Spectrum

Name something at a secret spot on the dial. Others guess exactly where.

About Spectrum

Spectrum is a party game about how differently people see the world. Each round one player, the clue giver, gets a prompt such as "Best football dribbler", "Spiciest dish in the world" or "Fastest animal on land", and a secret target somewhere on a scale from 0 to 100.

The clue giver names one thing that they think sits at exactly that spot. If the target is 90 on "Spiciest dish", they might say a fiery vindaloo. If it's 30, maybe a mild korma. Everyone else then guesses where on the scale the clue belongs.

The closer the guesses, the more points everyone scores, including the clue giver. Expect arguments: the best rounds are the ones where the group can't agree.

How to play

Everyone joins a room on their phone. Players take turns being the clue giver.
The clue giver sees the prompt and the secret target number from 0 to 100, and types one clue. There's no time limit for the clue.
Everyone else sees the prompt and the clue, and moves the dial to where they think the target is.
The target is revealed. An exact guess scores 1,000 points, and guesses within a few places of it score less the further away they are.
The clue giver scores the average of everyone's points that round, so a clear clue pays off for them too. After everyone has had their turns, the highest total wins.

Example round

The prompt is "Fastest animal on land" and the secret target is 70.
The clue giver says "horse": quick, but not cheetah quick.
One player guesses 68 and another guesses 85. The 68 is close and scores well. The 85 is too far away to score.

Tips

As the clue giver, pick something everyone in the room knows. A clever but obscure clue just leads to random guesses.
Think about the extremes first. Ask what would be 0 and what would be 100, then place the clue between them.
When guessing, think about the clue giver as well as the clue: what would they consider a 70?

FAQ

How many players do I need?

At least 2, and up to 16. It's best with 4 or more, so there are several guesses to compare each round.

Do we need to be in the same room?

No. Everyone plays on their own phone, so it works just as well over a video call. A shared screen like a TV is nice but optional.

What kind of prompts are there?

About a hundred, across sports, food and drink, animals, celebrities, places, technology, history, entertainment, everyday life and a few hypotheticals.

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