Round & Revel / Social calibration
Put It in Order
Trade a little truthful information, then rank the whole room.
Original printable party game. Timing is a planning estimate; this edition has not had a live group playtest.
Good for: Getting a small group talking without requiring personal stories.
What you need
- One copy of the 12 ballot cards
- Three private ballot sheets and a pencil per player
- Four reusable option tiles labelled A, B, C, and D
- A public clue sheet, final-ranking sheet, and score record
How to play
The result belongs to the group
An icebreaker for friends, family, or a new group: you can learn small preferences without personal questions. Everyone privately ranks four harmless fictional options. The table then exchanges limited truthful information and predicts the order of the combined votes. You are not trying to choose what other people expect, win an argument about taste, or conceal information to make teammates fail. Your private ballot reflects your preference when written. Afterwards, clever questions and careful listening help the whole group reconstruct a ranking that may differ from anyone’s personal choice.
Prepare a ballot
Choose three different cards and a first chair, who writes the group’s final prediction. Read all four labelled options aloud and clarify their literal meaning without discussing anyone’s likely choice. Each player secretly awards exactly 4 points to their favourite, 3 to the next, 2 to the next, and 1 to the last. Use each number once. If indifferent, choose an arbitrary order privately. Fold or cover ballots after everyone says locked. They cannot change after the information exchange begins.
First exchange: one anchor and one comparison
In clockwise order, each person makes two statements, and the chair records them publicly. First reveal the exact points you assigned to one chosen option, such as “I gave C 3.” Then reveal one truthful comparison between two of the OTHER three options, such as “I placed A above D.” You cannot use C in that comparison if C was your anchor. A comparison states only which was higher; do not add the numerical gap or a reason that announces another rating. Everybody provides both statements before questions begin.
Second exchange: ask your neighbour
Each player now asks the person immediately clockwise one YES-or-NO comparison question: “Did you put A above B?” Choose any two different option letters, including the neighbour’s anchored option if useful. The neighbour must answer truthfully with YES or NO, without extra ballot details. Write the question and answer in the public log. Every player asks once and answers once. Investigators may suggest useful questions to one another before locking them, but cannot redirect a question to a different neighbour or buy extra answers.
Calibrate together
After all answers, discuss the shared evidence openly. You may calculate possible ballots consistent with a person’s clues, estimate option totals, and notice what is still uncertain. Do not announce an additional private score or ranking fact. Proposals should explain their reasoning from the public log, rather than reveal a new fact about your own ballot. There is no penalty for a mistaken inference. Keep private ballots covered even if you think a person’s entire order has become certain. Use an optional three-minute discussion target, with extra time when needed.
Lock a complete group prediction
Arrange A, B, C, and D from highest expected total to lowest. You may predict ties by putting two or more letters on the same written tier, for example “A = C, then B, then D.” Every option must appear exactly once. The chair asks whether there is a final change, then records and announces the locked ordering. If the group cannot agree, the chair chooses among the proposed orders. Rotate the chair next round; nobody has a permanent deciding role.
Reveal and compare six pairs
Reveal all ballots and add each option’s points across every player. Ties in these totals are real ties; do not break them by first-place votes. Examine the six option pairs AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, and CD. Each predicted relation earns 1 point only if it matches the actual relation: higher, lower, or tied. Maximum 6 points per round. For example, actual totals A=10, B=10, C=7, D=3 and prediction A>B>C>D score 5: only the A-versus-B relation is wrong. Predicting A=B>C>D scores all 6.
An exchange example and the finish
A player whose ballot is A4, C3, B2, D1 might reveal “C has 3” and “A is above D.” Their neighbour asks “Is B above D?” and receives YES. That narrows the possibilities without simply reading the entire ballot aloud. Play three rounds, rotating the chair, and total 0–18 together. There is no individual winner or tie-break; the score measures the table’s calibration. Nobody must justify a preference or share a personal story. Written clues, a reader, and longer discussion are welcome. If the group prefers invented tastes, agree before the first round that everyone chooses a fictional character’s consistent preference instead.
Printable cards and components
Print single-sided and cut on the borders. Read the setup before sorting the cards; some games use separate card types or fewer copies for smaller groups.
Pop-up corner
BALLOT. Choose a corner to visit at an imaginary neighbourhood afternoon. A: make a paper flower; B: solve a short riddle; C: decorate a bookmark; D: arrange a tiny display. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Festival finale
BALLOT. Choose the last attraction at a fictional miniature festival. A: lantern parade; B: bubble show; C: puppet scene; D: rhythmic clapping circle. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Borrowed room
BALLOT. Choose the main feature of a free fictional lounge. A: giant map; B: puzzle table; C: indoor paper garden; D: wall of illustrated jokes. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Tiny souvenir
BALLOT. Choose a free keepsake from an imaginary day trip. A: postcard; B: ribbon badge; C: pocket notebook; D: folded paper animal. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Window display
BALLOT. Choose a theme for a made-up shop window. A: miniature spaceport; B: clockwork forest; C: underwater library; D: floating bakery. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Gentle challenge
BALLOT. Choose a ten-minute fictional table activity. A: arrange colours; B: repair a sentence; C: sort curious shapes; D: invent a useful sign. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Reading nook
BALLOT. Choose a decorative detail for an imaginary reading nook. A: painted stars; B: paper leaves; C: striped cushions; D: model ships. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Opening scene
BALLOT. Choose the opening image of a harmless imaginary animation. A: wandering hat; B: sleepy lighthouse; C: dancing teacup; D: tiny travelling cloud. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Garden feature
BALLOT. Choose one new feature for a fictional pocket garden. A: winding path; B: mosaic bench; C: bright flower arch; D: little reflecting pool. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Table centrepiece
BALLOT. Choose a reusable decoration for an imaginary shared table. A: paper city; B: wooden stars; C: ribbon spiral; D: glass-free lantern shapes. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Museum room
BALLOT. Choose a room in a wholly invented museum. A: impossible umbrellas; B: miniature doors; C: unusual buttons; D: maps of imaginary islands. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Celebration emblem
BALLOT. Choose a symbol for a made-up community celebration. A: kite; B: sunflower; C: spiral; D: comet. Give your favourite 4 points, then 3, 2, and 1. No private tie is allowed.
Round & Revel. Edition 1 / October 2026. No purchases, accounts or specialist equipment beyond the listed materials are required.