How to play Find the Fox: rules, scoring and tips

How a round works

Every round uses a board of 16 words that all belong to one theme, like Bands, Capitals, Fairy Tales or Phobias. Everyone can see the whole board, the fox included. That's the fox's lifeline: they know the answer is one of these 16 words, just not which one.

1. The host starts the round. The game secretly picks one player to be the fox and one word on the board to be the keyword. Everyone except the fox sees the keyword highlighted.
2. Everyone writes a one-word clue. Clues stay hidden until every player has submitted one, so nobody can copy. The fox writes a clue too, guessing at what might fit.
3. The clues are revealed. Now everyone can read every clue side by side. This is where the table goes quiet and people start squinting at each other.
4. Everyone votes. Pick the player you think is the fox. The fox votes as well, and should vote for someone else to look innocent.
5. The votes are counted. If the fox is the only player with the most votes, the fox is caught. If anyone else has the most votes, or there's a tie for the top spot, the fox escapes.
6. A caught fox gets one last chance. They have 30 seconds to guess the keyword from the board. Get it right and they still sneak away with a point.

After the round, the host starts the next one whenever the group is ready. The game spreads the fox role around, so players who haven't been the fox for a while are more likely to get it next.

Scoring

Scoring is small and quick, so a game can swing in a couple of rounds:

• The fox escapes (not the only player with the most votes): the fox scores 2 points.
• The fox is caught and guesses the keyword: the fox scores 1 point.
• The fox is caught and guesses wrong: everyone else scores 1 point.
• Optional: with “1 point for guessing fox” turned on, anyone who voted for the fox gets a point even when the fox escapes, which rewards the sharp-eyed player the rest of the table ignored.

Notice that a tie is good news for the fox. If the votes split between the fox and an innocent player, the fox walks away with 2 points. That's why a group that scatters its votes usually loses the round.

Tips for detectives

As a detective, your clue has two jobs that pull against each other. It has to prove to the others that you know the word, without giving the word away to the fox.

• Aim for the middle of the board. Before you write, look at the other 15 words. A good clue fits the keyword and maybe one or two others, never just the keyword alone. If the word is “Paris” on a Capitals board, “croissant” points straight at it; “river” fits Paris, London, Rome and Cairo.
• Watch for clues that fit everything. The fox's safest move is a vague clue that could match half the board. If someone's clue would make sense for almost any word, they're worth a second look.
• Watch for clues that fit the wrong word. A fox who guesses badly will give a clue that fits a different word on the board. That's the strongest tell there is.
• Talk before you vote. Ask people to explain their clue. A detective can usually say why their clue fits; a fox has to make something up on the spot.
• Agree on one name. A split vote lets the fox escape with 2 points. If two of you suspect different people, argue it out and then vote together.

Tips for the fox

Being the fox is the best part of the game. You know the theme and the 16 possible words, and you have a few seconds to sound confident.

• Pick a clue that covers several words. If the board is Pets, “fur” fits the dog, the cat, the rabbit and the hamster. You'll look right for most of the board.
• Use the peek, if it's on. With “Fox can see one random player's clue”, you see the first few letters of one player's clue as they type it. Even three letters can tell you which part of the board they're thinking about.
• Don't go last if you can help it. Clues are hidden until everyone's in, but a long pause while everyone waits on you looks suspicious at the table.
• Vote with confidence. Vote for someone and be ready to explain why. A fox who hesitates over the vote gives the game away.
• Listen while you're being accused. If you're caught, the discussion is free information. Detectives defending their clues often narrow the keyword down for you before your 30-second guess.

Host options

The host can change these when creating a room or between rounds:

• Private game: only people with the room code or link can join. Public rooms show up in the lobby for anyone.
• Fox can see one random player's clue: the fox watches one player's clue as it's typed, masked after the first three letters until it's submitted. On by default; it gives the fox a fighting chance.
• 1 point for guessing fox: voters who picked the fox still score when the fox escapes.
• Anonymous voting: votes show only as a check mark until the round ends, so nobody can follow the crowd.
• 1 minute timer: adds a clock to the clue phase, which keeps big groups moving.

The host also picks the board. There are 46 themed boards, from Artists to Zoo, or “Random Board”, which won't repeat a board until you've played them all.

Playing in person or on a video call

In the same room, the fun is in the discussion before the vote, so give it a minute. Turn anonymous voting on if one confident player keeps swinging everyone else's vote.

On a video call, everyone joins the room from their own device and talks over the call. Nobody needs to share a screen, because each player's phone already shows the board, their clue box and the votes.

Five to eight players is the sweet spot. With three, the fox has fewer clues to hide among; with ten or more, rounds take longer but the fox has more cover.

Questions