The object of War of Words is quite simple: earn more points than your opponent! This is accomplished by playing words to earn points, blowing up your opponent's words, stealing your opponent's words, and other similarly nefarious activities.
How to PlayLink to this
Most of your screen consists of the board, which is the grid of tiles toward the top of the screen. You can zoom in and out on the grid by double-tapping or pinching your fingers in and out.
The bottom portion of your screen contains the rack, a collection of eight tiles that you can use on your turn. Below that are the players' scores and some buttons that control the game. Use your finger to drag tiles from your rack out onto the board.
Your goal for most turns is to spell a word. Words are how you get points. A word must consist of contiguous letters (in a row), and must be either horizontal or vertical. Most of the time, words are read left-to-right or top-to-bottom.
You can't just put a word anywhere on the board. Every word has to connect to an existing letter on the board, or it needs to be positioned over a star.
When you're done with your turn, hit the Play button at the bottom. Any empty slots in your rack will be replenished from the supply. The supply contains an assortment of tiles that are shuffled and given out randomly to players as the game progresses.
If you can't play any words, you can choose to Pass your turn or Swap some tiles. If you and your opponent collectively pass their turns 3 times in a row, the game is over. You aren't allowed to swap more than 2 times in a row. Players have the option of starting a game with Limited Swaps, which enforces an additional limit of 3 swaps per player for the entire game.
War of Words contains many different board layouts. Each layout presents different challenges to overcome. The supply of tiles can differ depending on the board layout. Look for new boards to appear all the time!
The game ends when the supply runs out of letters, and one of the players uses up all of their letters. The game can also end when players pass their turn three times in a row (so if you pass, then your opponent passes, then you pass, the game will end). If you're left with letters at the end of the game, the value of your remaining letters will be deducted from your score. The player with the most points wins! War of Words games can end in a tie.
That's pretty much it. You don't have to play a word in every turn, but you do have to play something (or pass or swap tiles). Let's get into more advanced concepts next.
The bottom portion of your screen contains the rack, a collection of eight tiles that you can use on your turn. Below that are the players' scores and some buttons that control the game. Use your finger to drag tiles from your rack out onto the board.
Your goal for most turns is to spell a word. Words are how you get points. A word must consist of contiguous letters (in a row), and must be either horizontal or vertical. Most of the time, words are read left-to-right or top-to-bottom.
You can't just put a word anywhere on the board. Every word has to connect to an existing letter on the board, or it needs to be positioned over a star.
When you're done with your turn, hit the Play button at the bottom. Any empty slots in your rack will be replenished from the supply. The supply contains an assortment of tiles that are shuffled and given out randomly to players as the game progresses.
If you can't play any words, you can choose to Pass your turn or Swap some tiles. If you and your opponent collectively pass their turns 3 times in a row, the game is over. You aren't allowed to swap more than 2 times in a row. Players have the option of starting a game with Limited Swaps, which enforces an additional limit of 3 swaps per player for the entire game.
War of Words contains many different board layouts. Each layout presents different challenges to overcome. The supply of tiles can differ depending on the board layout. Look for new boards to appear all the time!
The game ends when the supply runs out of letters, and one of the players uses up all of their letters. The game can also end when players pass their turn three times in a row (so if you pass, then your opponent passes, then you pass, the game will end). If you're left with letters at the end of the game, the value of your remaining letters will be deducted from your score. The player with the most points wins! War of Words games can end in a tie.
That's pretty much it. You don't have to play a word in every turn, but you do have to play something (or pass or swap tiles). Let's get into more advanced concepts next.
Action TilesLink to this
Most word games involve, well, words. So does this one. But there's a bit more than that.
Introducing Action Tiles
In addition to standard letters, War of Words includes a set of tiles called Action Tiles. Action Tiles can be used for all kinds of evil things. Ever wanted to blow up your opponent's word? Maybe steal a few points for yourself? Or maybe you've got a great word ready to play, but no good bonuses to go under it? Action Tiles can accomplish all these things and more.
