FlickerTale

The help library

Rules reference

Every rule FlickerTale plays by, what it starts at, and what it can be set to.

These are the rules every game starts with. Before a game begins, the host can change the most common ones from Change the rules on the big screen, or choose one of the ways to play below. A table for one, against the house, starts with the same rules.

Clocks count in seconds, and every clock can be stretched at once with Pace.

Ways to play

Classic

The familiar game.

Quick

Tighter clocks and a shorter race.

Party

A decoy from the deck every round, and a set number of rounds.

Relaxed

No clock to tell a story or slip in a card, up to five minutes to guess, and each reveal step waits for everyone’s Next.

The table

Rule Starts at Can be
Fewest players. A game will not start with fewer at the table, counting house players. 3 2 to 4
Most players. Once the table is full, anyone else who arrives can watch. 16 3 to 16

Hands

Rule Starts at Can be
Cards in hand. How many paintings each player holds. 6 cards 3 to 10 cards
Cards in hand, at three players. A table of exactly three holds a bigger hand. 7 cards 3 to 10 cards

Slipping in a card

Rule Starts at Can be
Cards each player slips in. How many cards everyone but the storyteller adds to the table each round. 1 card fixed, for now
Cards each player slips in, at three players. At a table of three, everyone adds more, so there is enough to guess from. 2 cards 1 to 3 cards
When time runs out before you slip in a card. What happens to a player who has not chosen when the clock reaches zero. the card already chosen for you plays itself fixed, for now

The clue

Rule Starts at Can be
How a clue is given. Whether the storyteller types the clue or says it out loud to the room. typed or said out loud typed only · said out loud only · typed or said out loud
Longest clue. A clue is a few words; this is the most it can be. 80 characters 1 to 280 characters

The storyteller

Rule Starts at Can be
When the storyteller runs out of time. What happens if the clock reaches zero before the story is told. a card and clue already chosen are sent; otherwise the story passes to the next player, with no penalty a card and clue already chosen are sent; otherwise the story passes to the next player, with no penalty · the story passes to the next player · a card is chosen and sent with the clue “...”
Who tells next. How the story moves round the table. the next seat round the table fixed, for now
Who tells first. Who holds the story in the first round. someone picked at random someone picked at random · the host · the first to sit down
The storyteller sees the table early. Whether the storyteller sees everyone’s cards before guessing begins. off fixed, for now

Guessing

Rule Starts at Can be
Guessing your own card. Whether you may guess the card you slipped in yourself. off fixed, for now
Changing a guess. Whether a confirmed guess can still be changed until time runs out. on on or off
When time runs out before you guess. What happens to a player who has not confirmed a guess at zero. a guess is picked for you fixed, for now

Clocks

Rule Starts at Can be
Time to tell the story. How long the storyteller has to choose a card and give the clue. 90 seconds 15 to 600 seconds, or no clock
Time to slip in a card. How long everyone else has to choose a card for the clue. 60 seconds 15 to 600 seconds, or no clock
Time to guess. How long the table has to guess, once the clock starts. 30 seconds 10 to 300 seconds, or no clock
When the guessing clock starts. The moment the time to guess begins to run. when the first person confirms a guess when the first person confirms a guess · as soon as guessing begins
Longest guessing can last. However long nobody guesses, guessing ends after this. 120 seconds 30 to 900 seconds, or no limit
Hurry-up. When everyone but one has slipped in a card, the time left drops to this, if it was longer. 0 turns it off. 15 seconds 0 to 60 seconds
Pause between rounds. A breath after the scores, before the next storyteller begins. 8 seconds 0 to 60 seconds
Pace. Stretches every clock at once: 1.5× gives everyone half as long again. 1× 0.5× to 3×

Extra cards from the deck

Rule Starts at Can be
Extra cards in the reveal. Cards from the deck that nobody played, shuffled in as decoys. 0 cards 0 to 6 cards
A guess on an extra card. What a guess that lands on a card from the deck is worth. nothing, to anyone nothing, to anyone · points to the storyteller, as a bluff would · a point off the storyteller

