Cipher — pass coded clues to your team without the other side cracking them
Based on Decrypto
Two teams. Four secret words each. Win by intercepting twice — or lose by miscommunicating twice.
- Players
- 4–8 players
- Duration
- ~12 min
- Updated
Cipher — two teams, coded clues, intercepts and miscoms
What is Cipher?
Cipher is a two-team code-cracking game built around language. Each team holds four secret words only they can see, numbered 1–4. Each round, one teammate draws a 3-digit code (a permutation of three of those numbers) and gives one clue per digit. Their own team has to map the clues back to the right words and reproduce the code. The opposing team listens too — and tries to intercept it.
Two clean intercepts of the other team's code = you win. Two miscommunications on your own = you lose. The deeper into the game you get, the harder clues become — your earlier clues are public history, so reusing imagery starts giving the other side a foothold.
How to play
- 1Each team gets four secret words on their phones, numbered 1 through 4. The other team can't see them.
- 2Each round, your encoder draws a 3-digit code — three of the four word slots, in some order. They give one clue per slot, out loud, in turn order. Their team writes the code; the other team writes their guess too.
- 3Reveal both. Correct decodes are silent. Wrong own-team decode = miscom token. Correct opponent intercept = intercept token. First to two intercepts wins; second miscom loses.
FAQ
How many players do I need for Cipher?
Four to eight, in two even teams. Three-vs-three is the sweet spot — enough table chatter to debate clues without one teammate carrying the whole round.
How long does a game of Cipher take?
About twelve minutes. Up to eight rounds, but most games end on a 2-intercept or 2-miscom resolution well before then. Tied at the end? One sudden-death round decides it.
Why can't the other team see your words?
Each phone shows only that player's team's four words. The other team has to deduce them by listening to clues round after round — which is also why later rounds get harder, since your earlier clues are public history they can mine.
What makes a good clue?
Specific enough that your teammates land on the right word, vague enough that the other team can't pin it. Reusing imagery across rounds is dangerous — patterns leak. Going too clever is dangerous too — your own team has to actually decode it.