Party games
Pictionary
MattelRob Angel1985
- players
- 4–12
- minutes
- 40
- years
- 12+
In the box
Pictionary game, paper and pencils
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Rob Angel
- Publisher
- Mattel
- Mechanics
- DrawingRoll and MoveTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Get your team to guess a word by drawing it, without writing or speaking. Your board space sets the word's category; the drawer has one minute, with no letters, numbers, words or gestures, while their team calls out answers non-stop. A word guessed in time lets you roll the die, move and play again; the first team to reach the finish and get its last word guessed there wins.
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 to 4 teams, 1-minute sand timer, Board and die
- Two to four teams, each with a pawn on the start space, a sheet of paper and a pencil.
- A board of coloured spaces, a die, a one-minute sand timer.
- A draw pile of cards: each card has one word per category (object, person-place-animal, action, difficult, and depending on the edition one more category).
- Each team rolls the die: the highest goes first.
How to play
1 minute to draw, No letters or numbers, No talking or gestures
- The team picks a drawer; the role rotates with each word.
- The drawer reads the word in the category shown by their pawn's space, then has one minute to draw it.
- They may not write any letter or number, nor speak, nor gesture.
- Their team calls out answers continuously. Word guessed: the team rolls the die, moves and plays again with a new card. Time up: play passes to the team on the left.
- On an "All Play" space, one drawer from each team draws the same word at the same time: the first team to guess rolls the die and moves.
Scoring
No points, Position on the board
- There are no points: what counts is your position on the board.
End of the game
Reach the end, No exact roll needed, Final All Play word
- A team does not need an exact roll to reach the last space.
- Once there, it still has to get an "All Play" word guessed before the others: the first to do so wins.
House rules and pitfalls
Without a board, you can play for points: 1 point per word guessed in time…
- Without a board, you can play for points: 1 point per word guessed in time, and the first team to 10 points wins. That is a house variant, not the boxed rule.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
What is the goal?
Get your team to guess a word by drawing it, without writing letters or numbers, and without speaking, within the time limit.
What can't you do when drawing?
No letters, no numbers, no agreed symbols (an arrow for "sounds like", for example, depending on the table), and no gestures or speech. The pencil does all the talking.
How do you move forward?
On a board: guessing in time lets you roll the die and move your pawn forward. Some spaces are "All Play" and are played as a duel between teams.
What difference does the sand timer make?
The limited time (one minute): you have to get to the point. Too much detail, and the word is not found in time.
How do you win?
The first team to reach the final space, then get its last word guessed there, wins. Without a board, you can agree to play to 10 points. Drawing talent matters less than the ability to suggest quickly.