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How to Play

Telestrations

4-8 players 30-30 min 7.4 Board Game Geek Rating

Players simultaneously sketch drawings based on secret words, then pass their artwork for others to guess. Each guess becomes the next drawing prompt, creating a hilarious chain of miscommunication. Victory comes through successfully interpreting others' artwork while creating clear drawings yourself in this entertaining party experience.

Published 2009

Telestrations

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Prepare components
Get the card box, sand timer, and die ready for the game
2
Choose card side
Decide which side of the cards to play with: "This Side" or "Other Side" (there is no difference between them)
3
Distribute materials
Give each player one notebook, one marker, and one card
4
Write player names
Each player writes their name on the cover of their notebook
5
Understand markers
One side of the marker writes, the other side erases

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Roll the die
The number rolled shows which word on each player's card they must use
2
Write your secret word
Record the word in your notebook without showing anyone
3
Prepare to draw (even players)
With 4 or 6 players, open to the first "Draw!" page and prepare to draw your word
4
Prepare to draw (odd players)
With 5 players, open to "Draw!" page and pass your notebook to the player on your left, who reads your word silently
5
Draw your word
Flip the sand timer and draw what your word means without using letters or numbers
6
Pass notebooks
When time runs out, open to page 2 and pass the notebook to the player on your left
7
Write your guess
Open the previous page to see the drawing, then write what you see on the "Guess!" page
8
Continue the cycle
Flip the timer again and keep alternating between drawing and guessing until a guess is written on page 6
9
Return notebooks
Give notebooks back to their owners
10
Reveal the results
Take turns passing and flipping through notebooks to see how words transformed
11
Play additional rounds
Erase pages 1-6, deal new cards, and pass notebooks in the opposite direction

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Friendly scoring option 1
Look at drawings in your notebook and award one point to your favorite artist
2
Friendly scoring option 2
Award one point to your favorite written answer
3
Friendly scoring option 3
If the final answer matches the original word, score one point for yourself
4
Competitive scoring for guessers
Players earn one point when their answers match the original word or the previous answer
5
Competitive scoring for artists
The player who drew on the "Draw!" page earns one point if their drawing helped guess the original word
6
Competitive scoring for owners
Earn one point if the final answer matches your original word
7
Complete the game
Play three rounds total, then count all points
8
Determine the winner
The player with the most points after three rounds wins

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

How to play Telestrations

How to play Telestrations

Instructional

How to Play TELESTRATIONS | Board Game Tutorial

How to Play TELESTRATIONS | Board Game Tutorial

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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