Imposter Game Variations: Undercover, Mr White and More

The classic: one imposter, no word

The version everyone starts with, and the one the Antics app plays. Everyone gets the same secret word except the imposter, who gets nothing.

Deal the word to everyone but one player. The imposter gets a blank.
Go round the circle. Each player gives one clue: a word or short phrase, never the word itself.
After one or two circuits, count down from three and everyone points at their suspect.
Accuse an innocent player and the imposter wins.
Catch the imposter and they get one guess at the word. Right guess, they steal the win. Wrong guess, the group wins.

In the app, the imposter also gets a one-word hint every round, so they are bluffing with something rather than nothing. The full rules and example rounds are on the how to play Imposter page: /how-to-play-imposter/.

Undercover: the imposter gets a similar word

Instead of a blank, the odd one out gets a word that is close but wrong. The twist is that they don't know they are the odd one out, so their clues are honest, and nearly right.

Pick two close words from the same category, like Table Tennis and Badminton, or The barbers and A hair salon. Most players get one word; one player gets the other.
Nobody is told who is undercover, including the undercover player.
Go round giving one clue each. Everyone is quietly working out whether they are in the majority.
Vote one player out per round. Each player voted out reveals their word.
The group wins if the undercover player is voted out. The undercover player wins if they make it to the last two.

The best pairs share most of their clues and split on one. Table Tennis and Badminton both have a net, a racket and a lot of lunging; only one of them happens on a table.

Mr White: no word, but a guess to win

Mr White usually plays alongside Undercover. One player has a close word, one has nothing at all, and Mr White knows exactly who they are.

Deal the main word to most players, a close word to one, and a blank marked Mr White to another. You need five or more.
Mr White never gives the first clue. Everything they say is built from what they have heard.
Go round the circle, then vote one player out per round. Each player out reveals their word.
If Mr White is voted out, they get one guess at the main word. Right guess, they win on their own.
The main group wins once both the undercover player and Mr White are out.

The app's imposter is a Mr White with a leg up: a caught imposter still gets one guess, and the app deals them a one-word hint every round. If the word is Bubble Wrap, the imposter might see Parcel.

Two imposters for big groups

Past eight players, one imposter gets lost in the noise. Two makes the whole table paranoid.

Deal two blanks. Each imposter is told there are two of them, but not who the other one is.
Go round twice, so both imposters have to speak more than once.
Vote and reveal the accused, then vote again for the second one.
The group only wins if it catches both. Each caught imposter still gets one guess at the word, and one right guess wins it for both of them.

In the app, you can switch on two imposters from six players. Both are told they are one of two, and both see the same hint, so their bluffs don't contradict each other. They can still accuse each other by accident, which is the best bit.

Question mode instead of clue mode

Clue mode is fast. Question mode is chattier and much harder to hide in, because every answer can get a follow-up.

The first player asks anyone a question about the word, like "Would you go there on a first date?" or "What does it smell like?"
The answer can be short, but it can't be refused.
Whoever just answered asks the next question, to anyone except the person who asked them.
Once everyone has asked and answered at least once, anyone can call the vote.
Same ending as the classic: point on three, and a caught imposter gets one guess.

Good questions ask about experience rather than facts. "When did you last see one?" catches bluffers. "What colour is it?" catches nobody.

The three-player version

With three, the two players who know the word only need to trust each other, and the vote becomes a formality. So change what winning means.

Deal as normal: two players get the word, one gets nothing.
Use a hard word and keep clues to one word each, so the two who know it can't simply prove themselves.
One circuit only, then point on three.
Score every round. The imposter gets a point for surviving the vote and another for guessing the word, caught or not. Each of the other two gets a point for pointing at the right person.
First to five wins. Play enough rounds that everyone gets a go as the imposter.

The app runs Imposter from three players, and the imposter's hint makes the guess a real threat, which is what keeps a three-player round tense.

Big groups: split the room

Past ten, a circuit of clues takes so long that people forget the early ones. Split into two circles instead.

Split into two circles of five to eight.
Each circle gets its own word and its own imposter: two phones, or two bowls of strips.
Play the round in both circles at the same time.
Any circle whose imposter got away takes a group forfeit, chosen by the other circle.
Swap one player between the circles every round, so nobody gets too comfortable.

Which variation suits your group?

First time, or a mixed crowd: the classic. It takes thirty seconds to explain, and the guess at the end keeps it tense to the last second.

Played it loads: Undercover, then Mr White. Not knowing whether you are the odd one out changes how every clue sounds.

Eight or more: two imposters. Past ten, split the room. Quiet group, or one person doing all the talking: question mode, because everyone gets asked something directly. Three of you: the scoring version above, or the app, where the hint keeps the imposter in it.

Imposter variations FAQ

What is the difference between Imposter and Undercover?

In Imposter, the odd one out gets nothing and knows it. In Undercover, they get a similar word and don't know they are the odd one out, so they can play the whole round believing they are on the right side.

How do you play Mr White?

Mr White gets a blank and knows it, usually alongside an undercover player with a close word. If Mr White is voted out, they get one guess at the main word, and a right guess wins them the game on their own.

How many imposters should you have?

One for up to about seven players, two from about eight. The app lets you pick two from six players. Past ten, split into two circles rather than adding a third imposter.

Can you play Imposter with three people?

Yes, with tweaks. Keep clues to one word, play one circuit, and score each round so the imposter can still win on the guess when they are caught. The app runs Imposter from three players.

Skip the paper strips

Imposter is free in Antics. Everyone but the imposter gets the same word, the imposter gets a one-word hint, and a caught imposter still has one guess to steal it.

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

On a laptop? anticsapp.com/get sends the right store to your phone.