We'll describe the various Action Tiles and how they work below. But first, here's what you need to know:
Here are all the Action Tiles in this version, along with a description and any special rules that apply. If you just need a quick reminder about what each tile does, you can also tap and hold an Action Tile in your rack, and a tutorial message will appear.
Introducing Action Tiles
In addition to standard letters, War of Words includes a set of tiles called Action Tiles. Action Tiles can be used for all kinds of evil things. Ever wanted to blow up your opponent's word? Maybe steal a few points for yourself? Or maybe you've got a great word ready to play, but no good bonuses to go under it? Action Tiles can accomplish all these things and more.
We'll describe the various Action Tiles and how they work below. But first, here's what you need to know:
- You can play a word and one or more Action Tiles during the same turn.
- Usually, you'll want to put an Action Tile under the word you're playing in that turn. To do that, first drag the Action Tile out onto the board. Then, drag the letter on top of it.
- You don't have to play a letter on top of an Action Tile if you don't want to. You could, for example, play an Action Tile and then let your opponent use it later. (There's even an achievement for this!)
- If you play an Action Tile on top of an existing Action Tile (even if that tile was pre-placed for you on the board), the new tile overwrites the old one. You can't stack two Action Tiles on the same square.
Here are all the Action Tiles in this version, along with a description and any special rules that apply. If you just need a quick reminder about what each tile does, you can also tap and hold an Action Tile in your rack, and a tutorial message will appear.
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Bomb TileLink to this Use a Bomb Tile to blow up your opponent! Bombs destroy any letters or Barricade Tiles in a 3x3 block around them. Both players lose points for any tiles that are blown up. The face value of the letter is deducted from the owning player's score (multipliers are not counted). Be careful, because it's easy to blow up your own tiles with a bomb! Bombs do not blow up Land Mines or any other Action Tiles. Just Barricades and letters. |
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Barricade TileLink to this Use a Barricade Tile to block your opponent! Simply drop this tile anywhere on the board, and they won't be able to play on that spot. But be careful — you won't be able to play on that spot either! Bomb Tiles can blow up Barricade Tiles. There are some levels that contain a lot of Barricade Tiles pre-set on the board. You'll be given some extra Bomb Tiles to make up the difference. |
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Start Over TileLink to this Start Over Tiles let you play a word anywhere on the board! Simply drag the Start Over Tile to a location, then play a word on it. |
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Reverse TileLink to this The Reverse Tile lets you play a word backwards! Words played on Reverse Tiles are read right-to-left or bottom-to-top (instead of left-to-right or top-to-bottom). It can get a little confusing if you extend a word that was played on a Reverse Tile, or if you create a word that connects to a letter that's on a Reverse Tile. Just remember: if a word has a Reverse Tile under it, it will be read backwards. If you have two or more Reverse Tiles under the same word, the word is only reversed one time. It doesn't keep flipping back and forth. |
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Extra Turn TileLink to this The Extra Turn Tile grants you an extra turn! Simply play it under a word, and you'll get another turn immediately after you submit your first one. The two turns happen in a row, and your rack will replenish with new tiles between turns. Your score for both turns will be added together at the end of the second turn, allowing your opponent to more easily see what you did on those turns. Hint: Try saving Bombs for use with Extra Turns. |
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Multiplier TilesLink to this Multiplier Tiles increase your score! A tile with an L at the end will multiply that letter's score by the listed amount. A tile with a W at the end will multiply the entire word by the listed amount. Letter multipliers are counted first, followed by word multipliers. Word multipliers are multiplicative with each other within a single word. Multiplier Tiles are only counted once, when a letter is played over them. Subsequent letters added to that word won't count the multipliers again. But if you blow up the tiles and reveal the Multiplier Tiles, they can be used again. |
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Land Mine TileLink to this Land Mine Tiles are sneaky! Place one somewhere on the board, and it will hide from your opponent. If your opponent tries to play a word on it, the Land Mine will explode, causing them to lose any letters they played during that turn. But if your opponent plays an Action Tile over it, it won't explode. You can play on top of your own Land Mine Tiles without blowing them up. (When a Land Mine blows up, it doesn't destroy any Action Tiles — just letters.) |
