. Then, make the following subtractions and/or additions. Individual cards are not penalized more than once.

• –1 Point for each:
  • Repeated number. 
  • Incorrect letter.
  • Empty position.
• +/–2 Points if you call “Got it!”
  • +2 Points if your entire variant correctly matches the sequence without repeated numbers.
  • –2 Points otherwise.

Rule “Mutation” Alpha: Using Treatment and Countdown Cards

1. Before starting the game, take the Countdown Cards (red backs) and draw eight random cards.

2. Determine the largest number (1-5) on top of the Countdown Cards. Allocate this number of Treatment Cards to each team.

3. Shuffle the Countdown Cards and place the stack face down.

4. Draw the top card.

5. The time indicated in the middle is the amount of time you are allowed to play for this round.

6. You may use Treatment Cards as wildcards during your play, but they are good for just one use during the game. 

7. After scoring each round, remove any exposed Treatment Cards from the game. Place the used Countdown Card on the bottom of the stack.

8. Repeat from step 4 to begin a new round.

Rule “Mutation” Beta: Reduce the Clock for Each Round in a Game

1. Start the first round with a 2-minute timer.

2. Reduce the clock by 5 seconds for each round. The last round is set at 1:25.

Rule “Mutation” Gamma: Use Treatment Cards to Handicap the Competition

1. Allocate up to five Treatment Cards to each team based on their skill level. Give fewer or no cards to stronger teams.

2. Use a 2-minute timer for your rounds, draw a random Countdown Card, or combine with rule beta.

3. You may use Treatment Cards as wildcards during your play, but they are good for just one use during the game. 

4. After scoring each round, remove any exposed Treatment Cards from the game.

Rule “Mutation” Delta: Randomizing the Word Selection

1. Shuffle the Countdown Cards (red backs) and place the stack face down on the table.

2. Shuffle the Word Cards (green backs) and place the stack face down to the right of the Countdown Cards.

3. After shuffling a letter deck, place it face down to the left of the Countdown Cards.

4. Flip over the top card of each stack.

5. Add the number on the letter card to the bottom number (+0, +8, +16, +24, +32) on the Countdown Card. The result is a number from 1 to 40. Use this number to pick the corresponding word on the Word Card. (Note: Word Cards are numbered A1...A40, B1...B40, etc. Ignore the letter prefix.)

6. Collect the entire letter deck and use it for the round.

7. After the round, place the used Countdown and Word Cards on the bottom of their stacks.

8. Repeat from step 3 to begin a new round.

Rule “Mutation” Epsilon: Each Team Solves a Different Word

1. Just like it says, repeat the word selection for each team.

2. Either choose a word for your opponents or combine with rule delta.

Virulent Octagion: Combining rules alpha, delta and epsilon

1. Before starting the game, take the Countdown Cards (red backs) and draw eight random cards.

2. Determine the largest number (1-5) on top of the Countdown Cards. Allocate this number of Treatment Cards to each team.  Place the stack face down on the table.

3. Shuffle the Word Cards (green backs) and place the stack face down to the right of the Countdown Cards.

4. Shuffle your letter decks, and place each one face down to the left of the Countdown Cards.

5. Flip over the top card of each stack.

6. For each player, add the number on their letter card to the bottom number (+0, +8, +16, +24, +32) on the Countdown Card. The result is a number from 1 to 40. Use this number to pick the corresponding word on the Word Card. (Note: Word Cards are numbered A1...A40, B1...B40, etc. Ignore the letter prefix.)

7. The time indicated in the middle of the Countdown Card is the amount of time you are allowed to play for this round.

8. Collect your entire letter decks and use them for the round.

9. After scoring each round, remove any exposed Treatment Cards from the game. Place the used Countdown and Word Cards on the bottom of the stack.

10. Repeat from step 4 to begin a new round.