Secret Helper

about this tool

Twenty questions, with a secret helper

One player hosts, openly, and the phone shows them a secret word: a thing, an animal, a place. Everyone else has a few minutes to find it by asking the host questions that can be answered yes, no or I don't know.

The catch: one of the askers has seen the word too. They are the secret helper, and nobody knows who. The helper wants the word found — if the clock runs out, everyone loses, helper included — but they also want to get away with knowing it.

How a round goes

1. Cards. Pass the phone round in seat order. Each player looks at their own card alone and hides it before passing on. The host's card and the helper's card show the word; everyone else's says to ask.
2. Questions. Put the phone in the middle. Ask the host anything with a yes-or-no answer, in any order. When someone says the word, tap Someone said the word — the clock holds — and, once the host confirms it, tap who said it.
3. Who helped? The table now has as long as the word took to find — a minute at least — to talk over who seemed to know where the questions were going.
4. The vote. On three, everyone, the host included, points at who they think the helper was. Tap the player most pointed at.

Caught: the host and the askers win. Wrong person: the helper wins. Word not found: nobody wins. The host moves one seat round the table each round, and the score is kept until you change players.

Playing the helper

Ask the question that opens the right door — "is it something you'd find in a kitchen?" — then hang back and let someone else walk through it. If the table is stuck, nudge; if it is close, keep quiet. Saying the word yourself is allowed, but it puts every eye on you.

The words

Over 220 everyday things written for this site, from a pressure cooker to a peacock to a railway station, none repeated until all have been played. Everything stays in the page; nothing is sent anywhere.

For a game where the odd one out does not know the place, try Spy at the Location; for a different word instead of no word, Undercover.

questions

How do you play Secret Helper?

One player hosts, openly, and the phone shows them a secret word. One other player — nobody knows who — sees the word too: the helper. Everyone asks the host questions that can be answered yes or no, to find the word before the clock runs out. Once someone says it, the table talks over who seemed to know it all along, then points at the helper.

Who wins a round of Secret Helper?

If the word is not found in time, nobody does — helper included, so the helper has to make sure it is found. If it is found and the table catches the helper, the host and the askers win. If it is found and the table points at someone else, the helper wins.

What does the helper do?

Steers the questions towards the word without looking like they know it. Too quiet, and the word may not be found in time; too sharp, and the table will notice. The best helpers ask the question that opens the way, then let someone else take the last step.

How long does the talk after the word last?

As long as it took to find the word, a minute at least. A word found fast leaves little time to work out who helped; a word that took ages leaves plenty — which is itself a clue.

How many players, and how long is a round?

Four to twelve: a host, a helper and at least two to ask. The question clock is five minutes by default, three to ten if you like, and the host moves one seat round the table each round.

Where do the words come from?

A list of over 220 everyday things written for this site — a pressure cooker, a peacock, a railway station, an auto rickshaw — things you can picture and find by yes-or-no questions. None comes round again until all have been played.