Round & Revel / Cooperative connections
Lantern Links
Connect the route, but remember the meeting place halfway through.
Original printable party game. Timing is a planning estimate; this edition has not had a live group playtest.
Good for: A quiet cooperative break between livelier games.
What you need
- Ten reusable link tiles A–J, printed once; 12 separate route cards
- A row of six numbered spaces, a START marker and one REWIND marker
- Score paper and separate solution notes
How to play
A route with a halfway promise
Your table connects six two-ended tiles into one chain. Touching ends must show the same word. The first word must match START, the final open word must match END, and the open word after exactly three tiles must match the printed CHECKPOINT. The symbols are SUN, MOON, LEAF and KEY; pictures or color are unnecessary. This is a cooperative route-building game with one chance to undo a troublesome last step.
Choose and deal the links
Shuffle the twelve route cards and select three. Reveal the first. Take only its six named tiles A–J, then put the other four away. The letter identifies a physical tile; its two words are the connections. Shuffle the six selected tiles and deal them clockwise as evenly as possible to 2–6 players. Hands stay face up. A player can hold more tiles than another, but everybody shares the same score. Choose a starting player and place the unused REWIND marker in the middle.
Build from left to right
Mark six spaces in a row and write the card’s START to the left. On your turn, append one tile from your own hand to the next empty space, or pass. The first tile’s left word must be START. Later tiles’ left words must match the preceding tile’s right word. You may turn a tile end for end before placing it. A tile showing the same word twice is legal and still advances the chain by one space. Never insert in the middle or add at the left end. If a tile is appended with a mismatch, immediately return it to its owner; that turn counts as an ordinary pass. Do not keep an unmatched link in the chain.
Discuss the route openly
Everyone may discuss possible sequences, point to face-up hands and recommend a pass. Only the current player may place a tile, and only from their own hand. You cannot transfer, trade or take another player’s tile. Passing is allowed even with a matching tile, because a different player may need to play first. Write the current open word clearly if the chain is hard to reach. There is no timer or bonus for instant decisions.
Remember the checkpoint
When the third tile is placed, compare its right-hand word with the checkpoint. A wrong checkpoint does not make the matching placement illegal or stop the game; it prevents the checkpoint bonus unless you immediately undo that third tile with the unused rewind. Later tiles cannot repair the historical halfway word. Circle the checkpoint word recorded after tile three so nobody confuses it with the eventual last word.
Use one rewind
At the beginning of any turn while the rewind remains available, that player may return the most recently played tile to its original owner’s hand instead of placing or passing. Spend the marker permanently for this route. The same turn cannot also place a replacement. No earlier tile may be removed, and the empty chain cannot be rewound. After undoing the third tile, erase the old checkpoint record; the next third tile establishes it again. After undoing another tile, preserve a still-existing three-tile checkpoint.
A dead end and a finish
Track consecutive ordinary passes. Any placement or rewind resets that count to zero. If every player passes consecutively, pause: the next player must use the rewind if the group chooses to continue and it is legal and available. Otherwise the route ends at that dead end. A group can also agree to finish immediately rather than spend a legal rewind. Stop immediately after six tiles have been placed; you cannot rewind after the final reveal and scoring.
Score and rotate
Earn 1 shared point for each correctly matched tile in the chain, for 0–6. Add 1 if all six tiles are used and the last word matches END. Add another 1 if all six are used and the recorded three-tile word matches CHECKPOINT. Maximum: 8. An incomplete route earns only its placed-tile points. After scoring, read a solution if helpful, return all tiles, and prepare the next route with a fresh rewind. Move the starting player one seat clockwise. Total three routes out of 24, with no individual winner or tiebreak.
An example connection
If the open word is MOON, a SUN | MOON tile can be turned to MOON | SUN and appended, leaving SUN open. A KEY | LEAF tile cannot follow it until a link reaches KEY or LEAF. Suppose the first three tiles trace SUN → MOON → LEAF → KEY: the halfway word is KEY, regardless of what symbols appear in the tile titles or how many times SUN occurred earlier. The checkpoint counts tile positions, not turns or distinct symbols.
Access and replay
Print words in large type and read the open word after every placement. A helper can place the tile its owner selects. For a quieter puzzle version, keep all six tiles in a shared pool and remove hand ownership; retain the checkpoint and one rewind. Announce that version first because scores are not directly comparable. Every supplied route has a checked full solution. Future hands can change who plays each link, while alternative successful sequences can make a familiar route interesting again.
