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PseudoSums

This game involves both luck and skill.  It gives children a chance to show their abilities in vocabulary and simple addition.  It gives practice in thinking of simple pseudonumes without using a Pseudonumer.

Needed:
Two or more players, ages 10 and up.
A sheet of paper for each player to write the list of numbers and keep the score.
A pocket calculator is handy, but not necessary.

(Didn't learn the pseudonumerals?  Learn to pseudospell now!)

Example setup:
2 9 5         The game starts with a list of three 3-digit numbers. These numbers must be
3 6 4         made up by the players, perhaps by pseudonuming 3 different names or words.
8 2 7         (Any nine digits will do — these 9 digits are a typical example.)

Play:
The players now take turns.
2 9 5         On his turn, the player must first obtain the next 3-digit number
3 6 4         by summing the previous three numbers.
8 2 7         (Any fourth digits, or numbers in the thousands-place, are simply deleted.)
4 8 6         In this example the new number is 486.  (The sum is actually 1486 but the 1 is deleted.)

Now the player must think of a pseudonume for this new 3-digit number.
If he succeeds (maybe by thinking of ”roughage") he gets the points obtained by adding up all three digits in this pseudonume:
4+8+6=18.  These points are added to his cumulative score.  If he does not succeed, but can only think of a pseudonume for the first two numbers (such as ”roof”, or "reef" or "rave"), he only gets the points obtained by adding up these two digits: 4+8=12.   The three-digit number may now be looked up in the Ponderous Pseudonumer, if a copy is available.

3 6 4          The next player continues, by obtaining the next 3-digit number,
8 2 7          in this example 677.  (the sum is 1677, but the first digit is again deleted.)
4 8 6
6 7 7          Thinking of a 3-digit Pseudonume (such as  ”Chicago”) would give 20 points (6+7+7=20).
                   If the player could only think of a two-digit Pseudonume (such as ”shake”) he would only get 13 points (6+7=13).

A continuation of this example game might look like this:
2 9 5 
3 6 4
8 2 7
4 8 6 roughage  4+8+6=18 points
6 7 7 Chicago 6+7+7=20 points
9 9 0 babies 9+9+0=18 points
1 5 3 tail 1+5=6 points (the player missed getting the last 3 points here)
8 2 0 funnies 8+2+0=10 points 
9 6 3 peach 9+6=15 points (the player missed getting the last 3 points here)
7 1 9 cut 7+1=8 points (the player missed getting the last 9 points here)
6 1 8 shed 6+1=7 points (the player missed getting the last 8 points here)
2 7 3 neck 2+7=9 points (the player missed getting the last 3 points here)
6 1 0 shots 6+1+0=7 points 

Winning:
The player with the highest score after each player has taken 5 complete turns is the winner.


Variation:
For more experienced players, PseudoSums may also be played using 4-digit numbers.
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        ©2001 Allan Krill