Round & Revel / Drawing and guessing
Six-Mark Studio
A starting mark, six strokes, and a table trying to see the same thing.
Original printable party game. Timing is a planning estimate; this edition has not had a live group playtest.
Good for: Friends and family who enjoy a quick drawing-and-guessing challenge.
What you need
- One copy of twelve secret prompt cards
- One blank sheet per player, plus practice paper
- A broad pen or non-erasing pencil
- A public six-box stroke counter and a score sheet
How to play
The idea
For a relaxed friends-and-family game night, turn a tiny starting mark into a recognisable object using no more than six new strokes. Your table is a single team. The artist knows the object; everyone else interprets the evolving picture and agrees on a guess halfway through and at the end. There is no acting, map-making, or requirement to draw beautifully. A surprisingly useful line is worth more than a detailed picture that takes too many strokes.
Make the studio
Print one copy of the twelve SECRET PROMPT cards, cut them apart, and keep their faces hidden. Prepare one blank sheet per round, plus practice paper. Use an ordinary pen or a pencil without erasing. Everyone should be able to see the drawing right way up. A large sheet or a camera pointed only at the drawing can help a bigger table. Have a public stroke counter showing boxes 1 through 6.
Choose the round count
Play one round per person, so everyone is artist once. Choose the first artist by agreement, then move clockwise. The player immediately clockwise from the artist becomes guess captain for that round; they lead the guesses and count strokes but still help solve. Shuffle the prompts and use the top card each round. If anyone recognises a previously seen prompt, quietly replace it before the artist begins. Set a shared target of twice the number of rounds.
Copy the supplied seed
The artist draws the card privately and copies only its starting mark onto the middle of the page. They say what the seed is: for example, “a small horizontal oval”. This copying happens before the six-stroke budget starts. The seed is approximate, so millimetres and artistic neatness do not matter. It must match the stated orientation and basic shape. Do not add a decorative flourish, extra dot, suggestive label, or other unlisted mark while copying it.
What counts as one stroke
A stroke begins when the tip touches the paper and ends when it lifts. One dot is one stroke. A single continuous line may curve, turn, cross itself, or retrace part of its own route; that is still one stroke. You cannot erase, rub out, cover, tear, or fold the picture. The seed must remain visible and become part of the final depiction, though a new line may cross it. Adding a separate arrow after lifting the pen requires another stroke. Repositioning the paper for visibility is free, but cannot be used to signal an answer.
The drawing language
Draw the physical appearance of the target. Do not write letters, words, numerals, phonetic clues, word-length dashes, or a rebus assembled from other words. Do not point at objects in the room, mime the answer, make suggestive sounds, or describe your picture aloud. Accidental speech such as asking for a larger pen is fine. A drawn detail like a wheel or handle is allowed. Artistic conventions such as motion lines are allowed but each separate mark uses a stroke.
First three strokes
Add strokes 1, 2, and 3, pausing between them while the captain marks the counter. Solvers may discuss ideas during drawing; the artist must neither confirm nor reject those ideas. After stroke 3, put the pen down. Give each solver a chance to name one candidate or pass, then let the group discuss briefly. The captain submits exactly one agreed answer. The artist answers only “correct” or “not yet”. A correct answer ends the round for three shared points.
Finish the six
If the first answer is wrong, the artist adds strokes 4, 5, and 6 under the same rules. They may adapt the picture after hearing the discussion. Then repeat the candidate round and submit one second answer. A correct second answer earns two points. If it is wrong, the artist reads the printed rescue clue exactly as written, adds no marks, and allows one last group answer for one point. Otherwise the round earns zero. Reveal the prompt and move to the next artist.
A worked example
A secret prompt might ask for a lollipop with a small circle as the seed. The artist could draw its long stick in one stroke, a spiral inside the circle in another, and a single wrapper edge in the third. “Lollipop” would earn three points at the halfway guess. Solvers do not have to mention the wrapper. This example is not in the scored deck, so the table can practise it without using up a prompt.
Answers and accidental marks
The printed object name is the intended answer, but accept an ordinary equivalent naming the same object, such as “tea pot” for teapot. A broader category is insufficient: “vehicle” does not identify a bicycle. Settle an ambiguous answer before the artist responds by asking the captain to name one object. If the artist accidentally lifts the pen, the next contact starts the next stroke. If they accidentally reveal the word or exceed six strokes, replace the prompt and replay that artist’s round without penalty.
Finish, access, and replay
Add all round points. Reaching twice the round count completes the studio challenge; three times the count is a perfect session. There are no individual scores or ties. These targets and timing estimates have not been playtested. Allow unhurried drawing and discussion, and have someone else hold the paper if needed. A player can direct a designated drawing partner privately, with that partner excluded from guessing on that round. Replay unused prompts, then invent new physical objects and neutral seeds together before shuffling them for a later session.
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.
SECRET PROMPT 01
Target: Umbrella. Starting mark: a small horizontal oval. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: Something opened above your head when rain falls.
SECRET PROMPT 02
Target: Bicycle. Starting mark: one medium circle. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A pedal-powered vehicle with two wheels.
SECRET PROMPT 03
Target: Teapot. Starting mark: a small upright oval. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A vessel with a spout for serving tea.
SECRET PROMPT 04
Target: Kite. Starting mark: a small diamond. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: Something flown from a line in the breeze.
SECRET PROMPT 05
Target: Mushroom. Starting mark: a short vertical line. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: Its shape has a cap above a stalk.
SECRET PROMPT 06
Target: Sailboat. Starting mark: a short horizontal line. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A boat moved by wind in a sail.
SECRET PROMPT 07
Target: Key. Starting mark: one small circle. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: An object that can turn inside a lock.
SECRET PROMPT 08
Target: Watering can. Starting mark: a short curved arc, open at the bottom. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A handled vessel used to pour water onto plants.
SECRET PROMPT 09
Target: Snail. Starting mark: a short horizontal line. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A small creature drawn with a spiral shell and a soft body.
SECRET PROMPT 10
Target: Chair. Starting mark: one short vertical line. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A piece of furniture intended for one person to sit on.
SECRET PROMPT 11
Target: Ladder. Starting mark: one long vertical line. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A climbing aid with two sides joined by rungs.
SECRET PROMPT 12
Target: Hot-air balloon. Starting mark: a short horizontal line. Copy and announce only that mark before drawing. Rescue clue, read only after two unsuccessful guesses: A basket carried beneath a large inflated envelope.
Round & Revel. Edition 1 / October 2026. No purchases, accounts or specialist equipment beyond the listed materials are required.