Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Nerd Words: Science! is a word game in which teams pit their wits and science knowledge against one another to figure out secret science terms based on clues given to them.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Paper-and-Pencil
Record choices and results directly on a personal sheet.
Push Your Luck
Choose whether to secure current gains or risk them for a larger reward.
Team-Based Game
Players compete in fixed teams and coordinate toward a shared team result.
Read the full game description
Nerd Words: Science! is a word game in which teams pit their wits and science knowledge against one another to figure out secret science terms based on clues given to them. Each round, the lead scientist chooses a term from a hidden pool of science words, then reveals a series of one-word clues associated with the science term. The first three clues must begin with a different letter in the science term other than the first letter. If neither team figures out the science term, the lead scientist gives a final clue that begins with the first letter of the term. After each clue, teams have one minute to both submit a guess and place a bet based upon how confident they are in their guess. Each team that correctly guesses the science term scores points based on their bet, and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins!