Experimental Game Design

Artwork #4: Out of the Loop

by | Dec 9, 2025 | Artwork #4: Experience

Out of the Loop

My game, Out of the Loop, is meant to invoke that feeling of when a group of people are talking about something, but you missed the starting context so you try to understand as the conversation goes on. To achieve this. in Out of the Loop, one player is left out of the conversation. The other players (the Cluers) secretly share a word, hint “cryptically” to each other, and choose a clue. The Guesser overhears everything and tries to figure out the secret word and what the others were even talking about.

Inspirations:

I often gravitate to simple games, since I feel they are the most impressive when they truly convey a message or experience, and that is what I tried to channel for this game. Games such as Marriage or many Mary Flanagan works, are so simple yet convey their experiences so effortlessly.

Rules:

Players:
  • Minimum: 3 players
  • Roles per round:
    • 1 Guesser
    • 2 or more Cluers
  • As your group size increases, add more Cluers, but there is always exactly one Guesser.
Scoring:
  • Earn points cooperatively as a team.
  • Start at 3 points
  • Reach 10 points & You all win!
  • Drop to 0 points & You all lose
  • Or, play without scores, if that is more fun for you group.
Setup:
  • Choose a starting Guesser.
  • All other players become Cluers for this round.
  • Shuffle and pull one Word Card.

Word Cards

Playing:
1. Reveal the Secret Word
  • The Guesser draws the top Word Card, placing it on their forehead, WITHOUT looking at it.
    • All Cluers can now see the secret word.
  • Cluers silently read the word and begin to speak “cryptically”.
  • Example secret word: Pig
2. Cluers Speak “Cryptically”
  • Each Clue Giver thinks of one descriptive word related to the secret word. BUT they cannot say this clue out loud yet, because the Guesser is listening.
  • Instead, each Cluer gives the group a cryptic hint about their clue, for example:
    • “My word starts with B and ends in N.” (intending bacon)
    • “Mine starts with P and ends with K.” (maybe pork… or pink)
  • Cluers must follow these rules:
    • They may NOT reveal their full clue outright.
    • They must NOT say anything that contains or spoils the secret word.
    • Their hint should be clear only to the other Cluers, not the Guesser.
    • All discussions happen out loud, the Guesser listens and tries to understand.
3. The Group Chooses One Clue:
  • After everyone presents their cryptic hint, the Cluers discuss (still publicly) and agree on one of the intended clue words to say out loud.
  • Only the chosen word will be spoken directly.
  • Example: The group picks Joe’s intended clue word: “bacon.”
  • This is the only clue the Guesser receives.
4. The Guesser Makes One Guess
  • The Guesser hears the chosen clue (e.g., “bacon”) and gets exactly one guess at the hidden word.
  • The group scores a point if the guesser got it right and loses a point if the guesser gets it wrong!
5. Rotate Roles
  • After scoring, the Guesser passes the forehead card to the center, and the next player clockwise becomes the new Guesser.
  • Start a new round with a fresh card.

Testing:

I tested this game in class twice, with success and very minimal feedback, so I didn’t change much. Over the thanksgiving break, I tested it again and added the rule of putting the card on your forehead (to increase the feeling of being left out) and added the scoring (because originally there was no scoring mechanic).