Q-Less

Gameplay

Q-Less is a simple dice game, but instead of rolling numbers, you’re rolling letters! Roll all twelve dice to begin, and once you have your set of letters, you must use them all to form words that connect—crossword style. Most of the letters are consonants, but you’ll always have at least two vowels to work with. The only rules? No proper nouns and words must be at least three letters. Nearly all rolls are solvable, due in part to the lack of Q’s, which is how the game got it’s name.

History

Q-Less was invented by Tom Sturdevant, a foreign service officer, a Peace Corps trainer, a farmer, a filmmaker, an award-winning game inventor, and most recently, a songwriter. Tom started inventing back in the 1990s. His first game, LETRAS, a card game, came out in 1995 and after about a year of tinkering with it, he got it on the market just before Christmas in 1996. He sold 2,500 copies in the first three weeks, and it went on to win a Parents Gold Choice Award and a Top Ten Award from Doctor Toy.

He then invited EQUALS, another card game, and then BIJOU, a board game played with movies. In June 2000, he met with Blockbuster and they loved the game, so they licensed it and it became the Blockbuster Movie Game.

Though he initially retired from inventing, after creating Q-Less and finding his friends and family obsessed with the game, he came out of retirement. In 2018, he brought Q-Less to the world, including the world of social media. Tom has a TikTok account, @qlessgame, where he posts a daily video of himself playing Q-Less. As of January 2026, Tom has over 100,000 followers!

Variations

Though Q-Less comes in a convenient, palm-sized tin and could slip into any pocket or purse, if you’re more of a virtual gamer, there’s still a version for you. Q-Less can be found on the App Store for free. You only get one roll per day, meaning it’s the perfect game to work into your daily rotation if you’re into the New York Times games or the LinkedIn games.