For an instructional video, alternative game play and additional downloadable

score cards, visit

AlphaBanditsGame.com

ALPHA

BANDITS

Instructions

and

score sheets

Property of:

OBJECTIVE: Score

points in each round

by forming words of

3 or more letters.

The player with the

most points after 4

rounds wins!

SET UP: Each player

draws 7 tiles from the

black Loot Bag and

places them behind

their Mask.

Keep unplayed tiles hiddenbehind your Mask

until the game starts.

PLAYAREA

G A M

T

EC

D N OA Y

E

GAME PLAY:

ALL players play at the

same time forming

words of 3 or more

letters by moving Letter

Tiles from behind their

Mask to their own

personal “PLAY AREA.”

The Play Area is a space

right in front of each

player’s Mask viewable

to all players.

PLAYAREA

Once a Letter Tile is playedin the Play Area it may

not be moved back behindthe Mask or flipped over!

IMPORTANT:

G A M

T

E

C

DN O AYE

RULES ON GAME PLAY:

• Players may form as

many words as possible

to maximize their score.

• Words may not be

formed in crossword

puzzle style, but only

as separate words.

• Players may rearrange

their own Letter Tiles

in the Play Area during

the round, even after a

Bandit Tile is played

(except for End Round).

• At the end of a round

only tiles in the Play

Area are scored. Play-

ers leave their tiles “as

is” in the Play Area

and behind their Mask

to use in future rounds

(do not put tiles back

in the Loot Bag or

move them).

• In future rounds tiles

may be rearranged or

left as is to score

additional points.

RULES ON GAME PLAY:

• Players may form as

many words as possible

to maximize their score.

• Words may not be

formed in crossword

puzzle style, but only

as separate words.

• Players may rearrange

their own Letter Tiles

in the Play Area during

the round, even after a

Bandit Tile is played

(except for End Round).

• At the end of a round

only tiles in the Play

Area are scored. Play-

ers leave their tiles “as

is” in the Play Area

and behind their Mask

to use in future rounds

(do not put tiles back

in the Loot Bag or

move them).

• In future rounds tiles

may be rearranged or

left as is to score

additional points.

LETTER TILES:

Each Letter Tile has a

red side and a blue side.

In advanced play,

players can mix and

match colors when

forming words to double

their word score

(see SCORING).

Letter Tiles are worth

1 point each when

used in words with

3 or more letters.

The small letter isused to show the letter

on the other side.

Use the large lettersto form words

and for scoring points.

= 1 point each

AT

TA

The small letter isused to show the letter

on the other side.

Use the large lettersto form words

and for scoring points.

= 1 point each

AT

TA

GEMSTONE TILES:

Gemstones may be used

as any letter in the

alphabet to help a

player make a word.

A Gemstone will double

the word score when

used in words of 3 or

more letters.

A Gemstone may also

double any negative

points (see SCORING).

= 1 points each(and doubles a word score)

Gemstone Tiles don’t have to stay the sameletter the whole game.

Players maychange the letter

at any time!

BANDIT TILES:

Beware of the ALPHA

BANDITS! These sneaky

tiles allow players to

banish, block, swap,

flip, grab or even end

the round early for the

win!

Use Bandit Tiles at any

time during the round

to wreak havoc on

other players.

Before using a Bandit

Tile, players must first

say out loud what

devious action they

intend to perform to

give other players

a chance

to BLOCK.

BANISH: Removes one Letter Tile in the Play Area and sends that tile back into the Loot Bag.

GRAB: Steals one Letter Tile in play to use as your own. Play that tile now or place it behind your Mask to use later.

SWAP: Trades one Letter Tile for one Letter Tile between any two players (including you). Letter Tiles must remain in the Play Area same side up.

BANDIT TILES (cont.):

FLIP: Turns over one Letter Tile in the Play Area (including your own). The reverse letter is now used.

