# Spyfall: Illustrated Rules and UI Guide

**Spyfall** is a hidden-role conversation built around one secret location. Exactly one player is the spy. Agents must show that they know the location without handing its name to the spy. The spy listens for common ground, blends in, and tries to identify the place.

## Objective and table size

- The web game supports **5, 6, or 8 players**. There is always **one spy**; every other seat is an agent.
- An **agent** sees the dealt location and a private post at that location. The post gives you a point of view for conversation. It is not a second answer the table must solve.
- The **spy** sees neither the location nor a post, but can browse the complete public location deck.
- A 5- or 6-player game lasts at most 4 rounds. An 8-player game lasts at most 5. If the table never reaches a majority by the cap, the spy wins.

## Start a match

1. Open Spyfall from the Party game catalog.
2. Select the **Standard Round** card.
3. Under **Players**, choose 5, 6, or 8. The highlighted number is the full table; you control one seat and AI players fill the rest.
4. Press the dark **Enter game · drops** button near the bottom. On your first match, enter a nickname when prompted and confirm it to create the game.

![English Spyfall setup page with the Standard Round card, player count, and Enter game button](/docs/game-guides/en/spyfall/01-setup.webp "Choose 5, 6, or 8 players, then enter the match from the bottom of the page")

## Read your private briefing first

The match opens with an **Only you** briefing card:

- An agent sees **Location** and **Your post**. Remember both, then press **Start**.
- The spy sees **Location unknown**. The public location deck remains available, but it never marks the real location.

After closing the briefing, use **My identity** in the action dock to reopen it. **Locations** opens the candidate deck. These are reference controls and do not submit an action.

## Read the main screen

![English Spyfall desktop screen with player photos around the location file and the Transcript on the right](/docs/game-guides/en/spyfall/02-gameplay.webp "Identify players around the case file, follow the Transcript on the right, then act from the bottom dock")

- The **top bar** shows the round and phase. On wider screens, seat pips mark action progress and the current actor; on narrow screens, the bottom status also identifies the live phase.
- The **player cast** shows public persona details such as avatar, name, job, and MBTI. These are character details, not game roles. Photos surround the case file on desktop; swipe the top cast horizontally on mobile.
- **Private intel** appears in a personal strip on mobile. On desktop, use **My identity** in the bottom dock to reopen the briefing. A spy always sees an unknown location.
- The **public location deck** contains every possible location and is visible to both sides. It never highlights the dealt card.
- The **Transcript** records each line by seat and name, then keeps round dividers, vote results, and location guesses. It sits on the right on desktop and scrolls below the scene on mobile.
- The **action dock** displays only actions that are legal now. While another seat acts, it shows who is speaking or deciding.

## Take a speaking turn

Players speak once each in seat order. When your turn arrives, write one line in the bottom field and press **Speak**, or press Enter.

Agents can refer to sounds, objects, routines, working conditions, or feelings without naming the place. If the location is an airport, “I hate it when the announcement changes at the last second” establishes context without saying “airport.” As the spy, build on context that the table has already established and avoid a narrow detail that could expose a wrong assumption.

### Mention a specific player with @

Every mention is normalized as **`@Pseat·name`**, such as `@P3·Alex`. The seat number keeps a mention unambiguous even when names are similar. You can add one in four ways:

1. Type `@` in the speaking field, then type a seat number or name to filter the picker.
2. Press the `@` button on the left side of the input and choose a player.
3. On mobile, tap a player card carrying the `@` mark in the cast strip.
4. Press the `@` beside a speaker's name in the Transcript.

The mention is inserted into your draft. Add the rest of your sentence and press **Speak** to send it.

## Use the ballot board

After everyone has spoken, the game enters the vote phase:

1. Press **Vote** when the action dock gives you the turn.
2. Select one suspect on the photo wall.
3. Check the avatar and name, then press **Confirm**. Closing the panel cancels the selection instead of voting.
4. Once sealed, the **Sealed ballot file** on the scene shows who has locked a ballot, but it does not reveal anyone's target early.
5. The game opens all ballots together. The outcome, target totals, and accused seat are added to the Transcript.

A suspect needs a **strict majority of the whole table**: at least 3 votes with 5 players, 4 with 6, or 5 with 8. A mere plurality is not enough. Without a strict majority, nobody is unmasked and a new round starts.

## The spy's location guesses

- On the spy's own speaking turn, **Guess location** appears beside the speaking controls. Open it, choose one card from the location deck, and confirm. A correct guess wins immediately; a wrong guess immediately gives the agents the win.
- Catching the spy in the vote does not end the match yet. The accused spy receives one **Spy's last guess** from the location deck.
- A correct last guess steals the win for the spy. A wrong last guess finally awards the game to the agents.
- If a majority accuses an ordinary agent, the spy wins immediately and there is no recovery turn.

## Round checklist

1. Read your private briefing and the public location list.
2. Every seat speaks once. Use `@Pseat·name` when directing a question or reply.
3. Everyone locks one suspect on the ballot board.
4. No strict majority starts another round; accusing an agent gives the spy the game.
5. Accusing the spy triggers one final location guess before the winner is settled.

## Common mistakes

- A persona's job and MBTI are public flavor, not the agent's secret location post. Your post appears only in your private briefing.
- The location deck is public to everyone. Opening it often does not prove that someone is the spy.
- An agent can reveal too much by being overly specific, even when the statement is true.
- Voting uses a strict majority, not a plurality, and this version does not offer abstention.
- **Locked** means a player has submitted a ballot. Their target remains hidden until the tally.

## Common controls

- **How to play** reopens the short in-game tutorial.
- The pencil or **Change name** control updates your display name.
- The speaker control toggles game audio.
- **Exit** asks for confirmation before returning to the game page.
- At the end, the reveal shows every identity and the true location. Use **Play again** for a fresh match or **View recap** for the game review.