Message in a Bottle from Alley Cat Games
Message in a Bottle is a pocket-size game that gives you letter prompts and asks you to make words. You shake a corked bottle, read the letters that land in the window, then race to blurt a word that uses them all. The first correct caller grabs a diamond token; the first player to collect eight diamonds wins the game.
Alley Cat Games sells it as a 2–6 player filler that runs 10–15 minutes and targets ages 8+. The design credit goes to Urtis Šulinskas, with art by Natalya Efremova. Together they have created a clever package that is fun to play and endears new players with tactile components.
What’s actually in the bottle
The package looks like a bottle on the shelf. Inside, you get four letter dice and an additional “effect” die for optional constraints, plus a stash of diamond tokens that function as score. The physicality of the game allows for a change of pace from staring at cardboard. You shake, glance, shout, and resolve. Message in a Bottle sits in the same social space as quick party word games, and keeps the puzzle tight by demanding a single word that satisfies the whole set.
How to play Message in a Bottle
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Load the dice. Put the four letter dice in the bottle. Add the effect die if you want extra rules for the round.
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Shake and reveal. Shake the bottle until the dice settle in the window and everyone can see the letters.
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Call a word. Anyone can call out a word that uses all the letters showing.
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Verify fast. The table checks the claim. The game expects quick group judgment: either the word works, or it doesn’t.
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Take treasure or pay up. A correct call earns a diamond token. A wrong call costs you treasure.
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Repeat. Reset with another shake and keep scoring until someone reaches eight diamonds.
Pick the version that fits your group
The game comes with four modes:
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Classic: just the letter dice. Shake, read, shout a word.
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Easy: a friendlier setup for younger players or mixed groups.
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Effects: adds the special die for extra rule twists.
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Party: pushes the energy up with more chaos and quick calls.
If you’re stuck, you still have an out. Message in a Bottle includes a “No Word” option: instead of shouting a word, you can choose to take points another way. The catch is time pressure. You don’t get to think forever—you have to commit fast, or the chance disappears. That little escape hatch stops rounds from dragging when the letters are awkward.
The extra die is optional, but it changes the feel. With only the letter dice, the game rewards quick eyes and quick vocabulary—spot a word, say it first, score. Add the effect die and now the round has a “rule of the moment” for added game complexity.
Quick facts about Message in a Bottle
Designer: Urtis Šulinskas
Illustrator: Natalya Efremova
Publisher: Alley Cat Games
Year: 2024
Players / time / age: 2–6 / 10–15 min / 8+
In the box: bottle package, four letter dice, one effect die, diamond tokens, rulebook
