What’s more comforting on a cozy Sunday like today than a toasty batch of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven? That’s our game mockup for today, brought to you in mesmerizing beanovision with hot java and a slightly nutty newspaper. Falling into a spiral hypnotic spell of sweet-smelling softness is a great way to start or end the week. And what better way to do it than a Spell the Beans light-as-air, guilt-free cinnamon roll game? All we might need is a pudgy pokable spokesroll.
Roll playing
So unfurl the swirl, sniff in the cinnamon, drown in the brown and spell along with us. Drizzle letters, compare scores with built-in Blu Yonder, and top things off with a new supply of faux-cabulary. They’re our house blend of nonce words with nonsense definitions, wresting a veneer of validation even when we’re thoroughly outscored. At the bottom we dropped in a screenshot of 8-spot on an iPhone 14 Pro Max. We haven’t shown many shots on that device yet, so this is a little taste.
Not places, but letters, work as bonuses
The scoring was a bit different this time. Out of the 25 letters to place, three (shown in red) were randomly chosen as bonus chances. Any time a red letter is used in a word, for scoring purposes, that word’s “length” increases by one letter. For instance, the word APPLY at right in the first screenshot has 5 letters, normally scoring 4 points. But since the Y is a bonus chance, APPLY is considered 6 letters, netting 7 points. At bottom in the same shot, CLUB, normally 4 letters worth 2 points, counts as 6 letters for 7 points. The C and U are bonus scoring amplifiers like the Y, stretching out any word they’re in.
Baker’s choice
In play, bonus chances show as red in the top left oval before placing. And when a bonus letter comes up, only that instance of that letter is a bonus. If there had been two Cs, only one would have been a bonus chance, not every C. Blu Yonder (second screenshot, blue top bar) works with the same bonus chance letters. We toned down the overall sweetness of the letters since this variation tends to produce high scores otherwise. We played fast and loose here for 124 points, but twice got over 600 in a small sample of games. As usual, the rough look and feel here may change if this variation moves into production.
Elder wisdom, elbish paths
Clumbish: Lumbering, oafish or clumsy.
Blurk: A mental visual snapshot of a fleeting situation, as a vehicle passing in the opposite direction. Timed well, it can yield the name of, say, the district of a school bus written on its side.
Mopow: A meeting of elders, called when younger generations can’t find solutions to a social issue.
Biblum: A single edition (not widely published) book or other written work.
Palpy: Sweaty, slick, clammy or moist; Recently ascending in surveys of the most disliked words, like moist.
Rublic: Public, as art or sculpture. Also (noun): A meme or theme in art or public discourse.
Elbish: Twisting and turning, resembling an elbow, as a Spell the Beans path: Numerous weird turns and a flair for swiveling led Irving to take up a life as a wandering elbish impersonator.
Stango and Lubbock ride again
Braph: A shrill sound, as made by a trumpet or cornet.
Piceral: Related to fishing.
Lamice: A laminated surface made with ground pumice, formerly often used in countertops or bathroom tile.
Wilbrem: A western (US) leather vest, as worn by Stango and Lubbock.
Implay: To involve a bystander or spectator in a game or demonstration.
Miceral: Insignificant and apt to be overlooked, as this word.
Yamp: A mischievous but lovable scoundrel.
Muddy waders
Crode: Crusted or caked, dried mud, as on boots, tires or farm machinery.
Dorcius: (Architecture) An arched or vaulted doorway or entrance.
Hode: To keep in mind for a purpose in the near future: Hode that thought.
Revisa: A reconsideration or revisiting: Hode on. That last definition might deserve a revisa.
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