END ROUND: Instantly ends the round. All players must immediately stop play and count scores.

BLOCK: Stops any Bandit Tile from being played (including End Round and Block tiles). Both tiles go back in the Loot Bag.

After playing any Bandit Tile,put it back in the Loot Bagto use in the next round.

ROUNDS: The game

lasts 4 rounds, with

points added up at the

end of each round.

At the end of each

round, Letter Tiles in

each player’s personal

Play Area are added

up and recorded

(see SCORING).

There are two ways to

end the round:

1. All players verbally

agree they are finished

playing tiles and

forming words or...

2. An End Round

Bandit Tile is played

that instantly

ends the

round.

ROUNDS: The game

lasts 4 rounds, with

points added up at the

end of each round.

At the end of each

round, Letter Tiles in

each player’s personal

Play Area are added

up and recorded

(see SCORING).

There are two ways to

end the round:

1. All players verbally

agree they are finished

playing tiles and

forming words or...

2. An End Round

Bandit Tile is played

that instantly

ends the

round.

A really devious player woulduse an End Round tile

right after playinganother Bandit Tile!

ROUNDS: The game

lasts 4 rounds, with

points added up at the

end of each round.

At the end of each

round, Letter Tiles in

each player’s personal

Play Area are added

up and recorded

(see SCORING).

There are two ways to

end the round:

1. All players verbally

agree they are finished

playing tiles and

forming words or...

2. An End Round

Bandit Tile is played

that instantly

ends the

round.

A really devious player woulduse an End Round tile

right after playinganother Bandit Tile!

SCORING: Points are

added up and recorded

at the end of each round

from Gemstone and

Letter Tiles in the Play

Area (any tiles left

behind the Mask are not

used for scoring).

LETTER TILES = 1 point

each when used in

words of 3 or more

letters.

GEMSTONE TILES = 1

point each and DOUBLE

a word score when used

in words or 3 or more

letters

SCORING: Points are

added up and recorded

at the end of each round

from Gemstone and

Letter Tiles in the Play

Area (any tiles left

behind the Mask are not

used for scoring).

LETTER TILES = 1 point

each when used in

words of 3 or more

letters.

GEMSTONE TILES = 1

point each and DOUBLE

a word score when used

in words or 3 or more

letters

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4 pts.

(1 + 1 + 1) x 2 = 6 pts.

A

E

TC

MAG

NEGATIVE POINTS:

Any of the following tiles

left in the Play Area at

the end of a round result

in -1 (negative) point each:

• Words of 2 or less letters

• Gemstones played alone

• Letters played, but not

yet formed into words

(i.e. “TCA” vs. “CAT”)

• Proper nouns or names

• Slang • Acronyms

• Words not found in a

dictionary

If you have a Gemstone as

a negative point, then

you must DOUBLE all

your negative points.

NEGATIVE POINTS:

Any of the following tiles

left in the Play Area at

the end of a round result

in -1 (negative) point each:

• Words of 2 or less letters

• Gemstones played alone

• Letters played, but not

yet formed into words

(i.e. “TCA” vs. “CAT”)

• Proper nouns or names

• Slang • Acronyms

• Words not found in a

dictionary

If you have a Gemstone as

a negative point, then

you must DOUBLE all

your negative points.

Gemstones are veryVALUABLE, but they can

also be very COSTLY!

[(-1) + (-1) + (-1)] x 2 = -6 pts.

T C

SCORING EXAMPLE:

Positive points:

Negative points:

Subtotal:

End of round score:

[(-1) + (-1) + (-1)] x 2 = -6 pts.

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4 pts.

4 + (-6) = -2 pts.

0 pts.

T C

G A M E

PLAYAREA

G A MT

E

C

DN O AYENOTE: Even if you endup with more negative

points than positive ones,you never score less

than 0 in any round!

IMPROVE YOUR SCORE:

Positive points:

Subtotal:

End of round score:

G M E

1 + 1 + 1 = 3 pts.

