The first two minutes of an imposter game decide whether it works. Too much explanation, and the table drifts. Too little, and the first round is chaos. This is a script for hosting Who's the Spy, written to be read aloud in about two minutes, with notes on where to pause. Change the words to suit you.
The welcome (15 seconds)
"Welcome, everyone. This is a game about lying a little and listening a lot. It takes about twenty minutes, nobody gets knocked out, and it is much easier to play than to explain."
The idea (30 seconds)
"Every round, everybody except one person is shown the same secret word. That one person, the spy, is told only the category, like food or places. We go round the table and each give one short clue about the word. The spy has to blend in. The rest of us have to prove we know the word without making it too easy."
Pause. Ask: "Does that make sense?" Most hands go up.
The clues (20 seconds)
"Clues are short. Online, you get twenty characters and twenty-five seconds. Think two or three words. Don't say the word. Don't say the obvious thing either, because the spy is listening."
The vote (25 seconds)
"After two laps, you can ask for a vote. If more than half of us ask, we vote. Everyone names who they think the spy is. You can't vote for yourself. If it's a tie, we vote again between the tied people."
The points (20 seconds)
"If you name the spy, you get a point. If the spy gets away, the spy gets a point. If the spy is caught, they get one guess at the word from ten options, and if they're right, another point. Three rounds, most points wins."
The reassurance (10 seconds)
"We'll play one practice round and I'll help as we go. If you get confused, just give a short clue and watch what everyone else does."
Total
About two minutes. If you are on one phone, add: "Pass the phone, look at your word in private, then pass it on."
What not to say
Do not explain the call window and the runoff in detail. Do not explain tells. Do not give examples of good clues in the actual category you are playing. The table will learn all of these in the first round.
How do you handle questions?
Answer in one sentence, then move on. "Can the spy vote? Yes." "Can I give the same clue as someone else? You can, but it looks suspicious." A table that is already playing learns faster than one still listening to you.
Why does this script work?
Because it follows the order in which a player meets the game: who I am, what I do, what I say, how we decide, how we score. Each section answers one question and no more. A new player who can answer those five questions can play. Everything else, the clock, the call window, the runoff, is background that the table handles for you.
It also keeps your own voice out of the way. A host who talks for ten minutes is a host the table stops listening to, whereas a short, clear explanation makes everyone feel they have already started playing.
What about a quiet or sceptical group?
Start with the practice round without the script. Say only: "I'll deal, you'll see a word, say a clue, we'll vote." Explain the rest after the reveal, when everyone is curious.
Where can you run it?
At Board It, a free site for playing who's the spy with friends as a spy game online, a table of three to eight can read this script and begin. For a bigger room, use one phone and read it aloud.
A last note
The script is a ladder, not a lecture. Climb up it, and then take it away.
Ahmed Moaz builds Boardit, a free browser game site.