Since its release in 1948, the crossword game "Scrabble" has become very popular and has spawned a number of similar games, including computer versions on several platforms. After taking on a competing product (Scrabulous), Hasbro, the company that owns the registered trademark in the United States, has authorized the version of the game on Facebook developed by Electronic Arts. This online version is played in a very similar way to the tabletop one and allows you to face friends and other users of the social network. The article describes how to play Scrabble on Facebook.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Get the Application
Step 1. Create a Facebook account if you don't already have one
Step 2. Log in to the Facebook Apps page
Type "Applications" in the search bar and click on the magnifying glass.
Step 3. Click on "Search games" to open a search field instead of the link
Step 4. Type "Scrabble" in the search field
Step 5. Select the appropriate option from those proposed
The version you choose depends on the country you live in.
- If you live in the United States or Canada, choose "Scrabble".
- If you are in Italy, select "Scrabble Mattel". This subdivision exists because Hasbro owns the brand only in the United States and Canada, while in the rest of the world, Mattel owns the rights to the game. Each company recognizes as "official" a particular dictionary for the online versions and for the "live" tournaments it sponsors.
- If you choose the wrong application for the country you live in, Facebook asks you to uninstall it.
Step 6. Click on the appropriate game button
If you are using the desktop version of Facebook, click on "Play now"; if you are using the mobile version of the site, opt for "Send to mobile".
Before choosing one of the two buttons, take note of the terms of use to know what information the application collects from your profile and if it can publish content on your wall. If you are concerned about your privacy, please change your Facebook account privacy settings before clicking on the play button; You should also review the terms of service and the policy before continuing
Method 2 of 2: Play
Step 1. Click on "Create New Game"
A window entitled "Create new game" opens.
Step 2. Choose a number of opponents to play against
You can opt for a "1 on 1" game or compete with 3 or 4 players.
Step 3. Choose which friends to play with
The "Create New Game" window shows you the friends who have opened the Scrabble Facebook application. You can select the people present or, if you do not find the opponent you are looking for, click on the "Load more friends" button, which is at the end of the list. Once you have selected your opponents, you can see seven tiles on your play space.
The two-player game allows you to face a random opponent; if you choose this solution, the application proposes any Facebook user using Scrabble
Step 4. Drag and drop the tiles you want to use on the board
If one of those assigned is white, the system asks you to indicate which letter you want to assign it and highlights it in red, so that all players know your intentions.
Step 5. Click on "Play" to indicate that you have composed the word you want
The application updates your score and the hand passes to the next player; the system notifies you when it's your turn again.
- Players can enjoy all the time they need for their move, so a game can last several hours or even days; if you wish, you can engage in more than one confrontation at a time.
- As soon as you have played a word, your game space is renewed with new letters to allow you to always have 7 tiles. The bag icon shows the number of tiles left in the game not counting the ones that have been assigned to you and your opponents. Once the bag is empty, the game reports the number of tiles of each participant who has less than 7.
Step 6. Continue playing until all letters have been dragged onto the board and a participant's space is empty
Just like with the tabletop version, the values of the unplayed tiles are subtracted from each player's score; the person who achieved the highest score wins. At the end of the game you can share the result in your diary.
Advice
- Besides Scrabble you can play other word games, such as Zynga's Words and Lexulous Word (the new name of Scrabulous).
- You can access the game from the Apps page by selecting the "Board Games" category from the list of available ones listed on the left side of the screen. You can find the correct version of Scrabble from one of the lists visible under the "Board Games" label.
- A quicker way to access the game application is to type "Scrabble" in the search bar located at the top of the Apps page; then you can select the version you prefer from those proposed in the drop-down menu.
