A party and deduction game: everyone gets a secret word, but not everyone gets the same one. Give clues, listen to the others’, and vote to unmask the impostors.
The Civilians all receive the same word. The Infiltrators receive a similar word, different from the Civilians’ one, and don’t know they are infiltrators. The Amnesiac, if the host has added one, receives no word. Together, the Infiltrators and the Amnesiac make up the impostors’ side.
At the start, the impostors are always fewer than the Civilians. The host chooses how many Infiltrators they want; if the table is too small for that number, the game removes some until it can be played. The Amnesiac, however, is never removed: at a small table, they take the Infiltrator’s place.
Taking turns, each player still in play gives a clue about their word: one word or a short phrase. It must be telling enough for their side to recognize it, and vague enough not to give the word away to those who don’t have it. You may not say your own word.
Each speaking turn has a time limit, set by the host before the game.
Once everyone has spoken, each player votes to eliminate the one they suspect. The player with the most votes is eliminated, and their role is revealed — not their word.
In a tie, the tied players face a second vote; if it’s still a tie, chance decides. Then a new round of clues begins with the remaining players.
An eliminated Amnesiac doesn’t leave the game without one last move: they try to guess the Civilians’ word. If they find it, their side wins on the spot.
The Civilians win when every impostor has been eliminated. The impostors — Infiltrators and the Amnesiac — win as soon as they are as many as the Civilians still in play, or when the Amnesiac guesses the word.
As a Civilian, the best clue points to an aspect of your word that the similar word probably doesn’t share. It reassures your side without giving a foothold to an Infiltrator who is still trying to work out what the table is talking about.
If your clues and the others’ don’t quite seem to be about the same thing, you may be the Infiltrator. Stay general in the first round, listen, and let the others give themselves away before you do.