How To Play Telestrations, a Quick Start Guide

The game Telestrations has quickly made its way to the top of my list of favorite party games.

In fact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever laughed harder while playing a game than while playing Telestrations.

What is Telestrations?

Telestrations is a drawing game that’s essentially a hybrid of the game of “telephone” and Pictionary. But don’t worry, you don’t need any drawing skills.

In fact, the worse you are, the better.

The components of the game include eight dry erase markers and erasable sketchbooks, cleaning cloths, an old fashioned sand timer, dice, a rulebook and a stack of cards.

The game accommodates 4-8 players, so it’s perfect for large groups. If you need more, you can also get the player party pack which has new words and accommodates 12 players.

How does the game Telestrations work?

To begin a new game, pick a “this” or “that” side of the deck. There is no difference, one side is blue and the other side is yellow. Then, distribute a sketchbook, card and marker to each player.

Each player will write their name on the first page of the sketchbook and take a mental note of the color of the coil.

Then, the game begins. Here are the steps of gameplay:

1. Get a word

Pick one player to roll the dice to start the round. Every player then matches the rolled number with a word on the card from the numbered list. Then, players write the secret word in their booklet, above where they wrote their name.

Sometimes, the cards have a blank space. In this case, a player can choose any word. Sometimes, a word may be underlined. If that is the case, the underlined word represents a category. A player may choose their own word as long as it falls under that category.

For example, a category may be “rock band”.

2. Determine the number of players

If you have an odd number of players, each player will pass the booklet to the player on their left after step one, who will then look at the secret word and sketch it out on the next dry-erase sheet.

If you have an even number of players, each player will draw their own word before passing.

The game wants to end the round on a written guess instead of a sketch.

3. Draw

Players have 60 seconds to draw their prompt. When the time is up, players may take a “couple of seconds” to finish. Then, each player will flip to the next page and pass the open book to the next player on their left.

4. Guess

Now, it’s everyone’s turn to guess what the previous player drew. Players will flip to the previous page and take a few seconds to look at the sketch, and then take a guess and write it down.

This continues until the original player receives the book they started with.

6. Reveal

Here’s the fun part. Each player takes turns revealing their book, page by page, Vanna White-style. Laughs ensue.

At the end of the round, use the clean up cloths to clear your boards, draw a new card and roll the dice to begin again.

How do you win Telestrations?

Well, you don’t. The game is more about having fun than it is about having any real strategy.

But I want to win …

Okay, fine. The game does have a score sheet for strategy gamers who prefer to keep score.

You can either do friendly scoring or competitive scoring.

In friendly scoring, award points after you reveal outcomes in your own book. Give one point to the player with your favorite sketch in the book. Then, give one point to the player with your favorite guess in the book. Finally, give yourself one point if the last guess matches your secret word.

In competitive scoring, everyone can score points as other players reveal. Guessers earn a point if their guess matches the secret word or previous guess.

Drawers earn one point if their sketch helps a guesser make a match. Finally, give yourself one point if the final guess matches your secret word.

Helpful tips on playing Telestrations

The game Telestrations is very straightforward. But there are just a handful of things you might want to consider when learning how to play.

For example, if you have younger players, the game suggests letting them pick any word from their prompt card.

Also, dry-erase markers could stain fabrics and surfaces, so use them with caution.

Finally, you can switch up your seating or passing directions to mix things up when playing multiple rounds. In fact, if you’re playing multiple rounds, this is recommended.

Read Also: 14 best board games like Codenames, ranked

Telestrations rules

The game Telestrations isn’t too heavy on rules, but it does say that you can’t use letters or numbers.

Also, don’t leave a blank page. Take a guess or make a drawing, no matter how bad you think it may be. The name of the game is to have fun.

Honestly, the worse your drawing or guess is, the funnier the reveal. But keep it relevant. Simply jot down whatever comes to mind.

Also, the last rule is to wait to pass your book until all players are ready. Everyone should pass at the same time.

How do you play Telestrations with paper?

If you don’t want to invest in the board game, you could DIY it with a little bit of prep work.

Basically, all you would need would be some notebooks, writing utensils and a pre-made word bank. Use your phone as a timer.

You could easily make your own cards with your own words. Your word bank could contain anything you want.

If you have any other board games around that contain word prompts, you could recycle those to use for Telestrations. For example, Taboo cards may work as writing prompts.

Otherwise, make a few index cards or small sheets of paper with random words or phrases. The number of words you will need will depend on how many rounds you wish to play.

Think of categories to get started, jot down a few words in that category on sheets of paper, then move on to a new category.

Put the pieces of paper in a bowl and have players choose a prompt. Use notebooks to simulate the dry-erase sketchbooks.

Here are some categories to get you started:

• Disney characters
• Food
• Animals
• Music groups
• Holidays
• Countries
• TV shows

But honestly, I recommend buying the game. Everything about it is well done and it’s worth the small investment.

Read Also: Best party board games for adults: 15 fun new ideas [2022]

Is Telestrations a good game?

Telestrations is one of my all-time favorite party games. Overall, it’s a great game, and the sillier you are, the more fun it can be.

It’s a great game to bring to a holiday gathering since it’s something the whole family can enjoy.

The game is great for all ages, even younger kids. Although if you have an adult audience, you could play the After Dark version of Telestrations, which has adult themes and can result in even funnier drawings.

Currently, the original game is $29.99 on Amazon where it has a 4.8-star rating.

Have you played Telestrations? Let me know in the comments!