How to play Blanks
Fill in the blank to match other players. No talking.
Plays like Blank Slate™
In 90 seconds
- Everyone needs a pad of paper or a small whiteboard. One person hosts, holding the phone or tablet that shows the phrase and advances the deck. Nobody else needs a screen: the blank isn't a secret, and the host reads every card out, so the whole table is working from the same phrase.
- Someone reads the phrase aloud. Everyone secretly writes one word for the blank — no talking, no peeking, no "what are you thinking?" faces.
- Reveal together. Compare. Score by the room's rules (Mind Meld is the recommended start: match exactly one other person for three points; two or more matches score one; nobody or everybody scores zero).
- Tallies go on paper — the app keeps no score. Suggested race: first to twenty-five.
- Tap next for a fresh phrase and go again. A short stack takes about fifteen minutes.
- Three players is the floor; more people makes the matching math weirder in the best way.
The trick is aiming beside the obvious answer. Write the word everyone will write and you tie the whole table for nothing; write something only you love and you also score nothing. The points live in the narrow overlap with exactly one other brain.
What you need
A pad of paper or a small whiteboard for each player.
How it works
Read the phrase aloud; everyone secretly writes their blank, then reveals together.
Scoring
Recommended (Mind Meld): match exactly one other player = 3 points; two or more = 1; nobody or everybody = 0. Suggested first to 25, but open: the app keeps no score.
A worked round
Ana, Bo, Cass and Dev each have a pad face-down. The phone in the middle shows:
escape _____
Ana reads it once. Four pens move. Nobody talks.
Reveal.
Ana wrote room. Bo wrote hatch. Cass wrote room. Dev wrote plan.
Ana and Cass matched — exactly one other person each — so they take three points apiece. Bo and Dev are alone: zero. Small noise from Dev, who was sure plan was the clever middle path.
Next phrase:
pet _____
Ana goes store, Bo goes peeves, Cass goes store, Dev goes project. Same shape — Ana and Cass melt again — until Bo protests that peeves is two ideas wearing one word. The table shrugs; it still didn't match anyone, so the argument is free.
They pencil 6–0–6–0 in the margin and keep going. No app scoreboard. The pads are the game.
Rulings
Does it have to be one word?
Yes for the usual game — one blank, one word. A hyphenated word (self-care) is a table call; if nobody objects before reveal, it stands.
What if we spell the same answer differently?
Same word wins. Donut and doughnut match; so do obvious caps and plurals if the room agrees they were aiming at the same thing. When it's fuzzy, vote once and move on.
Can we talk before we write?
No — that's the whole sport. Reading the phrase aloud is fine; workshopping answers isn't. After the reveal, talk as much as you want.
Does the app keep score?
No. It deals the phrases (and can run a timer if you want a soft ceiling). Mind Meld, Majority, Match the Star — those live on your scorepad. Suggested finish line is first to twenty-five; open if you'd rather play a fixed number of cards.
What if everybody writes the same word?
Under Mind Meld that's zero for the table. The obvious answer is a trap on purpose — next card, aim one notch weirder.
What if nobody matches?
Also zero. Celebrate the chaos and flip the next phrase. The deck is long.
Do we need the timer?
No. The timer is optional equipment — useful when one player stares at a blank pad until the snacks get cold. Default is ninety seconds if you turn it on; most groups just reveal when everyone's pen is down.
Can two people play?
The published floor is three — with two players Mind Meld collapses into "did we match or not," which is a different (still fun) house game. Add a third and the 3 / 1 / 0 scoring starts to mean something.
Ways to Play
- Mind Meld Recommended — Match exactly one other player for 3 points; two or more matches score 1; nobody or everybody scores 0. The trick is to land on the same page as just one person.
- Majority — Reveal together and score only if your word is in the biggest group, so think like the room. Optional: a lone answer takes a "black sheep" token.
- Match the Star — One rotating player is the Star each round; everyone else scores for matching the Star's answer. Passes the spotlight around.
- DIY: you make the rules — No scorekeeping. The app just deals the phrases and the group plays however it likes.
Mind Meld is the one to try first. Exactly one match pays three; a crowd of matches pays one; solitude and unanimity both pay nothing. It trains you to think with the room, not ahead of it or behind it.
Majority flips the target: score only if your word is in the biggest group. Think like the crowd on purpose. Optional house rule: a lone answer takes a "black sheep" token — funny, not required.
Match the Star rotates a spotlight. One player is the Star each round; everyone else scores for matching the Star's answer. Good when the table has a natural ringleader, or when you want quieter players to set the target for a turn.
DIY — you make the rules is the app as a phrase deck only. No scoring model implied — deal, write, reveal, argue, repeat.
What's inside
Compound words, Fill-in-the-blank phrases, Before & after, Movie titles
No sign-up is required to play.
Blank Slate™ is a trademark of The Op Games. Spraoi is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The Op Games.