Draw the Line Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Concept
• Contents
• Setup
• Player Goals
  • The Sketchers
  • The Guessers
• Gameplay
  • 1. Preparation Phase
    • The Sketchers
    • The Guessers
  • 2. Action Phase (Simultaneous)
    • Miming, Making Sounds, and Drawing
    • The Sketchers
    • The Guessers
• Guessing the Mystery Word
  • Correct Answer
  • Incorrect Answer
• End of the Round
• End of the Game
• Advanced Game

Game Concept

Draw the Line is a party game that is played in teams, simultaneously. The first team to win 3 rounds wins the game.

Each team is made up of a Sketcher and a Guesser. As a Sketcher, you will draw the round's Mystery Word by connecting icons on your Sketchpad before miming those icons for your Guesser (with or without sound, but no words!). As a Guesser, you will connect the icons your Sketcher is miming to recreate their drawing and be the first one to guess the Mystery Word correctly. Speed is the key to victory, as the first team to find the Mystery Word wins!

Contents

• 8 Sketchpads
• 4 Dry-Erase Markers
• 110 Mystery Cards (220 Mystery Words)
• 1 Cardholder
• 1 Rulebook

Setup

1. Pair up into teams of two. Take Sketchpads of the same color and sit across from each other.
2. Write your team name on the front cover of the two Sketchpads, then turn them to page 1.
3. Choose which side of the table will be the Sketchers for the first round and give them each a Marker. The other side of the table will be the Guessers.
4. Place the Cardholder in front of the Sketchers with the music note ( ) side facing them. Decide whether you will be using the pink side or the blue side of the Mystery Cards for your game, and place the deck into the Cardholder with the chosen colour facing the Sketchers.

Place the deck of cards here.

Note: If you have an odd number of players, make a team with two Guessers.

Player Goals

The Sketchers

Your goal is to guide your Guesser to draw the same image as you and guess the Mystery Word as quickly as possible.

The Guessers

Your goal is to draw by paying attention to your Sketcher's instructions and be the first Guesser to say the Mystery Word out loud.

Gameplay

There are 2 Phases in each round (Preparation and Action).

1. Preparation Phase

The Sketchers

The Sketchers place the Cardholder so that only they can see it. The same Mystery Word is used by all Sketchers.

IMPORTANT: Make sure the Guessers do not see the Mystery Word.

If you are a Sketcher, you must draw an image of the Mystery Word by connecting icons on your Sketchpad (make sure no one else sees your drawing).

The final image should be one that simply, but effectively, represents the Mystery Word. Once you are done, sequentially number each icon that your drawing passes through in ascending order (1, 2, 3, etc.).

One number per icon. If your drawing passes through an icon that you have already numbered, skip it, then continue numbering the icons that haven't been passed through more than once in your drawing.

Note: As a Sketcher, you can lift your Marker to draw a new, unconnected line. If you do, sequentially number this additional line starting from 101 (then 102, 103, etc.). Additional lines must start at even higher numbers (201, 301, etc.).

Once all the Sketchers have finished their drawing, place your Sketchpad upright so that you can see it properly during the Action Phase.

The Guessers

If you are a Guesser, place your Sketchpad flat on the table so that all the players can see it, then take a Marker. Take a moment to study the icons on your Sketchpad so that they are easier to find during the Action Phase.

2. Action Phase (Simultaneous)

Miming, Making Sounds, and Drawing

The Sketchers

Once ALL the Sketchers have finished their drawing and placed their Sketchpad upright, they must all say "DRAW - THE - LINE!" at the same time to begin the Action Phase.

If you are a Sketcher, you will begin miming and making sounds (no words) related to the icon that is numbered '1' so that your Guesser knows where to begin the drawing.

• You may only speak to say the number of the icon you are miming.
• If you want your Guesser to connect to an icon again (like the '2' in the example below), you can just tell them the number.
• You are NOT allowed to mime or make sounds to lead your Guesser to the Mystery Word itself.
• If your Guesser cannot find the icon you are miming, you can move on to the next one. Make sure to tell them the new number, or their drawing might end up looking different than yours.

Example: You drew a beautiful fish. You say: "1" and mime a ballerina; "2" and mime a cross; "3" and mime a pair of swords; "4" and mime a whale; "2" (you don't need to mime anything because the Guesser knows where '2' is); "5" and mime a martini glass, etc.

Pro tip: You can try to save time by skipping icons. In the example above, you could skip icon 2 and have your Guesser connect icon 1 directly to icon 3 (the line will pass right through icon 2)!

The Guessers

If you are a Guesser, you will watch and listen to your Sketcher so that you can identify the icon they are miming.

Once you think you have identified the correct icon, number it with a '1'. Tell your Sketcher to move on to the next numbered icon. Once you have correctly identified the second icon, number it with a '2', and draw a line to connect the two icons. Continue numbering and connecting the Sketcher's icons and an image will begin to take shape!

If you are unsure about one of your numbered icons, ask your Sketcher to go back and mime it again.

Guessing the Mystery Word

If you are a Guesser, you can guess the Mystery Word at any time, even if your drawing isn't finished. But be careful: you only get 3 guesses!

Correct Answer

If your Guesser says the Mystery Word, your team wins the round, which ends immediately.

Note: Synonyms or words for things that are very close in appearance to the Mystery Word can be accepted as correct answers.

Example: If the Mystery Word was 'Crocodile', you could accept a guess of "Alligator" as these animals look very similar.

Incorrect Answer

If you are a Guesser and your guess is incorrect, you must mark an X in one of the ERROR boxes at the top of your Sketchpad. Then your Sketcher must read the Mystery Word's Hint out loud.

As a Guesser, you can attempt to guess the Mystery Word at any time. However, you only get 3 guesses. If you guess incorrectly 3 times (3 X's on the Guesser's Sketchpad), your team must sit out the rest of the round.

End of the Round

The round ends as soon as:

• A Guesser says the Mystery Word.
• All Guessers' Sketchpads have 3 X's.

Erase the drawings and X's from your Sketchpad to prepare for a new round.

Note: Before beginning a new round, it is very important to make sure that both teammates are on the same page of the Sketchpad!

The winning team uses the next page of their Sketchpad for the new round.

All other teams use the same page they used last round.

If no one guessed the Mystery Word, all teams remain on the same page for the new round.

Place last round's Mystery Word card at the back of the deck, then turn the Cardholder around so that it faces the other side of the table. The Sketchers are now the Guessers, and vice versa. The Sketchers begin the new round with the Preparation Phase.

End of the Game

The first team to win 3 rounds (i.e.: to guess a Mystery Word on page 3 on the Sketchpad) wins the game.

Advanced Game

Once you have played Draw the Line a few times and are comfortable with the rules, try the advanced game where each Guesser must keep their Sketchpad hidden from the other players. This means that other Guessers cannot look at your drawing for clues, and your Sketcher cannot see how your drawing is progressing. Your success will rely solely upon the communication between your team's Sketcher and Guesser.