So Clover!

2021

Immerse yourself in 'So Clover!', a cooperative word-association game. Secretly write common features, guess Keywords, and strive to beat your high score!

30
minutes

3 - 6
player(s)

10+

Medium Light

About the game

In the exciting world of board games, ‘So Clover!’ stands out as a unique and engaging experience that tests your cleverness, creativity, and communication skills. Designed for 3-6 players, this cooperative word-association game is a fun and challenging treat for friends, family, and game nights.

The theme of ‘So Clover!’ is quite intriguing, as it revolves around finding connections between words. Imagine being a part of a team of detectives trying to crack a code by connecting clues. The setting of the game is abstract, focusing on the interplay of words and phrases, rather than a physical location or scenario.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

So Clover! is an engaging and fun cooperative word association board game. Here are the main components of the game:

1. Clover Board:

The clover board is the central piece where players will place their words. It comes in the shape of a four-leaf clover, each leaf separated into two halves. The halves of each leaf will hold two word cards. The objective is for the players to create connections between the cards placed on the same leaf.

2. Word Cards:

The game includes 400 word cards. These cards are placed on the clover board. Each word card contains one word, and players must create connections or associations between the words on their leaf. The cards are double-sided, providing a variety of words for endless game play.

3. Connection Cards:

There are 100 connection cards in So Clover!. Players write their connections on these cards with the dry erase markers provided. Once the connections are written, the cards are shuffled and placed face down. During the guessing phase, players will reveal these cards and try to match them to the word pairs on the clover board.

4. Dry Erase Markers:

The game comes with 4 dry erase markers. Players use these markers to write their connections on the connection cards. The markers can be easily wiped clean for continual use.

5. Score Track:

The score track is used to keep track of the players’ progress throughout the game. The team moves their token along the track each time they correctly guess a connection.

6. Tokens:

There are 4 tokens in the game. These are used to mark the players’ progress on the score track. Each correct guess allows the team to move their token one space forward on the track.

In terms of interaction, the game begins with players drawing word cards and placing them on their clover board. They then write connections between the words on their leaf on the connection cards. Once all connections are written, the guessing phase begins where players try to match the connections to the word pairs. Correct guesses move the token along the score track. The objective is to reach the end of the track before running out of connection cards.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

‘So Clover!’ is a fun and engaging cooperative word-association board game. The objective is to find the best connections between words to score points. The game is best enjoyed with a group of 3 to 6 players. Follow the steps below to set up ‘So Clover!’.

Step 1: Prepare the Game Components

Unfold the game board and place it at the center of the playing area.
Sort the 200 double-sided word cards into two equal piles.
Place the piles face down on their respective spaces on the board.
Take out the 30 double-sided clover boards and place them next to the word card piles.
Put the score tokens next to the game board. They will be used to keep track of the team’s score.

Step 2: Player Roles

The game doesn’t have specific player roles. Each player will have a chance to give clues and guess the words.
Players form a team and work together to score points.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player takes a clover board. This clover board has four quadrants and a slot in the middle to place a word card.
Each player draws four word cards from the pile and places them on the clover board without showing them to the other players.

Step 4: Random Elements

The randomness in ‘So Clover!’ comes from the word cards that players draw. Each game will have different word combinations, adding a unique challenge every time.

Step 5: Start of the Game

Once all players have their words on the clover board, they come up with a one-word clue that links the words in each quadrant.
After all the players have written their clues, they reveal their clover boards and the guessing phase begins. Players try to match the given clues to the words on the clover board.
The team scores points for each correct guess.

That’s it! You’re now ready to enjoy a game of ‘So Clover!’. Happy gaming!

Game flow Round and round we go

‘So Clover!’ is a cooperative word association game. The overall structure of the game involves players working together to form connections between words. The game does not have rounds or phases per se, but is structured in steps. Here’s a detailed breakdown of each step:

Step 1: Setup

Shuffle the word cards and deal four to each player.
Place the clover board in the center of the table.
Insert the four word cards into the clover board slots, making sure all players can see the words.

Step 2: Creating Clues

Each player secretly writes two clues on their clue board that connect two of the words on their clover board.
Players must ensure that each word is part of a clue and no word is used for more than one clue.

Step 3: Guessing

The players then hand their clover boards and clues to the player on their left.
The receiving player must guess the placement of the four words on the clover board based on the clues.

Step 4: Scoring

Points are scored based on the number of correctly guessed words.
The game ends when all players have had a turn to guess. The team with the most points wins.

Note: During the game, players cannot give any hints or explain their clues. The aim is for players to communicate their thoughts through the clues and the words on the clover board.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

‘So Clover!’ is a cooperative word association game where players work together to discover hidden connections between words. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

During each turn, a player, referred to as the ‘active player’, is responsible for the following actions:

Drawing four word cards: The active player starts their turn by drawing four word cards from the deck. These cards are placed on the clover board with one word card on each leaf.
Writing down connections: The player then writes down a connection on the clover’s central piece that links the words on two adjacent leaves. This process is repeated for all pairs of adjacent leaves.
Scrambling the words: After writing down all the connections, the active player removes the word cards from the clover board, shuffles them, and then places them back on the board in a different configuration.
Passing the clover board: The clover board is then passed to the rest of the players, who must try to guess the original configuration of the words based on the connections written on the central piece.

