I wonder if dominos on a scrabble board, or something like that, could be fun. Anything to replace the spelling. The game described in the article:

> There is something magical, however, about realizing how to play Scrabble even one step above beginner: using the bonus spaces, creating overlapping words, hitting your first bingo. You also learn how to play defense.

> The first time you realize that your opponent is stuck with the Q and you make a crucial play to deny her the legal two- word layup QI, securing yourself the victory, well— that’s magic.

almost sounds like a fun game about territory control or something, but I’m not about to memorize a bunch of random letter combinations to play it.