Out of Sorts: Word Roguelike

Out of Sorts is a word game with a roguelike heart, set in an old letterpress shop. Set words from wood type, print them for points, and keep the presses running through eight chapters.

SET WORDS, PRINT THEM

• Eight tiles in your rack, four prints a page. Hit each page's quota before your prints run out.

• Every word scores Points × Ink. Longer words score far more; rare letters (J, K, Qu, X, Z) score high but are harder to place.

• Stuck? Rummage to swap tiles, or shuffle the rack for a fresh look.

BUILD AN ENGINE

• Between pages, spend your earnings at the Stationer.

• 34 dingbats, the ornaments of the printing trade, bend the rules: Ink for long words, bonuses for rare letters, one that copies its neighbour. They fire left to right, so order matters.

• Typefaces level up a word length. Inks gild, embolden and italicise your tiles for good.

BEAT THE DEADLINE

Every third page is a deadline with a twist. The Censor bans a letter. The Miser forbids rummaging. Catchwords makes each word start with the last letter of the one before. Miss the quota and you're out of sorts.

LEARN AS YOU PLAY

After every page you see the best word your tiles could have made, with its definition. Every word you print goes into your Specimen Book.

KEEP COMING BACK

• The Daily Edition: the same run for everyone, every day, with a result to share

• Five paper stocks, from Newsprint to Parchmehe book

• Eight rare and uncommon dingbats to unlock through milestones

• An endless mode for when eight chapters aren

• A Night shift theme for late sessions