During their turn, players have several strategic choices available to them:

Choosing connections: The connections written down by the active player can be literal, abstract, or thematic. The player must balance their choices between making the connections too obvious, which may lead to potential confusion, or too vague, which could make it difficult for other players to guess the connections.
Scrambling the words: The way the active player scrambles the words can affect how easy or difficult it is for the other players to guess the original configuration. The player may choose to make the game more challenging by scrambling the words in a way that creates misleading connections.

These actions and strategic choices can greatly affect the gameplay in ‘So Clover!’, either making it easier for the team to guess the connections and score points, or making it more challenging and increasing the tension and excitement of the game.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

‘So Clover!’ is a cooperative word association game where players work together to find the best clues. The game ends after every player has had two turns as the active player, which means players have had the chance to create connections for their four words twice. Each game generally runs for around 30 minutes.

The main objective of ‘So Clover!’ is to earn the highest score possible by successfully guessing the correct words that match the clues on the Clover board. The victory conditions are purely based on the final score that players achieve at the end of the game.

Before final scoring, players need to undertake the following actions:

Once all players have had their two turns, all the clover pieces are flipped over.
Players then work together to match the words with the clues provided on each clover piece.
Each correct guess is placed on the corresponding clover leaf.
Once all guesses are made, players flip over the Clover board to reveal the correct answers.

Scoring in ‘So Clover!’ is then determined as follows:

For each correct guess, players earn a point.
No points are earned for incorrect guesses.
The total score is the sum of all points earned from correct guesses.

The game provides a scoring scale to help players gauge their performance:

A score of 16 points is considered perfect, indicating excellent team synergy.
Scoring 13 to 15 points is great.
A score of 9 to 12 points is good, while anything less indicates that the team needs more practice.

Remember, the key to victory in ‘So Clover!’ is effective communication and teamwork.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

‘So Clover!’ is a cooperative word association game where players work together to form connections between words. The scoring system in ‘So Clover!’ is straightforward and easy to understand. Let’s break down how points are awarded and how ties are broken.

How Points Are Awarded:

Correct Guesses: Each correct guess or connection made by the players is worth 1 point. The aim is to make as many correct connections as possible to maximize the team’s score.
Perfect Round: If the team manages to correctly guess all the connections in a round, they are awarded an additional bonus of 3 points.

Tie-Breaking Rules:

In the rare case of a tie, ‘So Clover!’ has specific rules to determine the winner.

The team that made the least number of incorrect guesses during the game is the winner.
If the number of incorrect guesses is also the same, then the team that took the least amount of time to make their guesses is declared the winner.

Remember, the main objective of ‘So Clover!’ is to work together as a team, make correct connections, and have fun!

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

So Clover! is a cooperative word association game that can be easily understood but it has some special rules and exceptions that players should be aware of. It also requires some rule clarifications to ensure smooth gameplay.

Card Placement: In the game, each player has to place words on the clover board in such a way that they form associations with the neighbouring words. However, a special rule is that the word cards should be placed face down. The players can only look at their words and can’t show them to others until the end of the round.
Guessing Words: After all the words have been placed on the board, players work together to guess the words. It’s important to note that players can’t make any sounds, gestures or give any hint about the words. They can only give clues related to the words on the board.
Scoring: The scoring system can be a bit tricky. The team scores one point for each word correctly guessed. However, if a team guesses all the words correctly, they score a bonus of 3 points. In case of a tie, the team who finished guessing first is the winner.
Special Word Cards: The game also includes special word cards marked with a star. These cards have difficult words and if a team decides to use these cards, they can score an extra point for each correctly guessed word.

To clarify a few rules:

Players can’t use any part of the word in their clues. For example, if the word is ‘rainbow’, players can’t use ‘rain’ or ‘bow’ as the clue.
Players have to form associations with the words on the clover board. They can’t form associations with the words on the other players’ boards.
When guessing, players can’t skip a word. They have to guess the words in the order they were placed on the board.
Words can’t be repeated. If a word has been used in a previous round, it can’t be used again.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

So Clover! is a cooperative word-association game. The goal is to work together to correctly guess and match keywords with their associated clues. Here are some advanced strategies, beginner tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay.

Advanced Strategies

Consider all possible interpretations: When you’re giving clues, try to think of all the potential ways your teammates could interpret your clue. This will help you avoid unintentionally misleading clues.
Use the group’s knowledge base: If you know your teammates well, use their knowledge base to your advantage. Give clues that you know they will understand and avoid references that they may not get.

Beginner Tips

Start with simple clues: If you’re new to the game, start with simple, straightforward clues. As you get more comfortable with the game, you can start using more complex and abstract clues.
Practice active listening: Pay close attention to the clues your teammates are giving and the discussions they’re having. This can provide valuable insight into their thought processes and help you make more accurate guesses.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid being too vague or too specific: If your clues are too vague, your teammates may struggle to make the correct associations. On the other hand, if your clues are too specific, they may only apply to one possible keyword, which can limit your team’s options.
Don’t forget about the time limit: Each round is timed, so it’s important to keep an eye on the clock. If you spend too much time on one clue, you may not have enough time to guess all of your keywords.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Communicate effectively: Good communication is key in So Clover! Don’t be afraid to discuss your thoughts and ideas with your teammates.
Use process of elimination: If you’re stuck, try using process of elimination to narrow down your options. This can be a useful strategy when you’re unsure of a clue.