How to Play the Imposter Word Game

What you need

Three or more players and one phone, tablet or laptop. We suggest six to ten players. You can play Imposter on PartyDeck or use these rules with paper slips.

Setup

One secret word is chosen. Every player looks at their card in private. Civilians see the word. Imposters see that they are the imposter — and, if your group allows it, the category of the word, such as "Kitchen Things" or "At the Beach". Without a hint the imposter has nothing to go on but the other players' clues.

Players	Suggested imposters
3–6	1
7–10	2
11–15	3
16–20	4

The clue round

In classic mode a civilian starts — PartyDeck picks one at random so an imposter never has to speak first with no information. In undercover mode anyone can start, because the imposters do not know they are imposters. Going round the circle, each player says one word related to the secret word. Repeating a clue is not allowed, and neither is saying the word itself. Groups often play two clue rounds before discussing. A timer of two to three minutes keeps the discussion moving.

Example: the secret word is Pizza

• Too obvious: “pepperoni” — the imposter now knows the word.
• Too vague: “food” — that sounds exactly like an imposter.
• Just right: “slice” or “delivery” — clear to anyone who knows the word, but it also fits other food.

Voting and the last guess

When the timer ends, or whenever the group is ready, everyone points at the person they suspect on the count of three. The player with the most votes is accused.

• If the accused player is not an imposter, the imposters win the round.
• If the accused player is an imposter, they get one last chance: name the secret word out loud. Right answer — the imposters steal the win. Wrong answer — the civilians win.
• If the group cannot agree on anyone, the imposters win.

Scoring

Each civilian scores 1 point when the civilians win. Each imposter scores 2 points when the imposters win, whether undetected or by stealing. Play to a target such as 10 points, or play a set number of rounds.

Undercover mode

In undercover mode the imposters receive a word that is close to the civilians' word — Violin against Cello, Dolphin against Shark — and nobody is told which word is the odd one out. Undercover players give honest clues about their own word, so the first round sounds perfectly normal. Listen for clues that fit "almost". PartyDeck includes 230 word pairs across 23 categories.

Tips for civilians

• Give clues that only someone who knows the word would think of, but that do not hand it to the imposter on a plate.
• Watch who waits to hear several clues before answering, and who repeats the shape of someone else's clue.
• In big groups, vote out the vaguest clue first, then discuss.

Tips for imposters

• Use the category hint and the first clues to narrow the word down, then give a clue that fits several possibilities.
• Sound confident: a long pause before your clue draws attention.
• If you are caught, think carefully about your guess — it is worth a full win.

Variations

Large groups: use three or four imposters and two clue rounds. Classroom: make a custom list of this week's vocabulary on My words — explaining a word without saying it is excellent practice; classroom icebreaker games describes a fishbowl version for a whole class. Drawing: instead of a spoken clue, each player adds one line to a shared sketch.

Questions

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