Imposter Party

The Imposter Game, Right in Your Browser

Imposter Party is a free imposter game for groups. Everyone at the table gets the same secret word, except the imposter, who only learns the category. Then you go round the table and each give one word as a clue. The crew wants to show they know the word without giving it away, and the imposter has to bluff, blend in and guess what everyone is talking about. After the clues, you vote. Can you work out who is the imposter before they work out the word?

The table is a sunny garden party in 3D. Every player gets a round cartoon critter with its own color and hat, the cards fly out of a deck in the middle, and when someone is caught, a pair of nose-and-mustache glasses pops onto their face. There are over 600 hand-picked words in 14 categories, three ways to play, and scores that carry on from round to round.

How to Play on One Phone

One Phone is pass and play for 3 to 12 players. You only need one phone, tablet or computer.

1. Set up the game. Type everyone’s name, pick how many imposters, what the imposter gets and which categories to use, then press Deal.
2. Pass the phone. Each player taps their name, reads their secret card, taps Got It and passes the phone on. The crew sees the word and its category. The imposter sees “You are the imposter” and the category.
3. Give clues. The game says who starts. Go round the table and each say one word about the secret word. If you forget your word, tap Check My Word and peek again in private.
4. Vote. Talk it over, then tap the critter you want to vote out and confirm. If there’s a tie, the tied players face one revote. A second tie and the imposter gets away.
5. Reveal. Catch the imposter and the disguise glasses pop on with confetti. Vote out an innocent player and the real imposter is revealed, laughing. A caught imposter still gets one last guess at the word, said out loud.
6. Play again. Check the scoreboard, then start the next round with a new word. The first player moves along one seat each round.

Play on Every Phone With a Room Code

Want to play the imposter game online, or just don’t want to pass one phone around? Pick Every Phone. The host chooses the number of players, the imposters, what the imposter gets and the categories, and the game makes a room code like K7QX-M2PA.

Everyone else opens Imposter Party on their own phone, types in the code and picks a different seat number. Each phone then shows only that player’s card. The whole round comes from the code, so it doesn’t need a server or an account, and it works just as well on a video call as in the same room. Give clues and vote out loud. When you’re ready, everyone taps Next Round, and the round number on screen lets you check that all the phones are in step. Show the Imposter reveals who it was on that phone.

Play Solo Against Bots

No group? Solo puts you at the table with 4 computer critters, or 5 on Hard, with names like Mochi, Pickle and Biscuit. Each bot gives its clue in a speech bubble.

• When you’re crew, you see the word. On your turn, pick one of four clue cards. Each one is marked Safe, Clear or Giveaway, so you can see how much it gives away. Then vote for the bot you think is the imposter.
• When you’re the imposter, you only see the category. Your four clue cards mix real clues, a vague clue that fits the whole category and one clue that belongs to a different word. Pick well and survive the vote. If you’re caught, you get one guess at the word from six choices.

You’re the imposter about one round in three. A win is worth 100 points, catching the imposter without a steal adds 50, and a winning streak multiplies your points. Pick Easy, Normal or Hard. On Hard the bots blend in better and their votes are sharper.

Settings

The One Phone setup remembers your last choices, so getting the next game going is quick.

• What the imposter gets: Nothing (the default, just the category), A Hint (one loose word, like Party when the secret word is Pizza) or A Similar Word (undercover mode, where the imposter gets a lookalike word and doesn’t know they’re the imposter).
• Imposters: 1, 2 or 3. Two imposters need at least 5 players and three need at least 8. Turn on Surprise and each round picks a random number of imposters, so nobody knows how many there are.
• Categories: pick any mix, or All.
• Timer: Off, 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes for the clue round, with a ticking sound in the last 10 seconds.
• Full Game or Words Only: Full Game has clues, voting and scores. Words Only just deals the cards, then lets you show the imposter or deal a new word. That makes it a handy imposter game generator for a group that likes to run the vote themselves.

Scoring

In Full Game, points carry over from round to round:

• Every imposter caught: each crew player scores 1 point.
• An innocent player voted out, or a second tie: each imposter scores 2 points.
• A caught imposter guesses the word: that imposter steals the round for 1 point, and the crew scores nothing.

With more than one imposter, you vote them out one at a time. Each time you catch one and others are still hiding, you talk and vote again. Vote out an innocent player at any point and the imposters win the round.

Word Categories

There are 14 categories and over 600 words, all family-friendly: Animals, Food & Drinks, Places, Jobs, Sports, Around the House, Nature, School, Transport, Fantasy & Fairy Tales, Holidays & Parties, Music, Clothes, and Toys & Games. Most of the words are everyday things that kids know, like Penguin, Pancake and Kite. Others, like Glacier, Metronome or Paramedic, make the bluffing harder. Every word comes with its own clues and hint, plus a few lookalike words for undercover mode.

Tips for the Crew

• Give a clue that proves you know the word but doesn’t hand it to the imposter. Pick something only someone with the word would think of.
• Listen for clues that would fit almost any word in the category. “Tasty” for a food word could come from anyone.
• Watch for someone who waits to hear a few clues, then says something close to what’s already been said.
• Going first is the hardest spot. A safe, slightly vague clue is fine on round one.
• Don’t vote too fast. With two or more imposters, the quiet player and the loud one might both be in on it.

Tips for the Imposter

• Pay attention to the order. If you’re late in the round, the clues before yours are your best hint.
• Go broad. A word that fits the whole category keeps you safe while you work out the secret word.
• Don’t copy a clue that’s already been said. Give something next to it.
• Keep a straight face, and vote with the group. Accusing someone else is a good way to take the heat off yourself.
• If you’re caught, you still have the last guess. Put the clues together and say the word with confidence.

Good Clues and Bad Clues

The best clue in the imposter word game sits in the middle: clear enough that the crew trusts you, but not so obvious that the imposter guesses the word.

Say the secret word is Pizza:

• Too obvious: Pepperoni or Slice. The imposter now knows the word and can steal the round.
• Too vague: Food or Dinner. It’s true, but the imposter could say it too, so it makes you look suspicious.
• Just right: Oven, Crust or Share. They fit Pizza, but they also fit bread, pie and plenty of other things.

Now say the word is Penguin. Antarctica gives it away, and Animal says nothing. Tuxedo or Waddle is the sweet spot. And never use a clue that’s part of the word, like Pizzeria for Pizza. That’s the same as saying it.

When you’re the imposter, the same idea works the other way. If the category is Animals and the clues so far are Ice and Fish, a clue like Cold fits right in. Play the imposter a few times and you’ll find it much easier to guess the imposter when you’re back on the crew.