23 May,2015 07:00 AM IST | | Phorum Dalal
Creators Rubianca and Sahil Wadhwa talk to Phorum Dalal about taking up an unconventional career option of making word games
Sahil and Rubianca Wadhwa launched Fletter in May this year
Three of us sit down at a table and the cat of 110 card is divided equally among us. In the first round, we are to make three letter words using the alphabets on the cards everyone draws. S, R, Y. No word is made.
Sahil and Rubianca Wadhwa launched Fletter in May this year. Pic/PRadeep Dhivar
We continue, and X, P and O are drawn. Breaking the silence, a player screams, 'Spy!' And the word goes to him. This was a round of a new word game called Fletter in which a player has to shout out words at rapid-fire speed from the letters placed before the players.
In 2011, Prabhadevi-based Rubianca Wadhwa called a friend over to plan her birthday party. The two ended up creating five games based around the birthday girl. And, all the 35 guests ended up playing them with active involvement.
"I am a sucker for games - be indoor board and card games, or outdoor physical games," says the 32-year-old who published this word game called Fletter, along with her partner and husband Sahil, in May.
New career path
The couple took the plunge to follow their passion of games and turn it into a full-fledged, unconventional career option. While Rubianca has been a copywriter in advertising firms, Sahil, who has a degree in hospitality, was the founder of a bakery in Khar.
"Our entire friend circle loves to play games. Almost every weekend, we meet for a game night. Gone are the days when board and card games were just meant to be for kids," says Rubianca, a self-confessed aficionado of puzzles, books and words since childhood.
Another in the pipeline
"Fletter was actually a part of a game I first began working on. But, it turned out to be so interesting that we decided to launch it individually," explains Sahil, who manages the business part of the venture.
"The first box was six times the final size," adds Sahil, who has worked to make Fletter a global word game. "Traditional printers told us, 'It's a game. Put a photo of a family playing the game.'
But we roped in a creative artist to render an offbeat design. The black box has vibrant shades of blue and green, with a doodle print of phrases one is likely to shout out during the game," he adds.
The couple has also created a character called Wordo, a mascot of sorts. There's a story behind the name, too. "I sat down one day and wrote down all the things I feel while playing the game excitement, flutter, fluster etc. That's how I came up with a word of my own by combining flutter and letter - Fletter," Rubianca signs off.
The game, which is for two to four players, is available on Amazon and www.fletter.com.
