Scrabble's not quite 100 years old, but it's one of those games that feels like it's been around forever.
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It's at once accessible and intimidating, and as president of the Ballarat Scrabble Club Marjorie Clark points out, every game will always be different.
From schoolkids (and barflies) spelling out creative swearwords to grand masters racking up 800-plus points in a game - the world record is currently 850 points, held by Singapore's Toh Weibin - it's the kind of board game that makes a lot of people instantly competitive.
The Ballarat club, affiliated with Scrabble Victoria, is much more approachable.
Every Tuesday at about 10am, members meet for a cup of tea and a few games - it'll keep you sharp, but not to the point where the board is upended.
Equipped with Lazy Susans and custom tile bags, it's more of a social outing over lunch.
The club recently made Russell Square's clubrooms its new home, and now the hope is to attract new members.
"The more we get, the more fun we can have," Ms Clark said with a smile.
"In the past few years, we've had to move around a bit, trying to find a good place, and this is one of the best we've found, we're very pleased to be here."
There are about 18 members in the club at the moment, though not everyone will be there every week.
Scrabble dictionaries are allowed, just for double-checking the spelling of words, never to look for a better word.
The pandemic stopped in-person games for a while, but it's slowly bouncing back.
"We like to play as well as we can, we have a little prize every week, but it's more friendly than competitive," Ms Clark said.
"I think the appeal is that it's just to see how well you can do.
"It's been really good to get back - it's stimulating, it gets your brain going, and it gets you out of the house.
"Altogether, it's a good thing."
Ms Clark said she first got into the board game about 20 years ago.
"My husband and I moved to Bairnsdale, a person named Sylvia lived on Raymond Island and she was holding regular Scrabble games, and she taught me a lot," she said.
"Quite early on, I remember I was playing with Sylvia, back when I was learning, I put down a seven-letter word on a triple word score and she was just stunned, particularly as she was in the advanced class."
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For more information, phone Val on 5342 9517, or just turn up to have a game from 10am on Tuesdays at Russell Square - all the gear will be ready to go.
"We've got mostly beginners here," Ms Clark said.
"We're happy to help anyone who wants it."
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