Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Illegal Clue by the Actor
If the actor speaks, mouths the answer, intentionally creates an identifying sound, spells the answer, points to written information, or uses another prohibited clue, the normal penalty is immediate loss of that prompt and no point. For young children or first-time players, the group may issue a warning and restart with a new prompt instead.
Interference
An opponent who calls out guesses, gives hints, reacts in a way that reveals the answer, blocks the actor, or disrupts the timer has interfered with the turn. The moderator may restore lost time, replace the prompt, award the acting team a point when the interference clearly revealed the answer, or warn the offending team. Repeated deliberate interference may result in loss of the offender's next acting turn.
Prompt Exposure
If a prompt is accidentally shown to an eligible guesser before the turn, it is discarded or returned for later use and replaced without penalty. If an actor intentionally exposes the prompt to obtain a point, the prompt is forfeited. A player who recognizes their own submitted prompt may still guess unless the group decided before play that prompt authors are ineligible for those turns.
Timing and Early Starts
Acting before the timekeeper begins is corrected by stopping the actor and starting again. A guess made before the official start does not count. If the timer fails or the expiration signal is unclear, the fairest remedy is to replay the turn with a new prompt and the full agreed time.
Disputes
The moderator's decision is final for the current turn. Without a moderator, the non-acting team decides routine questions, but a disputed point should be canceled if the players cannot reach a quick majority decision. Rules should not be changed retroactively to reverse a completed turn.
Conduct
Cheating, insulting an actor, mocking a guesser, or repeatedly ignoring agreed limits harms fair play. The group should first give a clear warning. Continued misconduct may result in loss of a turn, removal of an improperly earned point, or exclusion from the remainder of the game.