How to play

In short

• You play as a pair, together against the board. Each of you has your own phone.
• You both see the same 25 words, but each of you has a different secret map.
• Your map has 9 target words. Together you have 15 different words to find.
• Each map also has 3 traps. Revealing a trap ends the game.
• You have 9 turns. Find all the words before they run out.

1. Setup

1. One person creates a room and becomes the host . The other joins via the link or by typing the 5-character room code. No account needed, just a nickname.
2. Exactly two people play. If there are more people in the room, the host picks the pair using the buttons next to the players. The rest watch : they see the board and the revealed words, but none of the secret maps.
3. The host picks the words: family (simple, from about age 8) or standard (more words with several meanings, like “bat” or “spring”). They can also pick 11 turns instead of 9 if it’s your first game or you’re playing with a child.
4. The host taps “Start”. The game draws the board, the maps and who gives the first clue.

2. Secret maps

On your map, each of the 25 words is one of three kinds:

• 9 target words (green outline)Words you need to lead your partner to.
• 3 traps (dashed outline)If your partner taps a trap from your map, you both lose.
• 13 blank squaresNothing happens, the turn just ends.

The maps partly overlap. 3 target words are shared, and the rest appear on only one map, so together you have 15 different words. A trap on your map can be a trap, a target word or a blank square on your partner’s map. One of your traps is your partner’s target word: you can safely reveal it when your partner is giving the clue, because then their map decides.

Don’t show or describe your map to anyone. Your partner only sees their own.

3. How a turn works

1. The clue giver looks at their target words and types one word and a number, e.g. sea · 2. The number says how many target words connect to the clue.
2. The guesser taps a word on the board and confirms with “Reveal”. The clue giver’s map decides, not the guesser’s:
   • target word — the word is revealed (green). You can keep guessing as long as you like, even more than the number says,
   • blank square — the turn ends, and the word gets a mark in the clue giver’s color (a miss on their side),
   • trap — game over, you both lose.
3. The guesser can tap “End turn” at any time, e.g. when they’re out of ideas.
4. In the next turn you swap roles: whoever guessed now gives the clue. Once someone has all their target words revealed, only their partner gives clues.

Nothing happens on its own: the host starts the game, and the clue giver starts each turn by entering a clue. There’s no timer, so take your time.

4. What’s allowed in a clue

Not allowed:

• giving a word from the board or a form of it (“castles” when “castle” is on the board),
• giving several words or a sentence (the game only accepts one word),
• pointing, saying “top left corner” or hinting with your face or tone of voice,
• saying what’s on your map (“there’s a trap here”).

Allowed:

• linking words by association, meaning, shape or color, e.g. sharp · 2 for “knife” and “tooth”,
• using double meanings: a “spring” is a season, a coil and a water source,
• chatting briefly after a turn about what you’ve revealed so far.

The game automatically rejects words from the board and obvious extensions (e.g. “seas” for “sea”). You police the other forms yourselves.

5. Turns and the end of the game

The circles above the board are your turns (9 or 11). Each turn, i.e. one clue, uses up one circle, no matter how many words you revealed.

• Win: you’ve revealed all 15 target words. The more turns left, the better.
• Loss: the guesser revealed a trap from the clue giver’s map.
• Loss: you ran out of turns with target words still left.

After the game the host taps “Let’s play again”. The new board has new words: in one room, words don’t repeat as long as there are enough at that level. The game also keeps track of your wins and losses.

6. Board legend

• Green outlineYour target word, not yet revealed. Only you can see this.
• Dashed outline and a no-entry signYour trap. Only you can see this.
• Green squareA revealed target word, visible to everyone.
• Red squareThe trap that ended the game.
• Mark in the player’s colorA miss on that side: the word was blank on that person’s map. Each of you has your own color (orange or blue). A word with a mark in the clue giver’s color can’t be tapped again during their turn.

7. Remote play

Each of you plays on your own phone, so you can play from different places. Get on a call (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Meet) to hear each other’s reactions, or play in silence, since the clue shows up on screen.

8. FAQ

Do I have to guess exactly as many words as the number says?

No. The number is just a hint. You can stop early or keep guessing as long as you hit target words.

A word is green on my map. Can I reveal it?

During your partner’s turn, their map decides, not yours. Your partner reveals your target words when you’re giving the clue.

What if someone leaves the room mid-game?

The game stops and you go back to the lobby. One of the spectators takes the free spot in the pair, or the host picks a new pair.

Can spectators give hints?

No. Spectators can’t see the maps, so they don’t know more than the players anyway.