Points

Rule Starts at Can be
Scoring. How points are counted. classic: the storyteller hopes some, but not all, find the card fixed, for now
Storyteller, when some find it. The storyteller’s points when some of the table, but not all, find the card. 3 points 0 to 10 points
Finding the storyteller’s card. Each player who guesses the storyteller’s card, when some but not all do. 3 points 0 to 10 points
Storyteller, when all or none find it. A clue everybody or nobody understood. 0 points −3 to 2 points
Everyone else, when all or none find it. Every guesser, when everybody or nobody found the card. 2 points 0 to 5 points
Each guess your card draws. For every person who guessed your card instead of the storyteller’s. 1 point 0 to 3 points
Most a bluff can earn in a round. A ceiling on what one card’s guesses can be worth. no limit 0 to 10 points, or no limit
Bonus for the only one to find it. Extra for a player who alone found the storyteller’s card. 0 points 0 to 3 points
Storyteller’s bonus when exactly one finds it. Extra for the storyteller when a single player found the card. 0 points 0 to 3 points

The end of a game

Rule Starts at Can be
Play to. The game ends when someone reaches this score. 30 points 10 to 100 points, or no target
Or stop after. The game ends after this many rounds. no limit 1 to 99 rounds, or no limit
Or when everyone has told. Every seat is storyteller this many times, then the game ends. no limit 1 to 5 stories each, or no limit
Score the whole round. When someone reaches the target, the rest of that round still counts, so a tie is possible. on on or off
When the deck runs out. What happens when there are no cards left to deal. the played cards are shuffled back in the game ends · the played cards are shuffled back in · every card is shuffled back in
A tie. Who wins when the top scores are level. the win is shared fixed, for now

The reveal

Rule Starts at Can be
Guesses before the truth. The reveal shows where the guesses landed before it shows the storyteller’s card. on fixed, for now
Running scores. The scores are shown after every round, not only at the end. on on or off
Who moves the reveal on. What carries the reveal from one card to the next. the clock, or sooner once everyone taps Next the clock, or sooner once everyone taps Next · the whole table tapping Next, up to a minute a card
Reveal pace. How long the table lingers on each card; the lengths below are multiplied by it. 1.4× 0.5× to 2×
Every guess is in. The reveal opens on the table with all the guesses on it, for this long. 4 seconds 1.5 to 15 seconds
Each bluff. How long each bluff is shown, before the extra for the people it fooled. 5 seconds 2 to 20 seconds
Extra per person fooled. A bluff that fooled more people stays up a little longer. 0.7 seconds 0 to 3 seconds
Most bluffs shown one by one. Past this many, the quieter bluffs share a moment. 5 2 to 15
The storyteller’s card. How long the storyteller’s card is shown. 12 seconds 5 to 30 seconds
The storyteller’s card, at least. Nothing moves the table on sooner, not even everyone tapping Next. 6 seconds 2 to 20 seconds
The scores. How long the round’s scores are shown. 8 seconds 3 to 30 seconds
Every other moment, at least. The shortest any moment of the reveal can be. 2 seconds 0.5 to 5 seconds
Reactions. Phones can send the room a Ha!, a Sneaky!, an Oh no or a Knew it, once a card. on on or off

The big screen

Rule Starts at Can be
Who has chosen. The big screen shows how many have chosen, never who is still thinking. on on or off
Naming the first guesser. Whether the big screen says who confirmed the first guess, which starts the clock. off on or off
Hide the code once the game starts. The code comes off the big screen after Start. on on or off

Arriving, leaving and coming back

Rule Starts at Can be
Lock the table at Start. After Start, new arrivals watch rather than join. on on or off
Arriving late. What someone who arrives after Start can do. watch, and take a seat when the next round begins nothing: the room turns them away · watch · watch, and take a seat when the next round begins
How long a seat is held. A phone that drops off keeps its seat, its hand and its score for this long. the whole game fixed, for now
Suggest removing someone after. After this many turns in a row played for someone by the clock, the host is asked whether to remove them. 2 turns 1 to 10 turns, or never

The deck

Every game deals from every card the site has, shuffled. Every card in it today is painted for a general audience. Choosing packs is not something a table can do yet.