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Thief TileLink to this Thief Tiles let you steal words from your opponent! Put a Thief Tile down on the board, then play a word on top of it. Any words that touch the word you just played will be stolen. The points are taken away from your opponent and given to you. Only the face value of the letters is stolen — multipliers don't count. |
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Shield TileLink to this The Shield Tile shields a 3x3 square on the board! Your opponent won't be able to play anything under the shield. Your shield also blocks your opponent from stealing any letters that are under the shield, or from blowing them up with a Bomb Tile. More details:
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Wildcard TilesLink to this
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A letter tile without any letter on it is a Wildcard Tile. These tiles aren't worth any points, but they can do magical things! Unlike in other word games, wildcards in War of Words can be any letter — even multiple letters simultaneously! You don't even need to choose what letter you want it to be. The game will automatically find a letter that makes a valid word if it can. If you connect another word to the wildcard, it will be evaluated separately for each word that it is a part of. There is a limit of four (4) wildcard tiles in any single word. |
Bonus LettersLink to this
Bonus Letters are an easy way to add to your score! The game will randomly choose a letter somewhere on the board. This letter will start glowing. If you can make a word that connects to or extends from that Bonus Letter, you'll gain an extra 10 points.
The Bonus Letter is changed immediately whenever a player utilizes it. It also changes every three turns. The Bonus Letter can be any letter on the board that has at least one open space above, below, to the left, or to the right of it.
The Bonus Letter is changed immediately whenever a player utilizes it. It also changes every three turns. The Bonus Letter can be any letter on the board that has at least one open space above, below, to the left, or to the right of it.
Scoring and RulesLink to this
Placement Rules
- A single contiguous horizontal or vertical line of letters must be played on the board. This word must connect with at least one other word on the board, or be situated over a Start Over tile. Letters can be placed so that multiple new words are formed simultaneously using neighboring letters, as long as each word that is created is valid.
- In lieu of playing a word, one or more Action Tiles may be played. This counts as a turn.
- Any Action Tiles may be played as well as a word during a single turn.
- If a letter was played over an opposing player's Land Mine Tile, all letters played during that turn are immediately blown up and the player receives no points. Action Tiles played during that turn are not removed.
- Each word is checked for validity against the War of Words word list. Words with a Reverse Tile under them, even if the Reverse Tile was not played during this turn, are read in reverse.
- The game automatically attempts to find a valid word when a Wildcard Tile is encountered. All possibilities for the Wildcard Tile are checked until a word is found. If no word is found, the word is not valid. Wildcard Tiles are evaluated separately for each word they are in; therefore, a single Wildcard Tile can act as multiple letters simultaneously.
- Players aren't allowed to swap more than 2 times in a row without playing anything. Playing any tiles resets this counter and allows you to swap again. Passing your turn does not reset the counter. Players have the option of starting games with Limited Swaps turned on. In this case, each player can only swap a maximum of 3 times throughout the entirety of the game. The 2 swap in a row limit still applies in this case.
- If a Bomb Tile was played, all letters, wildcards, and Barricade Tiles in a 3x3 square centered on the Bomb Tile will be destroyed (unless a Shield Tile owned by the opposite player is positioned over them). The value of all letters destroyed in this way will be deducted from the players who own them. Multiplier Tiles are not taken into account. Action Tiles (other than Barricade Tiles) are not destroyed. Any Multiplier Tiles revealed in this manner may be used again in a future turn. If multiple Bomb Tiles are played in a single turn, each Bomb only destroys any given letter once. You can blow up the same word you play alongside a Bomb Tile.
- For any letters played during this turn, multiply the score listed on each letter by the value listed on any L Multipler Tiles under it. (Letters that are part of this word, but not played during this turn, do not utilize any Multiplier Tiles.)
