The imposter game for large groups, from 8 players up

The imposter game is most comfortable with five or six players, but the rounds people talk about for weeks happen with eight or more. You just need a few adjustments, or the discussion turns into chaos and the same three people do all the talking.

How many impostors do you need?

The rough ratio is one impostor for every four or five players. Fewer, and the crew wins too easily. More, and nobody can trust anyone. Fun at first, tiring after ten rounds.

Keeping the discussion under control

This is the real challenge with a big group. Twelve people cannot talk at once, and if you let them, three voices will take over every round.

1. 1Fix the clue order. Clockwise, one word each, no interruptions.
2. 2After the first round, open discussion for one minute only. Run the timer on the phone.
3. 3Use a talking object. Whoever holds the phone, or a glass, gets to speak. Ridiculously simple, and it works.
4. 4Have one person call the vote. Not a referee, just someone who says, right, let us vote.

Ten players, one phone

The impostor party game handles up to ten players per round, with several impostors and up to 120 seconds of discussion. Nobody else needs to download anything.

Impostor Party Game

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When to split into tables

Above ten players you are usually better off with two groups of six or seven. Each table plays on its own phone, then you come back together.

• Everyone gets a turn, not just the loud ones.
• Rounds are shorter, so more of them fit into the evening.
• There is something to talk about between rounds, because the other table has stories too.
• You can finish with a final: the best bluffer from each table in one shared round.

Formats for big parties

1. 1Tournament. Five rounds with points. The impostor scores two for escaping, the crew one each for a catch. A winner at the end keeps everyone focused.
2. 2Knockout tables. Two tables play three rounds each, and the top six scorers go through to the final.
3. 3Category battle. Each table gets a different category, and you compare at the end which was hardest.
4. 4Mixed teams. Reshuffle the tables after two rounds so no alliances form.

Where this setup shines

• School trips and camps. Lots of people, few props, plenty of free time.
• Team building days. Split into tables, it works with twenty to sixty people.
• Big house parties. People drift in and out of rounds, and that is fine here.
• Family gatherings. Mixed ages play fine with an easy category.

Need words for all those rounds? Grab them from imposter game words, and for fresh twists see imposter game ideas.