CompoundIt!

CompoundIt! is a word game in which the “letters” are chemical elements and the “words” are compounds. The rules of the game strive to balance entertainment and playability, scientific accuracy, and educational value. The target audience includes students, science enthusiasts, nerds, and word game fans interested in learning an entirely new “language”. The style of play is familiar to those who have played other crossword-style board games, and the rules for compound formation come from chemistry itself.

Players make moves using a hand of ten tiles. Each tile is an element from the periodic table, although not every element is represented--only those found in relatively common compounds. A valid move creates a neutral compound with balanced charges. Compounds may be either binary (like carbon dioxide, methane, water, or ammonia) or involve polyatomic ions (sulfate, nitrate, hydroxide, etc.) Subsequent turns build new compounds using both new tiles and tiles already on the board. Players score points based on the point value of each tile (some elements are worth more than others), whether they are utilized in one direction or both horizontally and vertically, and whether they are played on special bonus squares. The game ends when one player runs out of tiles following the exhaustion of the general supply; at this time, the player with the most points wins.