Message in a Bottle

Overview

Message in a Bottle is a word-based party game published by Alley Cat Games. Players shake a bottle filled with letter dice to create a jumbled mix of letters, then race to call out a word that uses all the visible letters. The player who successfully finds a word first wins the round and collects a token. The player with the most tokens at the end of the game wins.

Components

• 1 bottle (transparent, for shaking letter dice)
• Letter dice (multiple dice with letters on each face)
• Scoring tokens
• Timer (optional)

Setup

1. Place all letter dice inside the bottle.
2. Set scoring tokens within reach of all players.
3. Determine the starting player.

Turn Structure

Each round:

1. Shake: One player shakes the bottle to randomize the letter dice.
2. Reveal: Place the bottle down so all players can see the visible letters.
3. Race: All players simultaneously try to think of a valid word using all the displayed letters.
4. Call out: The first player to say a valid word wins the round.
5. Score: The winning player takes a scoring token.

Actions

Word Finding

• Examine the visible letters on the dice in the bottle.
• Find a word that uses ALL displayed letters (anagram-style).
• Call out the word before any other player.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The player with the most scoring tokens at the end of the game wins. The game typically ends after a set number of rounds or when all tokens are claimed.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• The word must use ALL visible letters.
• Only common dictionary words are valid (no proper nouns).
• If a player calls an invalid word, they are penalized (skip next round or lose a token).
• The game is designed as a quick party game suitable for all ages.

Player Reference

Round: Shake bottle -> Read visible letters -> Race to find word using all letters -> First valid word wins token

Win condition: Most tokens at game end