- Add up each letter's score in the word.
- For each W Multiplier Tile under letters that were played during this turn, multiply the entire word's score by the value listed on the Multiplier Tile. (Letters that were not played during this turn do not utilize any Multiplier Tiles.) W Multiplier Tiles are multiplicative with each other.
- If the Bonus Letter is one of the letters in the word, 10 points are added to the player's score.
- If a word is played over a Thief Tile, any words that are connected to that word are stolen. (Except for those letters which are positioned under a Shield Tile owned by the opposite player, if any.)
- Tiles are stolen as follows: Any letters that are owned by the opposing player will have their value deducted from the original owner and given to the new owner. The owner will then change to the player.
- Letters that are part of the original word that was played over a Thief Tile will not be double-counted, even if the letter was not owned by the player. The owner of the tile will change to the player, and the tile's score will be deducted from the opposing player, but the score will only be given to the current player once.
- It's possible to create multiple words with the same play. When this happens, each new word is scored separately as above. Multiplier Tiles are counted multiple times if they are under letters that were played during this turn.
- If a player uses all eight tiles in their rack during a single turn, they receive an extra 40 points. This is known as a "Bingo".
- The game ends when all letters are exhausted from the supply, and one of the players plays all of their letters. Action Tiles can remain in the supply, and can also remain in players' racks, and they will not stop the game from ending if all letters are used up.
- The game also ends on the third consecutive Pass. So if Player 1 passes, then Player 2 passes, then Player 1 passes, the game will end.
- If one player resigns, the game is immediately over. The winner and/or loser is chosen based on the following: During the first or second turn, either player may "Cancel Game", which results in no winner or loser. If it's your opponent's turn, and he or she has waited longer than 3 days to play, you may "End Idle Game", which gives your opponent a loss and does not give you a win. Otherwise, either player may choose to "Forfeit Game", which gives the resigning player a loss, and the other player a win.
- When the game ends, any letters remaining in each player's rack will be deducted from the player's score. This deduction occurs even if the game ended due to three consecutive passes. It does not occur when one player resigns the game. Action Tiles that remain in the rack are not worth any points and will not change the score.
- Games can end in a tie.
- At the conclusion of the game, even in resigned games, both players' scores are reported to the Game Center leaderboard.
- Players cannot earn achievements from Pass and Play games.
- Pass and Play games are not reported to Game Center leaderboards.
Acceptable WordsLink to this
The list of acceptable words is derived from the Enhanced North American Benchmark Lexicon (ENABLE), a public domain word list. The list was originally released in 1997 and has been enhanced since then. War of Words uses a modified version of ENABLE, with certain objectionable words removed, and other words (particularly popular two-letter words) added. You should find the War of Words word list to be very similar to other word games.
Some players initially become confused by the Reverse Tiles, and try to play a word that isn't accepted by the dictionary. If you're playing a word that you know should be in the dictionary, be sure to check if you're on a Reverse Tile. If so, play the word backwards.
Some players initially become confused by the Reverse Tiles, and try to play a word that isn't accepted by the dictionary. If you're playing a word that you know should be in the dictionary, be sure to check if you're on a Reverse Tile. If so, play the word backwards.
Frequent QuestionsLink to this
Troubleshooting
The game keeps crashing, locking up, or acting strangely. What should I do first?Link to thisFirst, try restarting your device. Hold down your device's Lock button for a few seconds until a "slide to turn off" prompt appears. Slide it, and wait for the device to power off. Next, hold the Lock button again for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo, and wait for it to start back up.
Also, always make sure you have a strong connection to the Internet before playing (preferably on wi-fi).
If restarting doesn't help, the next step is to delete War of Words and reinstall it. You won't lose any of your games when you do this, because we store them on our servers.
Still not working? Make sure you're running the latest version of iOS. Apple has an article about how to do it here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4623
You can update iOS wirelessly right from your Settings app, so it should be a cinch.
