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LINK, SHIFT AND SMILE
Renku/Linked Verse Column  

Paul MacNeil, Renku Editor

Renku is a game of words and poetry which many people take quite seriously. It has a tradition in Japan dating back well in excess of 1,000 years. Renku by postal correspondence is now replaced by internet connections. Still, the greatest enjoyment is found in live sessions. Attention to rules and tradition is done with seriousness. There is, however, room for fun. As the night grows older, ideas (even humorous ideas) sometimes creep into the communal expression. Fresh from a renku party, realized by John Stevenson, a fine player -- a drum roll, please:

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Renku Scrabble - Rules of Play

.....- A Proposal by John Stevenson

John explains that this is a first, incomplete, draft of the game rules. Scrabble itself is a best-selling board game invented in the USA in 1948. Small wooden pieces, tiles, have a letter of the English alphabet on one side, the other is blank. These letters are placed to make words on a grid just as a crossword puzzle: across and down (and up). Variation in all things.

Letters are scrambled, face down, and each player draws seven tiles. Play begins with the Scrabble Master who must make a word appropriate to the season in which the game is being played and which is also a subtle compliment to the host.  An example might be "acorn," which is an autumn word and suggests that your host might be A. C. Missias.

The host then plays, making a word which humbly acknowledges the compliment, either in the same season or without a seasonal reference. Of course this word must link with the previously played word. To the above example, for instance, the host might reply, "nuts." Note that such a close link is only permitted in the case of the "howord" and the "wakiword." Thereafter, linking is to be more indirect.

Play continues around the board in one of two ways. There is the "status" variation, in which the Scrabble Master determines the order of play and there is the "inspiration" version in which play is on the basis of who comes up with the best link. The latter is also known as the "boardinghouse" variation.

Unlike standard Scrabble, Renku Scrabble does allow for the use of proper nouns and names, occasionally, and on the proper turn of play.

In standard Scrabble the words must link by means of using one or more letters from a word or words already played. This is occasionally done in Renku Scrabble as well but there are, in addition, a host of linking mechanisms available to the Renku Scrabble player.  He or she may make a "scent link", for instance. If someone has played "ribs" a scent link can be made by playing "adam" across the 'b' because everyone knows it looks and sounds like a 'd', especially late in the game.

Spelling errors should be politely ignored.  However, all players are allowed to challenge the freshness of a word immediately upon its playing, either directly or through catching the Master's attention (in the "status" variation). A direct challenge should be phrased correctly. For example, "Is it not too soon to play the 'm' after an 'n'?" An indirect challenge should be either nonverbal or should be addressed to the Master, when another player's word is challenged. A good form for this is something like, "Can I get you another beer, Master?" Although it is usually bad form to challenge the Master's word, when this is done it must be with a statement which can be interpreted in more than one fashion. For example,
"Is it hot in here, or is it me?"

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The author of this guest column of Link, Shift and Smile is a Vice President of the Haiku Society of America (HSA) and is the immediate past President of HSA. John Stevenson is a member of the Route 9 Haiku Group which publishes the biannual Haiku Journal, "Upstate Dim Sum."  His haiku and renku win awards and are widely published.  John has appeared as kukai judge for the World Haiku Club.

In the next 5 pages are the regular features of the renku column: 3 complete renku are published; the reader-participations in games 3 & 4 are shown; and two new games are introduced, this time one is by Master Buson. Turn the page, dear reader, turn the page...

Go to Follow This! NEW Games #3 & #4

 

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