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Guessing game · A great activity for everyone

Fake Artist

Everyone gets the same secret codeword except one player, who's handed a blank slip and has to fake it through a shared, line-by-line drawing. It works because a single ambiguous line reads as guilty just as easily as a confident one — reading intentions is the whole game.

15–30 min4–16 peopleMediumPaper slips & pensIn personClassroom ✓
By Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker · Last updated February 19, 2024

What is Fake Artist?

Fake Artist splits a group into a codeword and one spy: everyone except the spy sees the same secret word, and the whole group takes turns adding a single line to one shared drawing, without ever saying the word out loud. After two rounds, the room votes on who they think never actually saw the codeword.

It works because a single line can't fully commit — everyone's line has to be specific enough to prove they know the word, but vague enough not to hand it to the spy. The spy has to fake that same balance from nothing, which means the vote isn't really about drawing skill; it's about reading how confidently everyone else committed to their line.

Skip it without someone willing to run the round instead of playing it — the organizer holds the codeword and the clue, and the game falls apart without a dedicated non-player. It also leans on one shared piece of paper everyone can see and add to in turn, so a fully remote group without a shared drawing surface will struggle to run it as written.

The rules

  1. The organizer writes the same codeword on every slip but one — the blank slip marks the spy.
  2. Deal the slips at random; only the organizer knows who's holding the blank.
  3. The organizer reads one clue related to the codeword before anyone draws.
  4. Players take turns adding a single line to one shared drawing.
  5. After two rounds each, everyone votes on who they think is the spy.
  6. A correct vote wins it for the group — a wrong one lets the spy guess the codeword to steal the win.

Before you start

  • Group size: 4–16 players. One organizer runs the round and doesn't play, so budget one extra person beyond your 4–16 drawers.
  • Materials: paper slips, pens, one shared sheet. Slips for every player, a pen or pencil each, and one big piece of paper the whole group can reach and draw on.
  • Pick a non-playing organizer. They hold the codeword, give the clue, and run the vote — the game needs someone who isn't also trying to win it.
  • Write the slips ahead of time. Same codeword on every slip but one, matched exactly to your player count. One blank slip means one spy.
  • Have a word list ready. Prep a short list of codewords, each with a related clue, so you can move straight into the next round without stalling.

How to run it

  1. Explain the rules and read the clue 1–2 min

    Tell the room a blank slip means the spy, then read your one clue related to the codeword before anyone picks up a pen.

  2. Deal the slips and pick a starter 1 min

    Hand out slips with eyes closed so nobody peeks early, then choose someone at random to draw the first line.

  3. Draw two rounds of lines 3–5 min

    Going around the group, each player adds one line to the shared drawing — twice each. Non-spies aim their lines at the codeword; the spy fakes it.

  4. Discuss, then vote 2–3 min

    Let the room talk through what they saw, then have everyone point at once toward whoever they suspect is the spy.

  5. Reveal and rotate 1–2 min

    A correct vote wins the round for the group. A wrong one hands the spy one guess at the codeword to steal it. New codeword, new spy, go again.

← vague is the spy's whole strategy.

Facilitator tips

Pick a codeword everyone knowsGo for something widely familiar over something clever — the game should test drawing and deduction, not vocabulary.
Keep the clue plainOne simple, concrete clue beats a cryptic one. A confusing clue just hands the spy more cover.
Let lines stay abstractShapes and gestures work as well as literal objects, and they keep slower drawers in the round instead of stuck copying someone else's line.
Judge the guessing, not the drawingSay it upfront: nobody's rating anyone's art. The point is the vote, not the sketch.

Why it works

Deduction, out loudEvery vote forces someone to explain their read of one ambiguous line — the room ends up practicing real reasoning, not just pointing fingers.
One line, real pressureNon-spies have to draw clearly enough to prove they know the word; the spy has to fake that same confidence from nothing. That single-line limit is the whole test.
Reading the room, not just the paperBlending in as the spy means watching how confidently everyone else draws and votes — the social read runs in both directions here, not just toward the spy.
HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"I love this one for the constraint — a single ambiguous line forces real thinking about what to draw, and real attention to everyone else's line. The vote turns into a genuine guessing match: you're reading faces as much as ink. It rewards people who pay attention, not people who can draw."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For classrooms, trainings, and teams that want the debrief — these turn the vote into an actual conversation.

  1. What was your experience being the spy in the game?Surfaces the strategies and nerves that come with staying hidden.
  2. How did you approach drawing your lines during the game?Gets people naming their own decision-making, round to round.
  3. What was your strategy when voting for who you thought was the spy?Opens up how the group actually built trust — or didn't.
  4. How did you feel when you were accused of being the spy?A quick, low-stakes check on how the group handles being on the spot.
  5. What did you learn about communication through playing this game?Names what a single ambiguous line teaches about being understood.
  6. How did your group work together to identify the spy?Connects the vote back to how the group actually solves problems together.
  7. What was challenging about this game, and how did you overcome those challenges?Reframes any sticking point as something the group figured out together.
  8. How might you apply the lessons learned from this game to real-life situations?Closes on transfer — the actual point of running a debrief.

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Jon Zajac

Founder & Chief Icebreaker

I started IcebreakerSpot because I believe strong connections are the foundation of successful teams. This site exists to make it easy to find and share the icebreakers and team-building activities that build trust, spark collaboration, and help groups do great things together.

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