Michigan League of Academic Games

Some Words on On-Words
By Rod Beard

At first thought, there wouldn't seem to be very much to write about On-Words, because they game is so easy to learn and fun to play -- for younger Academic Games players. I've managed to teach some of my students to play in one day and to at least understand the basics of how to play.

But getting beyond those fundamentals is what makes you a better On-Words player. I'm a firm believer of making a word list and studying it -- because you never know when you'll need to use an obscure word that has a Q and a Z (quiz). But what if there's not I? In that case, quetzal still works.

As we all, know, shorter words usually work better in networks than longer ones, so try to keep your words as short as possible, then build off them to make networks to reach the Goal without using as many cubes. That's why so many students (and coaches) like the two-letter words -- because it's possible to make a Goal of 8 with only four cubes. For example:

It's not always the long words or the weird words with unusual letters in them that win. Sometimes, it's just the strategy of knowing which Goals to set and which Solutions will get you there the quickest. Just like in Equations, it won't do much good to have a long, complicated Solution when 9+1 equals the Goal also.

A good player will know what he or she wants to do with a Solution before setting the Goal. So, having a prepared Solution that equals 8 is a good idea if it's possible to set that Goal. If not, having an idea of which word(s) you might want to use will guide you to the Goal that you might want to set. Don't just set a goal because the cubes are there -- let your Solution guide you to what the Goal will be.