League of Lexicon

Product Information

There will be a global edition, written by Gaston Dorren, a lexicographer who has written two books on language; and a slang edition, written by Jonathon Green, the world’s foremost slang lexicographer, which includes numerous questions relating to Hebrew and Yiddish.

I’ve not challenged my mom to revisit her old stomping grounds in years. After a few decades reading on my own, I just don’t find myself particularly drawn to trivia games. Maybe it was all the losing. Who knows? Maybe my entire reading adulthood has been fueled on a psychological level by repeatedly staring at those missing slices of trivia pie before I was ten years old. That’s what really depressed me. I was interested in finding ways to get them to think about words differently.”League of the Lexicon is a beautifully designed game about words and language, ideal for language lovers, quiz fiends and the incurably curious. The simple, elegant design of the Lexicon cards allows for several other gaming possibilities. The modern edition of the game comes with rules for two variant games – Lexicon Riddance and Lexicon Criss Cross. The former involves players taking it in turns to form a word using the cards in their hand and one single exposed card on the table. The aim is to get rid of all their cards before their rivals. Criss Cross requires players to draw cards in turn and then write the revealed letters in a 25 square grid hoping to form complete words that will score points. Simple to learn but challenging to win, the game is for two to six players, but with six rule variations, it accommodates both solo play and large parties. And with two levels of difficulty, younger or less confident players can join in. This challenging game taps into the public’s passion for all things wordy. The success of Wordle, our love of crosswords and other word puzzles and the popularity of lexicographers like Susie Dent reflect a love of words and a curiosity about language shared by many people. This is a game that will test the intellect, broaden your knowledge and inspire a deeper appreciation of all things wordy.

For those seeking the perfect gift for their bookish companions, the captivating quiz game, League of the Lexicon, promises an exciting journey into the realm of words and language. Crafted by London-based Two Brothers Games, this ingenious game has garnered praise from renowned UK word enthusiasts like Stephen Fry and Susie Dent, making it a must-have for anyone who loves the magic of language. There are many iconic word games like Wordle, Scrabble Boggle or Bananagrams but this is different. League of the Lexicon is a highly entertaining board game about words, made by word lovers, for word lovers.The game features 2,000 questions probing every corner of language, from definitions and archaic words, to etymology, usage, and language trivia. But this isn’t any old quiz game; the world’s finest linguists and lexicographers have contributed questions to the game, making it the ultimate test of wordly wisdom. The League of the Lexicon itself, after whom the game is named, is a company of outcast lexicographers on a quest to secure rare lexical Artefacts. This intriguing cast, from the esteemed Doc Johnson to Roget, the martini-drinking badger, are the character cards used during play and have been brought to life by the illustrator Stavros Damos. The possible actions may seem limited. However, they allow for a sophisticated and surprisingly tactical game that rewards inventiveness, lateral thinking and critical reasoning. When a player chooses to add letters to an existing word, they aren’t restricted to placing them at the beginning or end. Instead, unlike Scrabble, they can insert letters anywhere in the word. Swapping letters out from an existing word for those in your hand allows you to gain the cards you need for a word you intend to play on a subsequent turn. However, by not getting rid of any cards you run the risk of running out of time to play that word. Simple to learn but challenging to win, the game is for two to six players, but with six rule variations it accommodates both solo play and large parties. The game also offers two levels of difficulty so younger or less confident players can join in. I was fairly certain of two things when I set out to review this game. First, I was sure that I would have a hard time getting a group on board to play a game according to the rules. Trivia games, as I said, are not common visitors to our table. But second, and more importantly, I was sure that everyone I know would enjoy exploring the questions casually. I was correct on both counts.