How do you play Criss Cross?

1. Introduction

Criss Cross, my only real party/family game, can have up to an unlimited number of players, but the more players, the more cards you'll need. The unique thing about it is that it can be played solo! If you'd like to read about it's history of development, read this.

2. Required items

300 cards [1 by 3/4 inch minimum size [25 mm by 19 mm]], or 3 sheets of paper [printer paper works best] Letter distribution:
A=22, B=5, C=7, D=10, E=33, F=5, G=9, H=5, I=20, J=2, K=5, L=15, M=6, N=18,
O=20, P=7, Q=2, R=20, S=22, T=25, U=11, V=4, W=5, X=2, Y=5, Z=2, WILD CARDS=13^*

1 scissors
1 standard 12-inch ruler
1 pen or pencil
1 set of rules [supplied here]
1 6-sided die [for drawing cards]
1 calcultor [for optional scoring]

3. Construction

You need to cut out 1 inch by 3/4 inch paper slips from your paper. You'll need 300 of these slips or about 3 sheets of paper [you could get 121 cards from a single 11 by 8.5 sheet of paper; increasing the size to 1 1/2 by 1 inch cards will give you 56 cards [need 6 sheets] and for 1 1/8 by 7/8, you'll get 81 cards per sheet, or need 4 sheets].
After cutting each square out, and piling them up, you need to write on them. First off, you need to write in the details exactly as shown on each card [the style is exact so that it makes the rules easier to understand]

The tile should have the main letter covering a lot of the slip, and must include a precise number [supplied in the table at the bottom of this page under the PV column], and the scoring number [the rounded version of the precise value, under the SV column]. These numbers are to aid with scoring.
Rules are just below to explain how it's played.
Play as much as you want. Run short on cards, or lose them, no problem, you can just make some more.

4. Who goes first and how many to draw?

Notice: There are a lot of tables involved to avoid using space-hogging images.

To decide who goes first, roll the die among each player. The highest number wins, and goes first. If a tie results with the highest number, let those who tied with it reshake.

As soon as a first player is started, each player must roll the die 4 times to draw some cards. While rolling, add up your overall values, and draw that many cards. For example, if you roll a 3, 4, 1, then a 6, you draw 14 cards from your cards you just made.

5. Game rules tutorial

As soon as all cards are drawn among each player, the one who goes first must make a move. The first player lays his/her cards down. However, the first player must lay down 5 cards at once. Lay them down in a Crossword style manner:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------

Each letter's score value is what you score by. The easiest way to to find out what you scored is to simply add the numbers up. 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 9. Then you take that and multiply by the number of letters you have used to make that word. 45 points is a good score for a first play.

The next player's turn has to extend to this. [s]he looks at his/her cards and decides on a way it can be the most points. Getting rid of "junk letters" is the best thing to do. If you have J's, Q's, V's, X's, and/or Z's, try to get rid of them as soon as you can. Because of your card limit of 24 cards at once, you'll want to get rid of these in any way. If you have a wild card, save them for times in getting rid of these letters. Player 2 adds in this:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------
        |   U   |
        | 1.8/2 |
        ---------
        |   T   |
        | 0.8/1 |
        ---------

OUT really isn't worth much. 1+2+1=4. 4×3=12. What a poor score! Only do this if you can't make any moves at all. You could draw if you want at any time up to 24 cards tops though. If you have 21 cards, and roll a 4, you lose a turn [this turn and the next]. Only do it with 18 cards tops [12 in the tournament] to be safe.

Player 3 thinks a bit, and lays down this:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------
        |   U   |
        | 1.8/2 |
        -------------------------------------------------
        |   T   |   R   |   I   |   V   |   I   |   A   |
        | 0.8/1 |  1/1  |  1/1  | 5.3/5 |  1/1  | 0.9/1 |
        -------------------------------------------------

The word TRIVIA is worth quite a bit, especially from the V, a junk letter. Considering the fact that it's worth a good 60 points, you can really get ahead with it. That certainly is a lot. However, there's one feature that this is barely anything of what you can get with, but it's very hard to get, and requires a lot of thinking.

Player 4 noticed a Z, and thinks of a way to get rid of it. With only 8 cards available, player 4 has to really think. However, a handy S comes in:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------
        |   U   |
        | 1.8/2 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
        |   T   |   R   |   I   |   V   |   I   |   A   |   S   |
        | 0.8/1 |  1/1  |  1/1  | 5.3/5 |  1/1  | 0.9/1 | 0.9/1 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------

Because the word TRIVIA was already in existance, adding to it [prefixes and suffixes], you get the credit of the original word plus your letter. This makes a 60-point score from the previous to a 77-point score. Now the next player has to do something.