Next up: sometimes our third-party advertising providers cause problems. Many times, disabling ads will improve performance and prevent certain rare issues with the game. You can disable ads from the Store. We recommend trying this to see if it fixes the problem.
If you still can't connect, try resetting your Network Settings. This can be done by launching the Settings app, then choosing General, Reset, Reset Network Settings.
Here are some further network troubleshooting tips from Apple:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3780 http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398
If all else fails, something may be corrupted on your device. The next thing to try is a full restore of your device via iTunes on your computer. Here's an article from Apple that describes the process:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414
If you still can't get your device to work, your last option is to take your device to an Apple store for technical support.
Sending turns and chat messages seems to take forever. Sometimes it times out. What should I do?Link to this
First, try restarting your device. If you're connected via Wi-Fi, try restarting any routers, switches, or modems on your network. If you're connected via cellular, make sure you have a strong 3G connection. War of Words will take slightly longer to send turns over a cellular connection. Also keep in mind that the War of Words servers are located in the central United States.
Where do I send a support ticket?Link to this
Send an email to support@wolf-studios.com. Don't forget the dash! We'll get back with you usually within 24 hours.
User Names & Invites
What is my user name?Link to thisYour War of Words user name is actually your Game Center nickname (although War of Words does remove a few special characters from your Game Center nickname if you used them, namely: ~, /, \, <, >, |, and ,).
How do I change my user name?Link to this
First, open the Game Center app on your device. Tap on the "Me" tab if it's not already selected. Next, find your email address listed toward the middle of the screen, and tap it. Select View Account. Enter your password if prompted. Scroll down to find your nickname, and change it. Your new nickname can't already be in use by another Game Center user. Tap Done when finished.
Now that you've changed your Game Center nickname, you need to log out of War of Words. Double tap your Home button to bring up the multitasking bar. Find the War of Words icon and tap-and-hold it. It will start wiggling and a minus sign (-) will appear. Tap the minus to close War of Words. When you launch War of Words again, it should pick up the new nickname you chose! (Note: Any games you had already created prior to changing your nickname will not pick up the new name. Future games you create will use the new nickname.)
How do I stop getting games from random players?Link to this
On the main menu, select Settings. Turn off "Accept Random."
I have an emoji in my nickname. Can others send me games?Link to this
Yes, if they enter the emoji properly.
Gameplay & Action Tiles
It's really hard to see under the letters. What can I do?Link to thisWar of Words includes a "peek" feature just for this. On iPhone and iPod Touch, tap and hold on the score area. On iPad, tap and hold the button at the top right of the screen, to the left of the Chat button.
I keep forgetting what the tiles do!Link to this
Tap and hold an Action Tile in your rack for about a second. A pop-up hint will appear with a quick summary of what that tile does. You can turn this off by disabling Tutorials in the Settings screen.
How do I shuffle my rack?Link to this
Shake your device. iPad players can tap the Shuffle button to the left of the rack.
What happens if I play a Land Mine Tile over my opponent's Land Mine?Link to this
Their Land Mine will disappear and be replaced with yours. Your opponent will see their Land Mine disappear when this happens.
How do I know which words are mine on the board?Link to this
Your tiles are either blue or green. Whatever color is in your rack is your color.
After a bomb has exploded and it is the next person's turn, can they play on the place where the bomb was?Link to this
Yes, they can! Be careful what you blow up!
If you extend a reversed word and put another Reverse Tile under one of the letters, does this make the word read the right way around?Link to this
Multiple Reverse Tiles under a word don't do anything different—the word stays backwards. It doesn't keep flipping back and forth.
What is the 11L Tile and where is it found?Link to this
The 11L tile does not want it's secret shared! It's a shy little thing. You'll have to experiment to find out...
It seems like I'm not getting enough Action Tiles. Why?Link to this
Action Tiles are mainly luck-of-the-draw! Each different board layout has a different pre-set supply of tiles. They're then given out randomly to each player throughout the game. There is some logic on the server that slightly balances out the Action Tiles between players, but it's largely up to luck.
