Impostor game rules

The impostor game is the kind of game where explaining the rules takes less time than everybody sitting down. One secret word, one impostor, a few minutes of conversation. Below is the full round, then tactics for both sides and house rules that make an evening out of it.

What you need

• At least three people. Five to eight is the sweet spot.
• One phone you can pass around.
• About five minutes for the first round, less after that.

No internet, no installs for everyone else, no scribbling on paper. That is the point: you sit down and within two minutes you are already suspicious of each other.

A round, step by step

1. Set up the round

Enter the player names. Pick a category, such as Animals, Food or Movies. Choose how many impostors there should be and how long the discussion runs. If it is your first game, stay with one impostor and thirty seconds.

2. Deal the roles

The phone goes around. Everybody swipes their card, reads it and passes it on. Most people see the same secret word. One player sees that they are the impostor. Try to spend roughly the same time on the card, because reading too fast or too slowly is a tell in itself.

3. Give your clues

The timer starts. In turn, everyone says one word or short phrase connected to the secret word. The goal is double: convince the others you know the word, and avoid handing it to the impostor. After one clue round, open it up for questions, defences and accusations.

4. Vote

When time is up, everyone votes. In the app that is two taps: pick your suspect, then confirm. Nobody sees anyone else vote until everybody is done.

5. The reveal

The app shows who got the most votes and whether they really were the impostor. Guess right and the crew wins. Guess wrong and the impostor stole the round. Then you play another one, because nobody ever stops after the first.

Tactics for the crew

• Do not say your first association. If the word is Dog, everybody thinks Leash. Say something that is only obvious once you know the word.
• Watch for people speaking in generalities. Impostors love words that fit anything: big, fast, nice, old.
• Hesitation is a tell. Someone who waits for two clues before speaking is often collecting information.
• Do not accuse in the first round. Give it one more clue round, because impostors usually slip on their second clue.
• If you go first, take a risk. Your clue sets how much the impostor learns, so keep it foggy.

Tactics for the impostor

• Do not rush. Avoid going first if you can, but do not always go last either, because that is obvious too.
• Build on what others said without repeating it. If someone said Box, do not say Cardboard. Step sideways instead.
• Accuse with confidence. Real impostors ask questions rather than defend themselves. One well timed question moves more suspicion than any amount of explaining.
• Use body language. Nod at other clues as if you know exactly what they mean.
• If you work out the word, do not show it. A suddenly confident, specific clue is the most common way impostors get caught.

House rules that make it better

1. 1Last word: a caught impostor gets one guess at the word. Guess right and they win anyway.
2. 2Silent round: in the first clue round nobody may comment, only give their word. Discussion comes after.
3. 3Double agent: two impostors who do not know about each other. Worth it above six players.
4. 4Score race: the impostor scores two points for surviving, the crew scores one each for catching them. Declare a winner after five rounds.
5. 5Category switch: change category every round, so nobody can coast on routine clues.

Common mistakes

• Clues that are too specific. If the impostor knows the word after two clues, the round is effectively over.
• Clues that are too vague. If nobody believes you, you get voted out even though you knew the word.
• Long monologues. Talking a lot gives people more to attack. One good sentence beats three.
• The same category all night. After five rounds everyone is recycling the same clues.

Try it now

The impostor party game is free, works offline and plays from three people up. Pass the phone around and find out who is bluffing.

Impostor Party Game

Download free