How to Play the Imposter Word Game

Before you deal

Say how the round is won, out loud, while nothing is at stake. The usual rule: the imposters win if the vote names a crew member. The strict rule: they win only when every imposter is missed. The phone will not choose for you. Reveal only shows the word and the seats.

Also agree that nobody says the word, spells it, or points at it if the thing is in the room. One clue each is enough for a first game. A second lap is for when the group is stuck, not for a monologue.

A round, in order

1. Agree the win before you deal

   Choose the usual rule, where imposters win if the vote names a crew member, or the strict rule, where they win only if every imposter is missed. The phone does not score the vote.

2. Set players, imposters and a category

   Use 3 to 20 players. The most imposters allowed is one for every three players. Pick a category, or Random. Turn on a vague hint for a first game or a very wide list.

3. Pass the phone and hide each card

   Each person sees only their own card. Crew all see the same secret word. Imposters see a blank card, or the hint if you turned hints on. They never see the word, and they are not told who the other imposters are.

4. Start the clues from the player the phone names

   That starter is chosen at random after the last card is hidden. One clue each, clockwise, without saying the word, spelling it, or pointing at it. Start the timer only once the phone is face down.

5. Vote out loud, then reveal

   Point on three, or say a name. Then press Reveal and confirm it. The result shows the secret word and the imposter seats. Play again keeps the headcount, category, hint setting and timer, and deals a new word.

What a clue sounds like

Suppose the category is Household and the secret word is Spoon. A crew member might say “You leave it in a bowl.” That is true, and it is not the name. “Cutlery” is weaker, because it fits several words on that list. “The metal one next to the knife” is too close. The imposter, who has not seen Spoon, should borrow the shape of the first clue — something you use at a meal — and avoid blurting a guess.

That example is for teaching. It is not the word you will be dealt. Press Deal when the table is ready, and pass the phone so only one person can read.

Dealing without spoiling it

• Read the card yourself. Do not read it aloud, even as a whisper the table can hear.
• Hide the screen before you look up. A bright phone in a dark room is a mirror.
• If you are crew, you and the other crew have the same word. You do not need to compare cards.
• If your card is blank, you are an imposter. You still do not know the word. Hint mode adds a short clue and still hides the word.
• The phone does not tell imposters about each other. Do not announce your card.

How the imposter wins, and how the crew wins

The imposter wins by surviving the vote. Under the usual rule, one wrong name is enough, even if other imposters were also accused. Under the strict rule, every imposter has to be missed. Agree which of those you are playing before the first clue, or you will spend the reveal arguing.

The crew wins by naming the bluff. Useful signs: someone who agrees with every clue and adds none, someone who asks the group to “say more” on every turn, and someone who finally guesses a word that was never in the clues. A second clue, asked of one player only, is fair. Crew can usually give one. An imposter starts to repeat themselves.

Then vote. Point on three, or go around the table and say a single name. Press Reveal and confirm it. Play again if you want a best of three. The starting player changes, because the phone picks them at random after each deal.

Variants worth using

What this game is not

It is not a boxed copy of Spyfall. Spyfall gives the table a location and gives each player a role. This game gives the crew one shared word and gives the imposters nothing, or a hint. It is also not a live multiplayer server. There is no room to join. You pass a phone, or one person hosts it.

When you are ready, open the generator. Themed lists, including food and football, are on the packs page.

Rules questions