(1 + 1 + 1 + 1) x 2 = 8 pts.

8 + 3 = 11 pts.

11 pts.

A

TC A

These are the sametiles as the last example,

but with a muchbetter score!

PLAYAREA

G

A

M

T

E

C

DN O AYE

ADVANCED PLAY #1:

For more advanced play

use the colors on the

tiles to DOUBLE your

word scores! When you

form word with tiles

with all the same color

or alternating colors, you

double your score!

Words using mixed or

matched colors AND

Gemstones get triple

points!

Positive points:

Negative points:

Subtotal:

End of round score:

Alternatingcolors get

double points.

Matchingcolors &

Gemstone gettriple points!

-1 pts.

(1 + 1 + 1) x 2 = 6 pts.

(1 + 1 + 1) x 3 = 9 pts.

6 + 9 + (-1) = 14 pts.

14 pts.

D

C

G E T

M A

ADVANCED PLAY #2:

For even more advanced

play, form words within

a specific CATEGORY to

DOUBLE your word score!

When getting more than

one bonus for a word,

always add +1 to your

score multiplier.

1 bonus = 2X word score

2 bonuses = 3X word score

3 bonuses = 4X word score

EXAMPLE:

CATEGORY = ANIMALS

Positive points:

Subtotal:

End of round score:

G M E

Color &Gemstone & Category bonuses = 4X word score!!!!

(1 + 1 + 1) x 4 = 12 pts.

(1 + 1 + 1 + 1) = 4 pts.

12 + 4 = 16 pts.

16 pts.

A

TC

A

Categories areon the next page.

CATEGORIES: At the start of each round choose “red” or “blue” and draw a Letter Tile from the Loot Bag. Use the category that corresponds to the color Letter Tile chosen.

A PLACESB THINGS WITH A ZIPPER

OR BUTTONC THINGS THAT ARE

REALLY LOUDD THINGS YOU KEEPE ANIMALSF THINGS THAT MAKE

YOUR MOM MADG THINGS THAT ARE EVILH QUIET ANIMALSI THINGS THAT TASTE

GOOD WITH CHICKENJ PLACES YOU SHOULDN’T

PUT A PRETZELK THINGS YOU SET AN

ALARM FOR

L SOUNDSM THINGS YOU NEED IN THE

DESERTN EXERCISESO THINGS MADE WITH

PLASTICP THINGS SOLD AT A STORE Q PARTS OF A CARR ITSY-BITSY LITTLE THINGS

S GINORMOUS THINGS!T TOYSU THINGS THAT HOLD LIQUIDV BANDSW THINGS FOUND IN A

GARBAGE CANX STINKY THINGSY THINGS YOU STORE STUFF

INZ PLACES TO PUT A

DIAMOND

CATEGORIES: At the start of each round choose “red” or “blue” and draw a Letter Tile from the Loot Bag. Use the category that corresponds to the color Letter Tile chosen.

A PLACESB THINGS WITH A ZIPPER

OR BUTTONC THINGS THAT ARE

REALLY LOUDD THINGS YOU KEEPE ANIMALSF THINGS THAT MAKE

YOUR MOM MADG THINGS THAT ARE EVILH QUIET ANIMALSI THINGS THAT TASTE

GOOD WITH CHICKENJ PLACES YOU SHOULDN’T

PUT A PRETZELK THINGS YOU SET AN

ALARM FOR

L SOUNDSM THINGS YOU NEED IN THE

DESERTN EXERCISESO THINGS MADE WITH

PLASTICP THINGS SOLD AT A STORE Q PARTS OF A CARR ITSY-BITSY LITTLE THINGS

S GINORMOUS THINGS!T TOYSU THINGS THAT HOLD LIQUIDV BANDSW THINGS FOUND IN A

GARBAGE CANX STINKY THINGSY THINGS YOU STORE STUFF

INZ PLACES TO PUT A

DIAMOND

Download more categoriesat AlphaBanditsGame.com

FOR MORE DEVIOUS

PLAY ADD A TIMER!

