What is Telephone Pictionary?

The origins of “Telephone Pictionary” come from two other popular games that you have probably played at one point or another. One is “Telephone,” where you pass a phrase along a string of people and see how horribly mangled or well intact the phrase is at the end of the line, and the other is “Pictionary,” where you draw an object or phrase and try to get people to guess what said drawing or phrase is.

Understandable, right? Acquiring the materials for and learning the rules of Telephone Pictionary are easy, too. You need:

Friends. Lots of friends. I’ve played in a group as small as five before, I think. This is a great party game. If you don’t have friends, it might be your best move to stop reading this this post and go get some.

Paper. More paper than you have friends. Every single person in the group needs a stack of paper that has as many sheets as players in it. So, if you are playing with five people, each person needs five pieces of paper. We’re not talking huge sheets of paper, either. The pieces only need to be a quarter of a sheet. If you’re environmentally-conscious, don’t worry. You can recycle all these pieces after you’re done!

Writing utensils. Pencils and pens will work just fine, though be careful that your pens don’t bleed through the paper. I wouldn’t advise using markers.

Time. You better have a nice long night ahead of you, because everyone works at a different pace. Some like drawing more than others, and you might have to wait a while before your neighbor passes you your next stack. Then, after one game is over, you will probably want to play another round or two because the game is just that much fun.

Now, as for the rules:

1. Everyone should either number or letter the pieces of paper on their stack so they can keep it in order as it is passed around.
2. Everyone writes a phrase on the top of their stack. This can be as ridiculous or as serious as you want it to be. One alteration a group of us has done is using a quotation to begin.
3. Pass the stack either clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on what your group has decided. We like to switch it up every other round.
4. You will receive someone else’s starting phrase. Move it to the back of the stack, and draw your interpretation of the phrase to the best of your ability. Some people like to get super artsy with their interpretations, but just do what you can/want to do.
5. Pass your drawing to the next person.
6. You will receive a drawing from your neighbor who gave you the previous phrase. Now, it is your turn to create a phrase interpreting their drawing.
7. Repeat the drawing-writing stages until you receive your stack. Sometimes, it will be a drawing, sometimes it will be a phrase – it depends on how many people are in your game.
8. Then, take turns sharing your stacks, seeing how well the original phrase stayed intact… or how horribly demented it has become!

So, now you have an idea of what you need and how the game is played, you can play it yourself, as well as enjoying this blog!