Imposter is a word game you play around one phone. Everyone sees the same secret word, except one player: the Imposter, who sees nothing but a hint of the category. Then you talk, and try to work out who's faking it.
It needs 3 to 12 players, no cards, no sign-up, and about five minutes a round.
Setting up
Choose how many are playing and, if you like, type your names. Names stay on the phone. Then pick the words: there are 8 packs of 25 words each (Food, Places, Animals, Jobs, Around the house, Sports & games, Cricket and Famous movies). Mix as many as you want. Words don't repeat until you've used them all.
Two options:
- The Imposter sees the category (on by default). It makes blending in fairer.
- A talking timer of 1, 2 or 3 minutes, if your group likes to argue forever.
Passing the phone
The phone tells you who to pass it to. That player taps "I'm Asha, show me", sees their card, then taps "Hide and pass" to cover it before handing it on.
Every card starts covered. The 'show me' button waits a moment, so a quick double tap can't reveal the next person's card.
Most players see the word. One sees something else:
What most of the group sees: the word and its pack.
What the Imposter sees: no word, just the category.
If someone switches apps while their card is showing, it covers itself again.
Talking
Put the phone in the middle. It names who goes first (never the Imposter). Going round, everyone says one word linked to the secret word. Go round once or twice.
The trick is the balance. If the word is "Mango" and you say "yellow fruit", the Imposter has it. Say something too vague, and everyone suspects you instead.
Forgot your word? There's a "Someone forgot their word?" button: pick your name and check it privately.
Voting
When you're ready, tap Time to vote. Agree on one person, tap their name, then confirm with the big "Yes, accuse…" button.
Tapping a name doesn't accuse straight away. You confirm first.
A short drum roll, then the answer. If you caught the Imposter, they get one last chance: they say their guess at the word out loud, and the group taps whether they got it right.
The result: who won, what the word was, and the points so far.
Points
- The Imposter wins if they weren't caught, or were caught but guessed the word. They get 2 points.
- The group wins if they caught the Imposter and the guess was wrong. Everyone else gets 1 point.
Play as many rounds as you like. A new Imposter is picked each time.
Tips
For the group
- Listen for words that are safe for any word in the category. That's often the Imposter playing it safe.
- Don't all jump on the first person who sounds odd. The Imposter loves that.
For the Imposter
- Listen to the first few words, then say something that would fit most of them.
- Bigger groups (6 or more) are harder for you, but you also have more words to borrow from.
Ready? Play Imposter.