SPEDOH! Strategies
HOW TO WIN AT SPEDOH!
As the game designer, developer and avid player, I can honestly say that I have yet to have a perfect (all rows, columns and diagonals in sequence) game. So if you like games that have an objective outcome, SPEDOH! might not be for you. SPEDOH! is designed to challenge a player every game. No two games will ever be the same.
There are 36 unique, randomly drawn, numbers (1-99). There are an equal number of squares on the game board. Once a number has been played, it cannot be moved. There are only two numbers that have a "perfect" location 1 and 99. However, those numbers may or may not appear in any individual game. Consequently, a 2 or 3 showing up early in a round may cause some immediate anxiety. At least, it would for me. However, a 2 or 3 showing up with only a few remaining squared available including the S1 square (top left corner of the game board) would be a welcome opportunity. Keep in ming that the game begins with a 1 in 99 chance that a number will appear. Each subsequent number has a slightly greater chance of appearing.
Odds of a number appearing on a particular turn:
| Turn | Odds | Turn | Odds | Turn | Odds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 99 - 1 | 13th | 87 - 1 | 25th | 75 - 1 | |||||
| 2nd | 98 - 1 | 14th | 86 - 1 | 26th | 74 - 1 | |||||
| 3rd | 97 - 1 | 15th | 85 - 1 | 27th | 73 - 1 | |||||
| 4th | 96 - 1 | 16th | 84 - 1 | 28th | 72 - 1 | |||||
| 5th | 95 - 1 | 17th | 83 - 1 | 29th | 71 - 1 | |||||
| 6th | 94 - 1 | 18th | 82 - 1 | 30th | 70 - 1 | |||||
| 7th | 93 - 1 | 19th | 81 - 1 | 31st | 69 - 1 | |||||
| 8th | 92 - 1 | 20th | 80 - 1 | 32nd | 68 - 1 | |||||
| 9th | 91 - 1 | 21st | 79 - 1 | 33rd | 67 - 1 | |||||
| 10th | 90 - 1 | 22nd | 78 - 1 | 34th | 66 - 1 | |||||
| 11th | 89 - 1 | 23rd | 77 - 1 | 35th | 65 - 1 | |||||
| 12th | 88 - 1 | 24th | 76 - 1 | 36th | 64 - 1 |
Divide and Conquer
I have found the best strategy is to keep the edges open. The S column and H columns are my "escape pods" and under the average flow of numbers, I use the S & H columns to bail myself out from bad decisions. As a general rule of strategy, and this is only how I play, you can play anyway you want, I divide the board into three sections:
Highs and Lows
Looking at the above chart, one might try and play all of their numbers within the described perameters, however, SPEDOH! rarely delivers the numbers you want. The randomness of the number generator is why I try to stay inside the four between columns.
Another strategy would be to play the colums as opposed to the rows.
Finally, playing for points. You could get all of the rows, columns and diagonals and only score 16,000 points plus the time bonus. However, if you play for the triple combination (12,000 points) and pick up a single double (column + row for 4,000), you have 5 sequences for 16,000 points, a single additional row would put you at 17,000 points plus the time bonus with eight possible sequences still on the board.
Playing for points can earn a perfect score of 40,000 points (2 Triples + 4 doubles), plus time bonus. Good luck.