Telestrations

Place the card box in the center of the play area. Each player collects one marker and a sketchbook of their chosen color. Players write their name in the window of their sketchbook. Each player draws a prompt card, examines both sides secretly, and chooses one of the dotted prompts to write on the star page of their sketchbook. The card is then returned unseen to the back of the box, and the sketchbook is closed.

The primary objective of Telestrations is to have fun and enjoy the humorous outcomes of miscommunication through drawing and guessing. While the game is designed for enjoyment regardless of artistic skill, optional scoring rules are provided for groups who prefer a competitive element, determining a winner after three rounds of play.

To start, players check if they have an even or odd number of participants. If even, they keep their sketchbook; if odd, they pass it to the player on their left. Players then turn to page 1 (Sketch It!) of their sketchbook. If they kept their book, they draw their chosen prompt. If they received a book, they privately look at the secret prompt on the star page and then turn to page 1 to draw it. Drawings cannot include letters or numbers and cannot be left blank. Once a drawing is complete, players flip to the next page (Guess It!) to hide their sketch and pass the open book to the player on their left. The next player secretly views the drawing, flips to the next page, writes their guess for what the drawing represents, flips to the next page (Sketch It!) to hide their guess, and passes the open book to the player on their left. This alternating process of drawing, passing, guessing, and passing continues until each player receives their original sketchbook back.

After all sketchbooks have returned to their owners, players take turns revealing the sequence of drawings and guesses in their book. For friendly scoring, the owner of the book awards 1 point to the player who drew their favorite sketch, 1 point to the player who wrote their favorite guess, and 1 point to themselves if the final guess matches their original prompt. For competitive scoring, everyone scores simultaneously. Players who wrote a guess get 1 point if their guess matches the original secret prompt or the previous guess. Players who drew a sketch get 1 point if their drawing helped a guesser make a correct match. The book owner gets 1 point if the last guess matches their original secret prompt. Scores are recorded on the score sheet inside the front cover of the sketchbook.

The game concludes when all sketchbooks have completed a full circuit and returned to their original owners. At this point, players reveal the contents of their sketchbooks page by page, sharing the humorous evolution of their initial prompt. After the reveal, scores are tallied according to the chosen scoring method (friendly or competitive). Three rounds are played, and the player with the highest total score across all rounds is declared the winner. All pages are dry-erase, so books can be wiped clean for future games.