Word Sketch Help

Object of Game

The object is to draw a word only known to you in the given time limit. Others in the room will try guess the word. If someone guesses the word correctly, you are awarded 10 points and the time remaining is reduced to 40 seconds. You score additional points for each subsequent player that guesses your word (up to 5). If you are one of the guessers, you score 10 points if you are the first to guess it, 9 points if second and so on.

Each player has a turn to be the sketcher. There are 8 rounds to each game and the winner is the one with the most points after all the rounds.

The game does not rely on you being a good artist, often more your creativity in deciding what to sketch. Think "outside the box".

The Game Board

The top left of the screen is the status bar. This will tell you at any stage what is happening, for example who is currently drawing.

To the right of the status bar is the countdown timer. It will be green during the normal time when someone is sketching, and turn amber when the word has been guessed and the final 40 seconds are being counted. It will show red during the 15 seconds between rounds.

Below the status bar is the list of players and their scores. To the right of the players is the game message panel. This shows messages from the server for the current round as well as all the players' incorrect guesses.

To the right is the sketch pad. There is a toolbar below it where you can choose your color and size of the drawing pen. There is also an icon to undo the last drawing stroke and one to wipe the pad clean.

At the bottom left is the Chat panel where you can chat to fellow players.

How To Play

• Enter a game by joining one of the available games or create your own.
• Each player has a turn to sketch the word given to them. If you are up and do not like the word you are given, you can click the "Skip" button to forfeit your round.
• The round ends when:
  • The allotted time of 2 minutes is up.
  • The sketcher opts to skip the word or does not draw anything for 20 seconds.
  • The word is guessed correctly and 40 seconds expire.
  • The sketcher chooses to end the round prematurely by clicking the "End" button.
• As the sketcher, you are give the opportunity to give a hint (if the "Hint" button is showing). The hint will display to all the number of letters in the word and the first letter. You lose 2 points if you decide to give a hint.

Rules

• You are never allowed to draw letters, whether they belong to the word or not.
• Do not draw anything obscene. Please keep the game clean and mature. The same applies to any chat.

Scoring

• As the sketcher, you score:
  • 10 points if someone correctly guesses the word.
  • One point for each additional correct guess (up to a max of 5).
  • Minus 2 points for giving a hint.
• As the guesser, you score 10 points if you are the first to guess correctly, 9 points if second and so on.

Drawing Tips

• Use colors - often helps indicate type of object.
• Divide the word. For example for "timeline", draw a watch and then a line.
• Draw a word that rhymes with the one - first draw an ear icon to indicate listen.
• Other drawer protocols you might want to adopt:
  • Signal a verb by a square.
  • If it is a gerund - "ing" verb - then a circle goes around the square
  • Signal a country with a flag
• Don't rush - draw slower with more detail as time allows.