werd

What's the werd, berd?

werd is a cooperative game for two players. You or your partner will peruse your top cards for words you like. When one of you finds one, you'll say it out loud (you can also pre-arrange who will do this first). Then, the other will choose and say a word that you believe you can "connect" in the fewest possible guesses.

If you initially say "freeze" and your partner chooses and says "treat" maybe that'll make you both say "popsicle!"

In that case, you'd get 3 points! If you didn't say the same word (maybe you said "slushy" and your partner said "lick"), you'll try again using those words. 

[unsuccessful guess gif]

Depending on how many guesses you use, you'll "file" your cards behind points trackers that you hold in your hand! 

That's right, you'll hold the whole game in your hand! When you're done with five brief rounds you'll both be holding your score piles. 6 or more points each... and you both win!

Sounds familiar...

We believe you! We've found that some people recognize the premise within the first five words of the rules, and others haven't had the pleasure at all.

In the interest of disclosure and reverence, our game uses the same core mechanic of the wonderful and deliciously thematic Medium, which we own and play often. If you recognize it from there, we think that's great. We would just gently point out that the Medium team did not invent the activity they so beautifully gamified.

It's true that werd is also a physicalized production of this social-emergent classic game. It's so classic and so ubiquitous in fact that we haven't been able to discern if it has a measurably prominent colloquial title...

[gif of people examining their cards]

We do know is that we love the game for its capacity to spark connection and laughter between strangers and friends alike.

[gif of a successful try]

Okay, tell me more.

We know and appreciate the fact that you could play this on your own and without making a purchase. On road trips, in line, waiting for your meal to arrive, at the theater... just by thinking about it. We hope you do that! Knowing that and testing the game with so many different people didn't slow us down at all...

We made werd for a bunch of reasons:

• It takes away the potentially awkward feeling where you have to think of a word on your own (each version has over 400 words).
• It adds a solid, cooperative victory condition that's not too easy and not too hard.
• It has variable difficulty. In Hard Mode, you'll say your starting words at the same time.
• It brings the game into the physical, and comes in a small box and...
• ...it plays entirely in your hand, so you can play it anywhere! This is the strange magic of werd. The fact that it physically plays, ends, and scores in your hand is... well, we just think it's really special.

"Play ANYWHERE? Really?"

It's a bold claim, but yes! Really! Anywhere you can go, you can play werd. Unless cards are illegal somewhere. You still could play in that location, but we aren't responsible for any legal trouble you might experience and encourage you to werd responsibly.

Accessibility is important to us, and we know not everyone in our world is able to hold cards for an extended period of time or at all. werd can be played just the same on a table or floor or any other surface if that is necessary or preferred for you and/or your fellow werder.

2 Versions & More!

werd Orange Version and werd Red Version work just the same way, but both have over 400 different words. No word that appears in Orange is also in Red, so if you want to werdMaxx, you'll want both versions. You can shuffle them together or keep them apart, whatever you prefer.

As far as expansions go, these cute little extra packs of werd cards do have particular themes! Each one has 8 more werd cards for 64 more deeply thematic werd options. Add them in randomly or put them in the same 'position' in your hand so you both reach these thematic at the same time. 

Now, just because these packs have themes doesn't mean nothing from the same general 'category' appears in the base games! It's just that these packs get a bit deeper into each one. No werds that appear in these packs are in the base game, so there's no overlap.

Add as many as you want to your pledge:

• Animals
• Space
• Our Earth
• Music
• Movies
• Art
• Hobbies
• Food
• Celebrities
• Fantasy
• History
• Nonsense (this one is HARD).

Parting Thoughts

We really like this game, and so does everyone else we've tested with... even if they're self-admittedly not very good at this sort of thing.

werd is made to fill whatever time you want to spend with it, to connect you with friends and strangers alike. You get to play a simple little game and you get to see how the other person thinks and what sort of team you make. Even when you lose (and we have too), you'll have gotten closer through the process. That, to us, is what games are all about.

Human Brains Only

We take this extremely seriously.

At no stage of production was ai employed for any part of any task. Not for coming up with words, not for visual concepting or layout, not for randomization, not for rules writing, not for marketing, and not for writing this campaign. Not even anything as small as correcting a blemish with Photoshop's ai tools. Nothing.

Bighead Games believes ai has no place in tabletop game design. We respect your right to feel how you feel about it, and we're always willing to have a conversation.