Impostor

Overview

Impostor is a game of deduction and bluffing. At the start every player privately receives the category and the secret word, except the impostor, who does not see the word. In turns you write a clue about the word without saying it: someone who knows it has to be clear enough for teammates, but not so clear that it hands everything to the impostor.

After the rounds of clues you vote. It is a very social game: it works best when you can also talk, in the same room or on a call. You need at least three players.

How a round goes

1. Everyone privately receives the category and the word; the impostor does not see the word.
2. In turns, each player writes a clue (30 seconds) without being able to use the word itself. There are several rounds of clues.
3. After the clues the vote opens (30 seconds): each player points at who they suspect. With two impostors every player votes for two different people.
4. An undiscovered impostor gets 100 points. If discovered, the 100 points are split (rounded down) among those who voted for them. In a tie, the impostor wins.
5. It repeats for the chosen number of rounds and whoever has the most points wins.

Tips to win

• If you know the word, give a specific but not obvious clue: it should make those who know say «aha» and stay vague for those who do not.
• If you are the impostor, listen to the first clues and try to use words in line with them; the category helps you stay on topic.
• A clue that is too precise is as suspicious as one that is too vague: watch who seems to know too much or too little.
• Remember that a tie favors the impostor: coordinate so that votes are not scattered.

For the host: settings and tips

• The number of rounds goes from 2 to 10 and the clue rounds from 2 to 5: more rounds and more clue rounds make the match longer, so choose based on the time you have.
• With at least 6 players you can set 2 impostors, which makes the vote far more uncertain.
• Extreme mode also hides the category from the impostor; the last chance lets a discovered impostor try to guess the word.
• Choose the content language before you start: it is the language of the words that will appear.