Use a countdown timer

to end the round (timer

not included). We suggest

a digital timer with a

loud buzzer set to

90 –120 seconds. Let the

person with the lowest

score choose the count-

down time and keep the

display hidden.

For more game play ideasgo to WiggityBang.com

F.A.Q.:

Can I move my tiles around?Of course! As long as you don’t flip or remove tiles from your Play Area, you may rearrange any of your tiles from a current or previous round.

What happens when some-one uses a fake word? You can challenge an opponent’s word at the end of the round if you think it’s slang, a proper noun or not a real word. If chal-lenged and the word is found to be valid, the oppo-nent receives double points for that word. If there is a disagreement on a word played, the arbiter is a dictionary chosen by mutual agreement of the players.

F.A.Q. (cont.):

Can I score points on a word I used in a previous round? Yes! You may count words from previous rounds at the end of each round.

On new rounds, if I have one or two tiles left behind my Mask, do I still get to draw 7 new tiles? No. You draw back UP to 7 tiles behind your Mask. EX: If you have 1 tile behind your Mask from a previous round, you would only draw 6 new tiles.

Can I move another player’s letters or use them for my score? You may only inter-act with another player’s played Letter Tiles when you use a Bandit Tile. You only score points based off your own played Letter Tiles.

Does a Bandit Tile flip ALL the letters in a word?No. BANISH, FLIP or GRAB Bandit Tiles only affect one tile in the Play Area.

I was halfway through placing my tile when some-one played an End Round. You may finish your move-ment and then add up your scores.

What happens if we run out of Letter Tiles? There are enough tiles to guarantee that four players can play four rounds. To play with more, buy an additional set of Letter Tiles.

The scoring is too hard? Try playing four rounds and only add up the score at the end of the fourth round. The person with the highest score wins!

F.A.Q.:

Can I move my tiles around?Of course! As long as you don’t flip or remove tiles from your Play Area, you may rearrange any of your tiles from a current or previous round.

What happens when some-one uses a fake word? You can challenge an opponent’s word at the end of the round if you think it’s slang, a proper noun or not a real word. If chal-lenged and the word is found to be valid, the oppo-nent receives double points for that word. If there is a disagreement on a word played, the arbiter is a dictionary chosen by mutual agreement of the players.

F.A.Q. (cont.):

Can I score points on a word I used in a previous round? Yes! You may count words from previous rounds at the end of each round.

On new rounds, if I have one or two tiles left behind my Mask, do I still get to draw 7 new tiles? No. You draw back UP to 7 tiles behind your Mask. EX: If you have 1 tile behind your Mask from a previous round, you would only draw 6 new tiles.

Can I move another player’s letters or use them for my score? You may only inter-act with another player’s played Letter Tiles when you use a Bandit Tile. You only score points based off your own played Letter Tiles.

Does a Bandit Tile flip ALL the letters in a word?No. BANISH, FLIP or GRAB Bandit Tiles only affect one tile in the Play Area.

I was halfway through placing my tile when some-one played an End Round. You may finish your move-ment and then add up your scores.

What happens if we run out of Letter Tiles? There are enough tiles to guarantee that four players can play four rounds. To play with more, buy an additional set of Letter Tiles.

The scoring is too hard? Try playing four rounds and only add up the score at the end of the fourth round. The person with the highest score wins!

F.A.Q.:

Can I move my tiles around?Of course! As long as you don’t flip or remove tiles from your Play Area, you may rearrange any of your tiles from a current or previous round.

What happens when some-one uses a fake word? You can challenge an opponent’s word at the end of the round if you think it’s slang, a proper noun or not a real word. If chal-lenged and the word is found to be valid, the oppo-nent receives double points for that word. If there is a disagreement on a word played, the arbiter is a dictionary chosen by mutual agreement of the players.

