Lexicon

SETUP: Shuffle the Lexicon deck thoroughly and place it face-down between both players. Each player draws 7 cards and holds them in their hand without revealing them to their opponent. Place the remaining deck as the draw pile in the center.

GAMEPLAY: Players alternate turns, starting with the player who draws the highest card. On your turn, you must form at least one valid word using cards from your hand and place it face-up on the table in front of you. Words must be at least 2 letters long and appear in a standard English dictionary. After forming your word(s), draw cards from the deck until you have 7 cards again.

KEY MECHANIC - WORD BUILDING: Unlike traditional rummy, you cannot play off opponent's words in the 2-player version. Each player maintains their own "spread" of words on the table. Once a word is played, it remains on the table for scoring purposes.

WINNING CONDITIONS: The game ends when the deck is depleted and one player cannot form a valid word on their turn. Players then score points based on the words they've created: count the point value of each letter card in your words (typically A=1, B=3, C=3, etc., following standard values). The player with the highest total score wins the game.

ADAPTATION FOR 2 PLAYERS: Traditional Lexicon supports 3-4 players with shared word building. In 2-player mode, each player maintains independent word spreads to increase competition and strategic hand management. This eliminates the collaborative element and creates direct competition for who can form higher-value words.

STRATEGY TIPS: Hold onto high-value letters (Z, Q, X) while building common words with lower-value letters. Consider blocking opponent scoring opportunities by playing words that consume useful letters.