History of LetterLimo
LetterLimo was perhaps the most difficult game I’ve ever developed from scratch. I’ve always played the word game “Jumble” that appears in the newspaper and I wanted a similar game to play. I started working on it in 2005 and called it WordWorm. I later abandoned that name and changed it to LetterLimo. There is a new game recently introduced that is taking the world by storm called Wordle. If you enjoy that game you will probably like LetterLimo. It just takes a little longer to play.
The original version of LetterLimo consists of three rounds where one player will roll six 8-sided dice in each round to obtain letters that all players will use to form words. The first round will start the game off with 6 letters. Each of the two following rounds add 6 more letters to the mix, resulting in 18 letters to choose from in the final round: 12 consonants and 6 vowels. To make things interesting, there are wildcard question marks ( ? ) on four of the six dice that allow a player to pick their vowel or consonant for that round. So, at times, not all players are forming their words from the same exact letters.
After deciding on the basic concepts I wanted to incorporate in this new game, I had to rely on a bit of math to determine the method of obtaining letters. The original game uses 6 eight-sided dice: Four display consonants and two display vowels. I did some studying of the frequency of letters used in the English language, realizing that with 48 (6×8=48) combinations I would not have the perfect scenario for forming all words; however, the letter combination I finalized works pretty well.
In 2023 I fine-tuned the rules to make them easier to understand. I also started using 12-sided dice to supply the letters. Both 8-sided and 12-sided dice will work just fine for playing LetterLimo, but the 12-sided dice give a little more precision to the usage of letters in the English language.
Playing the Game
The Purple Button on the right will open the LetterLimo Instructions that detail all the rules and examines some possible game situations. The first time you read the rules it may seem overwhelming! However, once you play the game a few times, the concept becomes easier and you may develop your own methods of playing that work best for you.
When you become familiar with the rules and procedures, you can click the Yellow button to print out LetterLimo Guidelines on a piece of cardstock to keep with the scoresheets. You can store the instruction booklet elsewhere.
At times more room is needed when trying to get word combinations in Round Three. The Red button will open a custom scratch pad that may be printed.
Click the image on the right to view and print out a scoresheet.
If you want to save paper, print the image on cardstock and then laminate it. Buy some wet erase markers to use when playing.
2023 Scoresheet
Wet Erase Markers
Original LetterLimo Dice
Like some of my other games, a player will need custom dice to play LetterLimo. The picture on the left shows a set I made after buying blank 8-sided dice online and writing letters on them with a permanent marker. The tapered ones on the right are ones I made many years ago out of aluminum. Both 8-sided or 12-sided dice will work for playing LetterLimo. As mentioned above, the 12-sided blank dice are preferred, but the 8-sided variation may be easier to find.
LetterLimo 12-sided Dice Version
While looking at blank dice on Amazon recently I saw a package of jumbo blank 12-sided dice for sale. I decided to purchase some and then modify LetterLimo to give a player a slightly better selection of letters based on their usage in the English alphabet. I had to figure out the new dice configuration to accurately do this. The game rules are not changed; just the dice configuration.
The green button below shows the 12-sided dice configuration to use when writing letters on blank 12-sided dice. Permanent markers work great for adding the letters.
Virtual Dice Roller
A nice option, especially if you want to play LetterLimo right away without having to buy dice and waiting for them to arrive, is to use a Virtual Dice Roller that is available online.
To use the virtual dice, open the dice-roller website by clicking on the red link on the top-right. One six-sided die will appear. Click on it and it will disappear. Next click the RED 12 die in the dice row on the bottom once for a single die to appear. Click the picture on the far right to open the Conversion Chart. It will give you the correct letter for each die roll. Instructions for using the Conversion Chart are included in the main instructions that may be accessed above by clicking the Purple Button.
Making Blank 8-Sided Dice
The blue button shows the eight-sided dice configuration. Use this as a guide when modifying 8-sided blank dice to use with this game.
Word Checker
You will need a word checker to verify the word you have chosen is legal. You can use a paper pocket dictionary, but using an app on a smart phone is easier to use. Some of the apps also display alternate words or will de-jumble letters for you as you type in the letters for a particular word. That is a form of cheating, so find one that will only tell you if the word you entered is a legal word or not. The app I use is Word Checker for Scrabble. It is simple, free, and does the job well. Type in the word, hit enter, and it will respond with allowed or not allowed. Simple and efficient!
Playing the Game: Solo, Crowds, or Couples
LetterLimo can be played with any number of people, ranging from one person playing solo, to a whole crowd forming words at the same time. Playing solo is a great way to start the day, warming up those brain synapses and forcing you to use them. A quiet game with a cup of coffee wakes me up and gets me going!
On the other end of the spectrum, a teacher could set aside regular class work and have a group of students play at one time, writing down the letters on the chalkboard as they are rolled. In friendly games players can help each other with the basics to make the game easier to learn and more fun to play.
I’ve mentioned playing solo or with a bunch of people, but a relaxing, stress-free way for a couple to enjoy LetterLimo is to play the game together using only one scoresheet. Both players can work in tandem to find word combinations, helping each other discover that great monster word that will earn them a great score.
The highest score possible in LetterLimo is 75. The maximum bonus in Round 1 is 8 points, Round 2 is 13 points, and Round 3 is 18 points. Line length 36+9+13+18=75
The scoresheet below displays a perfect game. The last word, CHARACTERISTICALLY, is actually not accepted by the Scrabble app I use, but a search of the internet says it is legal. In reality it would take a great set of letters rolled and a person with a very high IQ to score a perfect game!
Below are two actual games played solo over 11 years apart.
The picture on the right is the scoresheet from a game I played solo at 30,000+ feet in an airliner on the way to Orlando in 2011. Click on the GAR symbol below to see how the dice were rolled on an airplane.
My personal high score of 62 using the new scoresheet is displayed on the right. Luck was with me as a ? was rolled for a consonant in each round. I was able to find several 9-letter words in the 3rd Round but really wanted a 10-letter word to get the 5 point extra bonus. The game was played in 53 minutes. Finding the word “FELLOWSHIP” took an extra 15 minutes or more.
Riding In a Car? A Train? A Plane? No problem!
No Droppie Dicee 🙂