Just read this story in the Winnipeg Free Press online on the controversy over changes to scrabble rule that Dog Blogger Laura Pfeifer wrote about yesterday. Sounds like it’s not as bad as she feared: while it’s true there will be a lame new version of the game allowing celebrity names, it’s merely a limited edition. The classic game remains unchanged.
From the Associated Press story in the Freep:
Scrabble purists can relax. News of a new version of the classic word game that Mattel plans to sell in the United Kingdom allowing proper nouns set off waves of dismay across the Internet. But the official rules fans know and love aren’t changing.
Scrabble Trickster, due out in July in the U.K. only, will allow proper names such as city or celebrity names.
Other twists include playing words backwards or playing words unconnected to others on the board, Mattel said.
The game is a limited edition and will not replace the original Scrabble in the U.K. or the United States.
“This is just one new variation,” said John Williams, executive director of National Scrabble Association, authorized by Hasbro to speak about Scrabble.
So there you go, Laura. One less thing to fret over in a world gone wrong.