Borrowed Strokes

How to play

1. 1

   A game supports 4–12 players and works best with 5–8. One album is created for each active player; anyone joining after the start remains a spectator until the next game.

2. 2

   In 25 seconds, everyone privately chooses one of three original app scenes: one about an animal, one about a person, and one about an animated object. Custom starting text is not allowed; a missed choice is completed by the server.

3. 3

   The server secretly shuffles the players into a ring. After phrase selection, your album moves on and does not return until the reveal. Across N − 1 passes, everyone contributes once to every other album and never sees their own.

4. 4

   On every turn, only the immediately preceding link is visible, without its author, album owner, or earlier history. Do not discuss its content by voice, gesture, or outside the app before the reveal.

5. 5

   Odd-numbered passes give 75 seconds to turn a phrase or description into a drawing. Use freehand lines or the keyboard-accessible stamp board; letters, words, numbers, emoji, and imported images are not allowed.

6. 6

   Even-numbered passes give 35 seconds to describe only the drawing on screen, using 2–100 characters and no more than 16 words. Do not try to identify its author or reconstruct the unseen starting phrase.

7. 7

   A submitted link locks and remains private. If time expires without a valid submission, the server inserts a clearly marked automatic rescue link; it earns no points and cannot receive votes.

8. 8

   After the final pass, the app reveals every album in turn, showing its starting scene and every later link in chronological order. Viewing and voting last up to 18 seconds; after 4 seconds the album closes when everyone has chosen, or the host may continue.

9. 9

   In each album, you may privately give one Spark to one manual drawing or description made by someone else. You cannot choose your own link, the starting phrase, or an automatic link, and an unused Spark does not carry over.

10. 10

    Authors become visible during the album reveal. The finale shows only each link’s Spark total and the album totals for passes and missed choices; who gave a Spark to whom is never revealed. Every Spark awards its author 100 points exactly once.

11. 11

    The finale lasts up to 25 seconds and the host may finish after 5. It names the favorite drawing, best written turn, and chain of the game without bonus points; ties are shared. Retrying or reconnecting never creates another vote or score award.