Using proper nouns

With a lot of cards to get rid of, some of the best choices include getting some really big words, or using the V already supplied. Remembering the rules about using names [rule number 4], player 5 adds in:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------
        |   U   |
        | 1.8/2 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
        |   T   |   R   |   I   |   V   |   I   |   A   |   S   |
        | 0.8/1 |  1/1  |  1/1  | 5.3/5 |  1/1  | 0.9/1 | 0.9/1 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
                                |   E   |
                                | 0.6/1 |
                                ---------
                                |   N   |
                                | 1.1/1 |
                                ---------
                                |   I   |
                                |  1/1  |
                                ---------
                                |   C   |
                                |  3/3  |
                                ---------
                                |   E   |
                                | 0.6/1 |
                                ---------

With VENICE [a city in Italy], it's worth a good 72 points.

The most powerful play available

Player 6 is up to something! (s)he tells them that he can beat all their scores added together! How? There's one move really worth it. It's called the "Square Effect". Here's his/her intellegent move:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------
        |   U   |
        | 1.8/2 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
        |   T   |   R   |   I   |   V   |   I   |   A   |   S   |
        | 0.8/1 |  1/1  |  1/1  | 5.3/5 |  1/1  | 0.9/1 | 0.9/1 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
                        |   C   |   E   |   N   |   T   |
                        |  3/3  | 0.6/1 | 1.1/1 | 0.8/1 |
                -----------------------------------------
                |   T   |   E   |   N   |
                | 0.8/1 | 0.6/1 | 1.1/1 |
                -------------------------
                                |   I   |
                                |  1/1  |
                                ---------
                                |   C   |
                                |  3/3  |
                                ---------
                                |   E   |
                                | 0.6/1 |
                                ---------

Unbelievable! If (s)he had t's left, Tint could be added, however, that's not part of the rules though, and will have to wait until his/her turn again. To keep score on this situation, add in the values of ALL words created.

ICE=1+3+1=5×3=15
CENT=3+1+1+1=6×4=24
TEN=1+1+1=3×3=9
IN=1+1=2×2=4
AT=1+1=2×2=4
1+5.3+1+.9+.9+3+.6+1.1+.8+.6+1.1=15.4
15+24+9+4+4=56×15.4=862.4

Where is this extra line and the 15.4 coming from? The precise values answer that and the only case in which the precise values are used in the game. To figure this out, count only the letters that make a perfect 2x2 square, everything else not in these squares don't count. Just add them up after totaling all scores together. The I's, T's, etc. all add up to 15.4. After adding up your scores from each word, multiply by this number. This only occurs with the Square Effect. The Square Effect is the only way to make more than one word in a single turn! This play used up 14 cards, and was worth a lot, though, because that V was involved and that so many cards were used to make so many words, 862.4 [yes, decimals are accepted] is on the extreme end of the scoring, usually, 300 is about typical for 10 cards used. The Square Effect only occurs if you have a perfect 2 by 2 square of cards without a spot missing. All it takes is some pattern like this:

----------------
|  I   |   T   |
| 1/1  | 0.8/1 |
----------------
|  S   |   O   |
|0.9/1 |  1/1  |
----------------

There can even be missing areas along the sides outside of this, but as long as there is the basic 2 by 2 grid anywhere, it is the Square Effect.

Using up all cards

How can other players catch up? Player 7 barely has any cards. After thinking long enough, all 6 cards get used up:

-----------------------------------------
|   H   |   O   |   U   |   S   |   E   |
| 3.7/4 |  1/1  | 1.8/2 | 0.9/1 | 0.6/1 |
-----------------------------------------
        |   U   |
        | 1.8/2 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
        |   T   |   R   |   I   |   V   |   I   |   A   |   S   |
        | 0.8/1 |  1/1  |  1/1  | 5.3/5 |  1/1  | 0.9/1 | 0.9/1 |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
                        |   C   |   E   |   N   |   T   |
                        |  3/3  | 0.6/1 | 1.1/1 | 0.8/1 |
                -----------------------------------------
                |   T   |   E   |   N   |
                | 0.8/1 | 0.6/1 | 1.1/1 |
                -------------------------
                                |   I   |
                                |  1/1  |
        ---------------------------------------------------------
        |   P   |   R