One Up! – The Wicked/Smartest Word Game in the World

When we were living in New York City with three kids in diapers, we would invite friends over for a game of Scrabble. My son Neuman would sit in my lap for a while, start fidgeting, get really bored, and then try to eat the tiles before he would eventually fall asleep. I didn't realize it at the time, but wasn't that a perfect metaphor for the game we were trying to play? He was so insistent, it got me thinking–it must be human nature to take what doesn't belong to you. The light bulb went off: a quick, cutthroat word game where all the words could be stolen–your ART becomes my MART; my MART becomes someone else's SMART–by anyone at any time. And while I was at it, why not get rid of the board, and the complicated rules? How about a quick, nifty mental battle that rewards literate larceny and guts? One Up! was born–simple to learn, wicked hard to master, terrific and frustrating fun–and where stealing is the name of the game! Let's play...