Printable cards and components
Print single-sided and cut on the borders. Read the setup before sorting the cards; some games use separate card types or fewer copies for smaller groups.
Lantern Route 01
USE tiles B, C, F, H, I, J.
START: LEAF. END: KEY.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be LEAF.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 02
USE tiles A, B, D, E, I, J.
START: LEAF. END: MOON.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be SUN.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 03
USE tiles B, D, E, F, H, I.
START: MOON. END: MOON.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be LEAF.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 04
USE tiles B, C, E, F, G, J.
START: KEY. END: MOON.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be MOON.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 05
USE tiles C, E, G, H, I, J.
START: SUN. END: MOON.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be KEY.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 06
USE tiles B, C, D, H, I, J.
START: MOON. END: SUN.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be KEY.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 07
USE tiles B, D, E, F, G, I.
START: KEY. END: MOON.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be LEAF.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 08
USE tiles A, C, D, G, I, J.
START: MOON. END: KEY.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be SUN.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 09
USE tiles A, B, C, D, I, J.
START: SUN. END: MOON.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be KEY.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 10
USE tiles A, B, C, D, E, G.
START: LEAF. END: SUN.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be MOON.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 11
USE tiles A, B, C, E, H, I.
START: MOON. END: KEY.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be SUN.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Lantern Route 12
USE tiles C, D, F, G, H, J.
START: LEAF. END: LEAF.
CHECKPOINT: after exactly three tiles, the open symbol must be KEY.
Match touching symbols. Use every listed tile once; the other four stay out.
Link A
SUN | SUN
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link B
SUN | MOON
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link C
SUN | LEAF
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link D
SUN | KEY
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link E
MOON | MOON
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link F
MOON | LEAF
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link G
MOON | KEY
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link H
LEAF | LEAF
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link I
LEAF | KEY
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Link J
KEY | KEY
Either end can come first. Match the next link’s starting word to this link’s open word. A double-word link is still one whole tile.
Answer notes: open only when the rules tell you to check
Keep these notes away from players during a puzzle or writing round. This section is excluded from the website print view. The PDF player kit includes a separate answer appendix.
LL-01
One route, left to right: C → B → F → H → I → J. Symbols along it: LEAF → SUN → MOON → LEAF → LEAF → KEY → KEY. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-02
One route, left to right: I → J → D → A → B → E. Symbols along it: LEAF → KEY → KEY → SUN → SUN → MOON → MOON. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-03
One route, left to right: B → D → I → H → F → E. Symbols along it: MOON → SUN → KEY → LEAF → LEAF → MOON → MOON. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-04
One route, left to right: J → G → E → B → C → F. Symbols along it: KEY → KEY → MOON → MOON → SUN → LEAF → MOON. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-05
One route, left to right: C → H → I → J → G → E. Symbols along it: SUN → LEAF → LEAF → KEY → KEY → MOON → MOON. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-06
One route, left to right: B → D → J → I → H → C. Symbols along it: MOON → SUN → KEY → KEY → LEAF → LEAF → SUN. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-07
One route, left to right: G → E → F → I → D → B. Symbols along it: KEY → MOON → MOON → LEAF → KEY → SUN → MOON. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-08
One route, left to right: G → I → C → A → D → J. Symbols along it: MOON → KEY → LEAF → SUN → SUN → KEY → KEY. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-09
One route, left to right: A → C → I → J → D → B. Symbols along it: SUN → SUN → LEAF → KEY → KEY → SUN → MOON. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-10
One route, left to right: C → D → G → E → B → A. Symbols along it: LEAF → SUN → KEY → MOON → MOON → SUN → SUN. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-11
One route, left to right: E → B → A → C → H → I. Symbols along it: MOON → MOON → SUN → SUN → LEAF → LEAF → KEY. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
LL-12
One route, left to right: F → G → J → D → C → H. Symbols along it: LEAF → MOON → KEY → KEY → SUN → LEAF → LEAF. The fourth symbol is the checkpoint after three tiles. Alternative routes satisfying the card count.
Round & Revel. Edition 1 / October 2026. No purchases, accounts or specialist equipment beyond the listed materials are required.