How do I turn off the notices that my opponent has earned an achievement?Link to this
On the main menu, select Settings. Turn off "Achievement Chat."
Your Games
How many games can I play at once?Link to thisWar of Words currently allows up to 30 active games at a time, including Pass and Play games. You can extend this to 60 games at once with a purchase from the Store.
Can I play multiple games with the same person at once?Link to this
Yep!
What happens if my opponent doesn't play? Will the game time out?Link to this
Games with no turns played will automatically time out after 30 days. If you don't want to wait for the time out (assuming you're waiting on your opponent to play), you can simply enter the game, tap More, then tap End Idle Game. End Idle Game is available for games where you've been waiting on your opponent to play for more than three days. When you choose End Idle Game, your opponent receives a loss, but you do not receive a win.
How do I delete games from the Finished Games tab?Link to this
There's no need to manually delete games from the Finished tab. They will automatically delete themselves as soon as you have more than 40 games in total (combining your Active games plus your Finished games). This is designed so that you can have up to 30 active games, and still see up to 10 of your finished games. The oldest games will be deleted first.
Why do people have different icons next to them in the game list? Is it just random?Link to this
Each player's icon is based on the first letter of their Game Center nickname. It's not random, but players can't control the icon unless they change their nickname.
Advertising
How does the "Disable Advertising" option work?Link to thisYou can upgrade to an advertising-free version of War of Words by tapping Disable Advertising on the main menu. This is an in-app purchase that takes effect immediately. You will first be asked to confirm your purchase. You will be told how much the purchase is at that time. Next, you will be prompted to enter your Apple ID email and password. Use the same credentials you use to purchase apps on the App Store. After that, if the purchase is successful, advertisements will immediately be turned off!
If I purchase "Disable Advertising", then restore or upgrade my device, do I have to pay again?Link to this
Nope! You may have to tap Disable Advertising again if your device lost it's settings. You won't be charged a second time, however.
If I have multiple devices, do I have to purchase "Disable Advertising" on each one separately?Link to this
Nope! As long as you use the same Apple ID credentials on each device, you won't be charged multiple times. You will have to tap Disable Advertising on each device, but it won't charge you again.
Leaderboards
Where do you find the leaderboards?Link to thisOn the main menu, select High Scores.
Is my Weighted Score reported to the leaderboards?Link to this
At the moment, Game Center does not support the leaderboard features necessary to incorporate your Average Score or Weighted Score. If Apple adds this feature, we'll add those leaderboards!
Why do the All Time Games Lost totals show up under the Today tab?Link to this
The Games Lost leaderboard is sorted in reverse from what it should be. This is a mistake that Apple won't let us correct at this time, unfortunately. The main effect is that you'll see more accurate Losses under the Today tab instead of All Time.
I keep getting stuck in the leaderboards! Why?Link to this
We've noticed this happening rarely (it shouldn't happen every time). It seems to be a bug in Apple's Game Center code, unfortunately. Just terminate the game from your multitasking bar if it happens.
How do I move up in the ranking on the primary leaderboard?Link to this
The primary leaderboard is based on your highest scoring game. There are separate leaderboards for number of wins and losses, highest single turn, most points stolen in a turn, number of achievement points, and number of achievements earned.
Dictionary and Definitions
Why isn't a certain word in the dictionary?Link to thisIf you're absolutely positive that the word you're playing should be in the dictionary (it's not a proper noun, abbrevation, certain slang, or an offensive word), then there is most likely a Reverse Tile under it! Use the "peek" feature to check under the tile. (On iPhone and iPod Touch, tap and hold on the score area. On iPad, tap and hold the button at the top right of the screen, to the left of the Chat button.)
Remember: if a Reverse Tile is anywhere under the word, the game reverses the word before checking the dictionary!
Why are definitions only shown for some words?Link to this
War of Words only includes definitions for a small subset of words. There just isn't enough room to store them all!