For each game, you need a board (to draw on) and random words. A board always has to be printed.
For words, pick the option you like best:
- Download word cards once, reuse every game
- Use the website on a phone while playing
- Use a board with words printed on it.
Score the amount of food your board indicates. Try to do so using the least turns possible! In this cooperative mode, you all work together as one team.
You can also play competitively. Divide the players into two teams. The first team to reach half the food threshold (rounded up) wins!
Get new words. Look at them in secret, then pick one. Each word has a number of lines and an amount of food.
Now communicate your word by drawing on the board! Draw as many lines as the word allows. Follow the rules of drawing (next section).
The others guess what you’re drawing. Choose one of these options to limit turn length:
- Set a timer of 60 or 90 seconds.
- Or allow as many guesses as the number of lines you were allowed to draw. (Ask the guessers when a guess is definite, and only respond to those with “correct” or “incorrect”.)
Guessed correctly? You score the food attached to the word!
Now it’s your left neighbor’s turn.
Of course, you can’t just draw any way you like.
- Lines must be straight and between two points.
- You can’t add a line where it already exists. (The two points are already connected.)
- Lines can’t go through another point on their way.
These are the only rules. So yes, anything else is allowed. (Lifting your pen to continue somewhere else, crossing lines, using points already used for other drawings, … )
This expansion turns the dots into many different locations! Each has a special ability or power. A location activates whenever it’s the end point of a new line you draw. Its power is active from now on ( = until the end of your turn).
This expansion adds even more special locations, with much more wild or chaotic effects.
At the start of the game,
- Each player sketches their own (unique) ant icon.
- And draws it next to any dot.
On your turn, you must start your drawing from where your ant currently is! Additionally, you’re not allowed to lift your pen until you’ve drawn 6 lines.
At the end of your turn, move your ant. Cross out the old drawing, draw it at the new location. However, it may only move along drawn lines by at most 6 steps.
Instead of one player drawing on their turn … multiple players draw!
At the start of your turn, choose other players with whom you want to share the secret word. (You can’t pick all other players, but must pick at least one.)
Starting with you, all players who know the word alternate drawing one line at a time. Repeat this cycle until the drawing is done.
The players who don’t know the secret word—and didn’t participate in drawing—actually guess it.
This is a variant that allows taking multiple turns for a drawing.
If a drawing is not guessed, you must resume it next turn. Write the lines and food for this word next to your current shape, to remember it.
Next turn, don’t draw a new word, but continue drawing your old one. You get half the number of lines as previous turn (rounded down).