Caption This!

How to play

1. 1

   Caption This! is for 3–12 players. The app closes the group into a ring and code-renders as many distinct first-party illustrations with no external image assets as there are players: one scene for every neighboring pair.

2. 2

   Each player receives two scenes, shared with the neighbor on either side, and has one common 90-second writing stage to submit one original caption for each. A caption must be 3–90 characters and no more than 16 words.

3. 3

   A caption locks as soon as it is submitted and cannot be edited. Before voting, you see only your own accepted captions and the group’s progress; anyone joining after the start watches until the next game.

4. 4

   If a scene receives just one player caption, the app supplies one prewritten editorial caption with no author. If both writers miss the deadline, that scene is skipped during voting.

5. 5

   During voting, every complete scene presents two captions without names. Each player works through every matchup they did not write: with all scenes available, that is N − 2 choices.

6. 6

   Your own matchups never appear on your ballot. The whole voting stage lasts 35–80 seconds depending on player count; a confirmed choice cannot change, and a missed ballot gives no one a vote.

7. 7

   After voting, scenes reveal one at a time for 12 seconds. The reveal shows both captions, their authors, and aggregate vote counts only; the host may advance after at least 3 seconds.

8. 8

   Every vote from another player earns the caption’s author 100 points. An editorial fallback has no author and earns no points, and winning a matchup gives no separate bonus.

9. 9

   The finale highlights the caption of the evening and the closest matchup without extra points. The highest total wins; players tied for the lead share the victory.