Plates: The Road Trip Game::Sapient Ape Games

Plates: The Road Trip Game is a word-finding and creation game. Players can use letters from either the provided board and cards, or from real license plates. Players use those letters to create words, then tally up and total their points across 3 games. The player with the most points wins!

Point values are assigned to each letter based on rarity in the English language. Specific rarity was determined from publicly available information, and divided into 3 values to ensure rarity groups were of slightly descending sizes as points values increase.

This casual game is based on one that has been played in our families for decades. Additional structure and a formal ruleset was devised to ensure a compelling and engaging experience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

All of the components for Plates: The Road Trip Game are meant to be used at a table, but the game is also capable of being played on the road. All components are listed below, but notes are provided for those recommended to be brought along on a road trip.

GAME BOARD

The game board, designed to mimic a US license plate, is 16 x 8 inches and includes the play surface on the front side and rules on the back. We don't recommend flipping this over while cards are on it, but it won't provide much detriment to play if you do.

LETTER CARDS

Letter cards are provided in an unusual size—what's called a "domino card", at 1.75 x 3.5 inches. This size was the only one that would fit on the board and allow for letters to be placed appropriately close together.

For the purpose of scoring, letters are divided into 3 categories, listed here. All letter cards are equally represented in the deck, however, to mimic their usage on license plates.

Plates: The Road Trip Game Common Letter Cards

COMMON LETTERS

Ten letters, worth 1 point apiece.

Plates: The Road Trip Game Uncommon Letter Cards

UNCOMMON LETTERS

Nine letters, worth 2 points apiece.

Plates: The Road Trip Game Rare Letter Cards

RARE LETTERS

Seven letters, worth 3 points apiece.

OPTIONAL RULES SPINNER

To keep things simple while driving, there are very few actual rules of play. However, we recognize that players may occasionally want a bit more of a challenge. This spinner provides several additional optional rules to choose at random.

Bring this along on a road trip if you want to mix things up.

Plates: The Road Trip Game Optional Rules Spinner

SCOREPAD

Keep track of scores across multiple games, and use the blank rows to track tie-breaker rounds.

DOODLE BOARDS

The exact look and shape of these is currently unknown, as we're still looking into a manufacturer for this game, and we're unaware of what they're able to get. That said, the intent is to include 4 "doodle boards", so that players can write and easily score their words even when on the road.

Take these with you on a road trip for passengers to write down their words.

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