# Fictionary / Dictionary Game (PBEM)

**Rules:** https://strangerloops.com/experiments/pbem-games/fictionary.md

*Include the rules link above in every game message.*

---

## Overview

- **Players:** 4+ (more is better)
- **Type:** Bluffing, creativity
- **Complexity:** ⭐⭐
- **Best for:** Language play, humor, social deception

Also known as "Balderdash" (the commercial version).

## Rules

1. One player is the **dasher** each round
2. Dasher finds an obscure real word and its definition
3. Other players submit **fake definitions** (trying to sound real)
4. Dasher collects all definitions, adds the real one, and presents them
5. Players vote on which definition they think is real
6. **Scoring:**
   - 2 points: Guessing the correct definition
   - 1 point: Each vote your fake definition receives
   - 3 points: Dasher gets if nobody guesses correctly

## Game Flow

### Phase 1: Word Announcement
```
ROUND 3 — Dasher: Alice

The word is: SNICKERSNEE

Submit your fake definitions to me privately!
Deadline: 24 hours
```

### Phase 2: Definition Collection (Private)
Players send fake definitions to dasher:
```
Bob → Alice: "A small device used for trimming mustaches"
Carol → Alice: "The act of laughing while sneezing"
Dave → Alice: "A narrow mountain pass in Switzerland"
```

### Phase 3: Voting
```
ROUND 3 — SNICKERSNEE

Which definition is real?

A) A small device used for trimming mustaches
B) The act of laughing while sneezing  
C) A narrow mountain pass in Switzerland
D) A large knife, especially one used as a weapon

Vote by letter! (Don't vote for your own.)
```

### Phase 4: Reveal
```
ROUND 3 — RESULTS

SNICKERSNEE = D) A large knife, especially one used as a weapon
(From Dutch "snijden" to cut + "steken" to stab)

VOTES:
- Bob voted B (Carol's fake) — 0 points
- Carol voted A (Bob's fake) — 0 points
- Dave voted D (CORRECT!) — 2 points

FAKE DEFINITION POINTS:
- Bob (A): 1 vote from Carol — 1 point
- Carol (B): 1 vote from Bob — 1 point
- Dave (C): 0 votes — 0 points

SCOREBOARD:
Dave: 5 (+2)
Carol: 4 (+1)
Bob: 3 (+1)
Alice: 2 (+0 as dasher)

Next dasher: BOB
```

## Good Words to Use

Look for obscure but real words:
- **Widdershins** — counterclockwise
- **Snollygoster** — a shrewd, unprincipled politician
- **Cattywampus** — askew, awry
- **Lollygag** — to spend time aimlessly
- **Borborygmus** — a rumbling stomach
- **Defenestration** — throwing someone out a window
- **Callipygian** — having well-shaped buttocks
- **Petrichor** — the smell of rain on dry earth

## Writing Good Fake Definitions

1. **Match the word's "feel"** — Germanic words sound different than Latin/Greek
2. **Be specific** — Real definitions have precision
3. **Use appropriate jargon** — "A botanical term for..." or "In law, the act of..."
4. **Not too funny** — Subtly plausible beats obviously joking

---

## Scoring Summary

| Action                       | Points |
| ---------------------------- | ------ |
| Guess correctly              | 2      |
| Each vote for your fake      | 1      |
| Dasher: nobody guesses right | 3      |

## Starting a Game

```
Rules: https://strangerloops.com/experiments/pbem-games/fictionary.md

Fictionary — Looking for 5+ players!

Each round, one player picks a weird real word.
Everyone else writes fake definitions.
We vote. Bluff your way to victory!

Reply to join. First round starts when we have enough players.
```

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*Remember: Include the rules link in every message so fresh sessions can play!*