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- THE OSW - A SUCCESSOR TO THE OSPD (tm)?
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- The OSW (Official Scrabble Words) is the reference word list of acceptable
- Scrabble (tm) words used in most countries outside of North America. As
- expected, most words acceptable in play are common to both the OSPD3 (tm) and
- the OSW, but there remain quite a number of words listed in one, but not the
- other. This makes it difficult for American players competing abroad and for
- foreign ones playing here.
-
- The OSW contains about 22% more total words than the OSPD3 (tm). Among other
- differences, the word qi, acceptable in OSW-using domains, considerably
- alters the stategy of game play. It is an open question whether having more
- words to use makes the game more interesting.
-
- Many feel that it is past time to have a single standard dictionary for
- English language Scrabble (tm) play everywhere. This would remove the local
- advantage that players have against foreigners and remove an extraneous
- factor from competition. Moreover, this would be a step toward making the
- player associations independent of the manufacturers of the game equipment
- who hold legal licenses to the printed versions of the official dictionaries
- and have the option of restricting their use. The recent controversy about
- the expurgation of the OSPD3 (tm) points out how commercial interests may not
- coincide with the best interests of the players.
-
- There has been some discussion of using a "SOWPODS", a combined OSPD (tm) and
- OSW for play world wide. The adoption of any dictionary to replace the OSPD
- (tm) in North American play would require a consensus of tournament-level
- players, as well as acceptance by the playing community at large, something
- not likely to happen any time soon (most non-tournament players regard the
- SOWPODS as an "elitist" proposal and of no interest to them). For more
- SOWPODS info, see Bob Jackman's SOWPODS page on the Web, at:
- http://www.ozemail.com.au/~rjackman/
-
- I personally advocate a combined single standard dictionary for all Scrabble
- (tm) play everywhere. It should be in the Public Domain, owned by no one,
- available for free and unrestricted use by all. Its contents would be
- determined by a consensus of the entire English language Scrabble (tm)
- community, not by corporate committees. It would be available in electronic
- form, so that anyone so desiring could also print it out in hard copy and
- distribute it in that form at will, and so that adjudication can be
- computerized. It would not be copyrighted or trademarked, and no rights
- would be reserved. I have made a step in that direction by releasing into
- the Public Domain the OSPD3-compatible master word list from my WORDY
- Scrabble (tm) word study package (see WORDY.AD).
-
- Further discussion on this topic is invited.
-
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-
-
- M\Cooper
- PO Box 237
- St. David, AZ 85630-0237
- ------------------------------------------------
- E-mail: thegrendel@theriver.com
- Web: http://personal.riverusers.com/~thegrendel/
-
-
-
-
- Scrabble and OSPD are trademarks of the Milton Bradley Co., Inc., a
- subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.
-
- WORDY is not a trademark.
-