F.A.Q. (cont.):

Can I score points on a word I used in a previous round? Yes! You may count words from previous rounds at the end of each round.

On new rounds, if I have one or two tiles left behind my Mask, do I still get to draw 7 new tiles? No. You draw back UP to 7 tiles behind your Mask. EX: If you have 1 tile behind your Mask from a previous round, you would only draw 6 new tiles.

Can I move another player’s letters or use them for my score? You may only inter-act with another player’s played Letter Tiles when you use a Bandit Tile. You only score points based off your own played Letter Tiles.

Does a Bandit Tile flip ALL the letters in a word?No. BANISH, FLIP or GRAB Bandit Tiles only affect one tile in the Play Area.

I was halfway through placing my tile when some-one played an End Round. You may finish your move-ment and then add up your scores.

What happens if we run out of Letter Tiles? There are enough tiles to guarantee that four players can play four rounds. To play with more, buy an additional set of Letter Tiles.

The scoring is too hard? Try playing four rounds and only add up the score at the end of the fourth round. The person with the highest score wins!

F.A.Q.:

Can I move my tiles around?Of course! As long as you don’t flip or remove tiles from your Play Area, you may rearrange any of your tiles from a current or previous round.

What happens when some-one uses a fake word? You can challenge an opponent’s word at the end of the round if you think it’s slang, a proper noun or not a real word. If chal-lenged and the word is found to be valid, the oppo-nent receives double points for that word. If there is a disagreement on a word played, the arbiter is a dictionary chosen by mutual agreement of the players.

F.A.Q. (cont.):

Can I score points on a word I used in a previous round? Yes! You may count words from previous rounds at the end of each round.

On new rounds, if I have one or two tiles left behind my Mask, do I still get to draw 7 new tiles? No. You draw back UP to 7 tiles behind your Mask. EX: If you have 1 tile behind your Mask from a previous round, you would only draw 6 new tiles.

Can I move another player’s letters or use them for my score? You may only inter-act with another player’s played Letter Tiles when you use a Bandit Tile. You only score points based off your own played Letter Tiles.

Does a Bandit Tile flip ALL the letters in a word?No. BANISH, FLIP or GRAB Bandit Tiles only affect one tile in the Play Area.

I was halfway through placing my tile when some-one played an End Round. You may finish your move-ment and then add up your scores.

What happens if we run out of Letter Tiles? There are enough tiles to guarantee that four players can play four rounds. To play with more, buy an additional set of Letter Tiles.

The scoring is too hard? Try playing four rounds and only add up the score at the end of the fourth round. The person with the highest score wins!

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

TiebreakJERRY is the WINNER!

Matt Jerry Sara Jean 8 14 6 7 14 20 18 16 22 34 24 23 12 28 22 18 34 62 46 41 6 28 34 20 40 90 80 61

SAMPLE

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

TiebreakJERRY is the WINNER!

Matt Jerry Sara Jean 8 14 6 7 14 20 18 16 22 34 24 23 12 28 22 18 34 62 46 41 6 28 34 20 40 90 80 61

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

Download more score sheets at

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

AlphaBanditsGame.com

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

AlphaBanditsGame.com

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

+

=

SCORE CARD

NAME

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Subtotal

ROUND 3

Subtotal

ROUND 4

FINAL:

Tiebreak

CREDITS & THANKS:Alpha Bandits is created by Robb Earnest, Jeremy Fifer and Matthew Rivaldi.

Design and illustrations by Matthew Rivaldi.

Special thanks to Francois Bereaud, Jane Smith and Jeff Bellinger for their support with developing this game.

©2014 Wiggity Bang Games, LLC. All rights reserved. ALPHA BANDITS is a trademark of Wiggity Bang Games, LLC.

Contact us at WiggityBang.com

WiggityBang.com