How to play Imposter with one phone

Four friends are playing. The phone goes around. Maya, Theo and Liv each see the same secret word, GIRAFFE, with its category, Animals. Josh sees only the category. He is the Faker, and he has no idea what the word is.

Then one clue each, out loud:

• Maya: “You’d need a ladder to feed it.”
• Theo: “I saw one at the zoo.”
• Liv: “Its pattern looks like paving stones.”
• Josh: “It would make a terrible house pet.”

Josh’s clue is the only one that would fit a badger, a crocodile or a wasp equally well. That is the tell. Notice he was not being stupid: with no word to work from, a clue that fits everything is the safest thing he can say, and safe is exactly what gives him away.

The room argues, votes in private, and catches him. He gets one guess at the word to steal the points back. “Elephant?” Wrong. Nobody is knocked out. Next round.

Everything below is that same loop in detail.

Choose three to twelve players and enter first names or nicknames. Names make each private handoff unambiguous and stay on the device.

Select a few built-in packs or add up to 50 custom words. Custom decks are useful for themed parties, family jokes and topics the whole room understands.

Pass the phone to the named player. They confirm possession, tap to reveal, memorise the screen, then hide it before passing on.

Most players see the secret word and its category. The Faker sees only the category. The app never advances automatically into the next person's private screen.

The app chooses a speaking order. Each person gives one short clue without saying the word or repeating someone else. A useful clue proves knowledge, but an obvious clue helps the Faker.

The Faker listens for patterns and invents something plausible. Vague clues are safer, but sounding too safe attracts suspicion.

When everyone has spoken, the room gets a short discussion timer. Ask why a clue was oddly broad, strangely specific or disconnected from what came before.

Voting is private. Each player receives the phone, chooses one other person and locks the vote before passing it on.

If the vote misses or ties, the Faker escapes and earns points. If the room catches them, the secret word stays hidden while they make one final guess.

A correct final guess lets the Faker steal points. Only after that decision does Bluff Club reveal the word, award the round and return everyone to the scoreboard.