Party games
Just One
Repos ProductionLudovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter2018
- players
- 3–7
- minutes
- 20
- years
- 8+
In the box
110 cards (550 words) · 7 racks · 7 dry-wipe markers
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designers
- Ludovic Roudy, Bruno Sautter
- Artwork
- Éric Azagury, Florian Poullet
- Publisher
- Repos Production
- Mechanics
- Communication LimitsCooperativeDeductionPaper and Pencil
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Together, the table tries to get as many of the thirteen mystery words guessed as possible. The guesser picks a word without seeing it, the others each secretly write a one-word clue, and identical or invalid clues are hidden before the guesser, who gets only one answer, reads the rest; they may also pass. The game ends when the thirteen cards are used up: the score is the number of cards won, and thirteen is a perfect score.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
3 to 7 players, 13 cards face down, Easel and marker
- Three to seven players. Shuffle the cards and count out thirteen, placed face down in the centre; the rest go back in the box.
- Each player gets an easel and a dry-erase marker (two easels with three or four players, in the 2025 edition).
- Choose the first guesser at random.
How to play
One-word clue, Duplicates hidden, Only 1 answer
- The guesser draws the top card without looking at it and puts it on their easel, facing the others. They call a number from 1 to 5: that is the word to find. If someone does not know that word, they may ask for another number.
- Each of the others writes a clue of a single word, without conferring or showing it. A compound word, a proper noun, a number, an acronym, an onomatopoeia or a symbol counts as one word.
- The guesser closes their eyes. The others compare: identical clues and invalid clues are hidden by laying the easel down.
- Identical means: two words that are the same, two words from the same family, the same word in singular and plural, or the same word misspelt.
- Invalid means: the mystery word translated, a word from its family, a made-up word, or a homophone of the mystery word.
- The guesser opens their eyes, reads the remaining clues and gets only one answer; they may also pass.
- The player on the left becomes the next guesser.
Scoring
Pass: 1 card lost, Miss: 2 cards lost, Score out of 13
- Word found: the card joins the successes. For a job title, the answer is right in the masculine or feminine form.
- Pass: only the current card goes back in the box.
- Word missed: the current card and the top card of the deck go back in the box. On the last turn, with no deck left, remove a card already won.
- If all the clues have been hidden, the card goes back in the box and play moves to the next turn.
- The score is the number of cards won at the end, out of thirteen.
End of the game
13-card deck used up, 13, a perfect score
- The game ends when the deck of thirteen cards runs out.
- Thirteen is a perfect score; eleven or twelve, an excellent result; seven or eight, an average score.
- 2025 edition: with three or four players, each clue-giver writes two clues, on two easels. The first edition kept this variant for three players only.
House rules and pitfalls
The real calculation is collective: an obvious clue will be written by three people and disappear.
- The real calculation is collective: an obvious clue will be written by three people and disappear.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
What is the game about?
It is cooperative: one player must guess a mystery word from clues written by all the others. But identical clues cancel each other out — that is the whole difficulty.
How do clues cancel out?
The clues are compared while the guesser has their eyes closed: any clue given twice, or in a close form (same family, plural, spelling mistake), is hidden and will not be shown.
Can a clue be several words?
No, one word. A compound word, a number, an acronym, a proper noun or an onomatopoeia counts as one word. Forbidden: the mystery word translated, a word from its family, a made-up word, a homophone.
How many points can you score?
As many as the cards won, out of thirteen. Passing costs the current card; a mistake also costs the next card in the deck.
What happens if the guesser is wrong?
The card is lost and the top card of the deck is removed too: a mistake costs two cards. If it was the last card, remove a card already won instead.
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.