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Printable party game

Sketchy Business

Everyone is drawing the same thing. One of you has no idea what it is.

One sheet of paper, one line each, in total silence. Prove you know what you are drawing without making it obvious enough for the person who does not.

  • Drawing
  • 4-12 players
  • 10-20 minutes
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A printed page of Sketchy Business word cards
The printed shared canvas for Sketchy Business
A printed Sketchy Business word card

How to play

Three things happen each round.

  1. A blank deal card the game master writes the word onThe Hidden Artist card

    Step 1

    Everyone gets a card, one of them is different

    The game master says the category out loud, writes the drawing topic on a card for every player but one, adds the Hidden Artist card, shuffles, and deals face down. Whoever gets that card only heard the category.

    • Priya
    • Sam
    • Tom
    • Ava
    • Priya
    Two laps of the table, one continuous line each, nobody says a word.

    Step 2

    One stroke each, in silence

    One sheet in the middle, a different coloured pen each, and one continuous line per turn. The pen never lifts. Draw too well and you have handed the topic over. Draw nothing and you look guilty.

  3. TableThree, two, one. Point.
    AvaFine, it was me. It is a beach umbrella.

    Named it. Ava takes the round anyway.

    Step 3

    Point at whoever looked lost

    Everyone points at once on a count of three and most fingers is the accusation. If the Hidden Artist gets unmasked they still get one shot at naming the topic, and naming it steals the round back.

Why nobody can just draw it properly

01

You are all drawing one picture

It is not everyone scribbling in parallel. It is one image built by the whole table, and the Hidden Artist has to add to it with only the category to go on.

02

Too good is as bad as too bad

Draw too well and the Hidden Artist copies you. Draw too vaguely and you look like the Hidden Artist. There is no safe stroke and everybody works that out on their first turn.

03

The topics are your history

The drawing topics come from the guest of honour's life, so the Hidden Artist is not guessing a word, they are guessing a moment.

What makes it yours

The drawing topics come from their life

You tell us about the guest of honour, and the topics come back as things the table will recognise the second they start appearing on the page.

Ava's kitchen renovation is still not finished

Half-finished kitchen

Ava got sunburnt on the first day in Bali

Sunburn

Ava's car has a permanent dent in the bumper

Dented bumper

Printed word cards, each showing a category and a drawing topic
The artists know exactly what they are drawing and the whole table gets the reference, which is what makes a bad drawing funny rather than just bad. The Hidden Artist has the category and nothing else, so a broad category does not narrow it down much.

What you print

  • Word cards, built around the guest of honour24
  • Deal cards, reusable, plus the Hidden Artist card1 page
  • Shared canvas, or use any blank paper1 page
  • Score sheet1 page

Prints on plain A4 or Letter. Black and white is fine. Cut along the guides and you are ready.

See a real printed pack (PDF)

Before you play: a different coloured pen for each player, a pencil for the game master, and one blank sheet for every round.

Is this one for your group?

Perfect for

  • ✓Groups who insist they cannot draw, which is part of the fun
  • ✓A table with room for one sheet in the middle
  • ✓Quiet parties and loud parties, it works either way
  • ✓Anyone who liked The Outsider and wants the drawing version of it
  • ✓Groups with real shared moments to draw

Maybe not if

  • ×Standing around. Everyone needs to reach the same sheet.
  • ×Four at a pinch, but the Hidden Artist has almost nowhere to hide. Six is where it comes alive.
  • ×Anyone who wants to keep talking. This round is silent.

Questions

What do we draw on?

Any blank sheet in the middle of the table. Everyone draws on the same one, which is the whole point. Canvas pages are in the pack if you cannot find paper.

Do we need proper art supplies?

One pen each, ideally different colours so you can see who drew what during the vote. Biros are completely fine.

What counts as one stroke?

One continuous line without lifting the pen. The moment it lifts, your turn is over, even if you were mid-masterpiece.

What if nobody can draw?

Then everybody looks like the Hidden Artist and the voting becomes chaos, which is objectively the best version of this game.

How many rounds is a game?

Play until someone reaches five points. Most groups get there in about half an hour and then immediately deal again.

How do scoring and winning work?

The Hidden Artist and game master score 2 each if the Hidden Artist escapes the vote, or is caught but names the word. If the Hidden Artist is caught and cannot name it, every player who pointed at them scores 1. First to 5 wins.

Does the game master play?

No. They run the round, deal the cards and reveal the accused after the vote, and they do not draw or point. The seat passes left each round, so everybody gets a turn running it and a turn drawing.

What happens if we catch them?

They get one guess at the topic. Name it and they take the round anyway, which is why nobody celebrates an accusation until the guess is in. Miss it and everyone who pointed at them scores.

Build out the box

Secret Missions

Secret tasks that turn the whole event into the game.

See game

Majority Rules

The biggest crowd wins every round.

See game

The Outsider

The whole group knows the word. One person has to fake it. Nobody knows who.

See game

Bet Your Mate

Guess the number. Bet your chips.

See game

The Pitch

Talk your way out of a Case using one absurd Curveball.

See game

Ready to play?

Build a party around Sketchy Business.

Choose the games that fit your group, then print the pages you need.

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