How to play

In short

Two teams play: the Foxes and the Owls. Every player has their own phone.
In each turn one person describes the word on the card and their team guesses.
Under the word there are five words the describer can’t say.
A guard from the other team watches for those words and calls fouls.
Guessed +1, skipped 0, foul −1. The team with more points wins.

1. Setup

One person creates a room and becomes the host . The others join via the link or by typing the 5-character room code. No account needed, just a nickname.
Everyone picks their level: kid, medium or advanced. The level sets how hard the cards are (see Levels).
New players join the smaller team. Anyone can switch teams with the “Move here” button, and the host can move and remove players or shuffle the teams. Each team needs at least 2 people. A room holds up to 20 players.
The host sets up the game in the “Settings” tab: card categories, turn length (45, 60, 90 or 120 seconds) and when the game ends. Then they tap “Start the game”.

2. How a turn works

Teams take turns, the Foxes go first. Before each turn everyone sees who describes, who guesses and who guards.

The describer taps “Start my turn”. A turn never starts on its own, so there’s time to get ready.
The clock starts. The describer sees the card: the word and five taboo words under it. They describe the word so their team can guess it.
When someone on the team says the word, the describer taps “Guessed” and gets the next card right away. A word that’s too hard can be “Skipped”, as often as you like.
When a taboo word is said, the guard taps “Foul!”. The card is lost and the next one appears.
The turn ends when time runs out. The card on screen at that moment counts neither for nor against. The describer can also end the turn early.

Who does what in a turn

DescriberSees the card, describes and marks the cards. Holds the phone so their team can’t see the screen.
Guessers (the rest of their team)Can’t see the card. Shout out answers, as many and as fast as they like.
Guard (one person from the other team)Sees the card, listens to the describer and taps “Foul!” when a taboo word is said. Guards rotate every turn.
Spectators (the rest of the other team)See the card but don’t give any hints. They can point out a foul to the guard.

Describers take turns in order, separately in each team. If the teams are uneven, someone in the smaller team will describe more often.

3. What the describer may and may not do

It’s a foul, i.e. −1 point, when the describer:

says a taboo word, even in another form (e.g. the taboo word is “ship” and they say “ships” or “shipping”),
says the word or part of it (for “Lighthouse” you can’t say “light”),
spells it or gives the first letter (“it starts with L”),
translates it into another language (“in French it’s phare”),
says what it rhymes with or what it sounds like (“sounds like…”),
uses gestures or points, when you’re in the same room. Words only.

Allowed:

describing what something is, what it’s for, where you can find it,
giving examples, opposites and associations,
saying “shorter”, “longer word”, “first part”, “close!”,
skipping as many cards as you like.

The word counts as guessed when someone says it as is or in another form (e.g. “lighthouses”). A similar but different word (“flashlight”) doesn’t count yet. If the describer notices they said a taboo word, they can tap “I fouled”.

4. Points

Guessed	+1
Skipped	0
Foul	−1

The app keeps score. A team’s score can go negative.

5. End of the game

A round is one turn for the Foxes and one for the Owls. The host chooses when the game ends:

After rounds. “Everyone describes once” means as many rounds as there are people in the bigger team. You can also pick a number from 1 to 20.
To a score. The game goes on until a team reaches the set number of points.

You can turn on both conditions; then the game ends with whichever comes first. The end is checked only after a full round, so both teams get the same number of turns. If after a round both teams are tied and have reached the target, the game goes on until one leads. When playing by rounds, a tie is possible.

After the game you see stats and the room’s record (team wins, player ranking). “Play again” starts a new game in the same room with the same players.

6. Player levels and cards

Kid (about 7–12 years): easy cards and the “For kids” category.
Medium: easy and medium cards.
Advanced: medium and hard cards.

In every turn the describer has to understand the word and at least one person on their team has to be able to guess it. That’s why the card level in a turn is the lower of two: the describer’s level or the highest level among the guessers. Example: when a kid describes, the cards are for kids. When Dad describes and only a kid guesses, they are too. When the team is all adults, the cards get harder. This way a family can play against adults on equal terms.

The host can turn this off in the settings (“Difficulty: shared”) and pick one card difficulty for everyone.

Cards don’t repeat. The room remembers cards you’ve already had, also from earlier games. The “Deck” tab shows how many new ones are left and lets you bring back used ones. When you run out of new cards, the used ones come back. A room is kept for at least 60 days after the last game, so it’s worth coming back to.

7. Remote play

The app doesn’t carry sound. When you’re not together, start a voice or video call (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Meet, Discord, Messenger…). You can run the call on a laptop, for example, and play on your phones. The host can paste the call link in the lobby, and the lobby has a “How do I get a call link?” guide for each messenger.

8. FAQ

Can I join during a game?: Yes, via the link or the code. A new person joins the smaller team and plays from the next turn. You can only switch teams between turns.
The guard called a foul by mistake. Can it be undone?: No. The guard’s call is final and the game goes on. Guards rotate every turn, so mistakes even out.
Someone on the guessing team saw the card.: Skip that card. Only the describer, the guard and the spectators from the other team may see the card.
I switched phones or browsers. How do I get my spot back?: Enter the room and type the same nickname. The game will ask “Is that you?”. Once you confirm, you’re back in your spot, with your team and host role, and the game disconnects on the previous device.
What if the host leaves?: The person who joined earliest becomes the host. The game goes on.
How do I leave a room?: In the lobby, in the “Teams” tab, tap “Leave room”. The host can delete the whole room instead.
How do I delete a room?: Host: “Settings” tab in the lobby → “Delete room” at the bottom. The room disappears for everyone, along with the scores and the card memory.
Will my phone screen turn off during a turn?: In most browsers, no: the game keeps the screen on while a turn is running.
How much does it cost?: Nothing. No account or app install needed.

Create a room and play