How To Play: Faces

Overview

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to play Faces and actually win a round against your annoyingly lucky cousin, you’re in the right spot. After way too many hilarious (and sometimes heated) games with my pals, I’ve put together this guide. I’ll give you a quick outline of the game rules, plus spill the beans on the best strategies for snagging a victory. Time to finally grab that win!

What’s in the box

• 120 Face Cards
• 60 Description Cards
• 6 Voting Dials
• Score Pad
• 6 Pencils
• Instructions

How To Play Faces: Rules Summary

Setup

1. First, choose one player to be the judge. Give them the question cards.

2. Next, shuffle the face cards and place them face up so everyone can see them. Try not to stare too hard—some are wild!

3. Every player (except the judge) grabs a set of voting tokens. Get comfy. You’re about to judge a lot of faces.

Gameplay

1. The judge picks a question card and reads it out loud. For example: “Which face would never return a shopping cart?”

2. All other players pick the face card they think matches the question. Secretly, of course. No peeking at your neighbor’s questionable choices.

3. Once everyone’s decided, players reveal their chosen votes at the same time. Laughter will erupt.

4. The judge votes too. There’s no power trip like being the judge in Faces.

Winning

1. If your vote matches the judge’s pick, you score a point. Bragging rights awarded.

2. Keep a tally of points using whatever system makes sense—beans, coins, or shame.

3. First player to reach the agreed number of points wins. Simple, right?

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If there’s a tie for the judge’s choice, everyone involved gets a point. Sharing is caring.

2. Every round, rotate the judge role clockwise. Everyone gets a shot at absolute power.

3. Argue about questionable picks as much as you want. That’s half the fun in learning How To Play faces.

With these simple steps, you’ll know How To Play faces and annoy your friends with questionable face judgments in no time!

Best Faces Strategies

Become a Faces Mind Reader: Winning with People Skills

Spot the Obvious Guessers

Sometimes, folks just blurt out whatever face they think fits. Watch for friends who always guess too fast or laugh too hard at their own jokes.

1. Notice patterns in their choices
2. Remember who picks the same face often

Match Faces to Personalities

Everyone has a tell. For example, my buddy Dave always picks the weirdest face when it’s his turn. Eventually, I just guessed wild and won!

1. Think about each person’s style
2. Link faces to real-life traits

Keep Your Poker Face Strong

Don’t let everyone else know which card you picked! Remember: How To Play Faces like a champ means keeping your expressions secret.

1. Smile at every card, even if it’s awful
2. Glance at your friends, not your card

Mastering the Art of Bluffing in Faces

Every Faces game night, I shuffle my dignity aside and put on my best poker face. Bluffing keeps opponents on their toes, and trust me, it works better than a triple espresso. So, if you want to throw your buddies off the scent, try these techniques. That way, your How To Play faces search will pay off!

Act with Confidence

1. Maintain strong eye contact, even if inside you’re sweating like a popsicle in July.
2. Smile occasionally, but not too much—that gets suspicious. Balance is key.

Plant False Patterns

1. Pretend to have a favorite type of answer, then pick something totally different.
2. Tell a fake backstory for an answer, then swap tactics next round.

Misdirect with Jokes

1. Crack a joke about another player’s guess. It distracts and plants doubt.
2. Make light of a wrong answer to nudge attention away from your real pick.

Mastering the Clock: When Timing Makes All the Difference in Faces

Strike When Distraction Hits

Pay attention to moments when everyone is busy arguing over the funniest pick. Then, make your vote. People notice less, which makes sneaky moves easier!

1. Wait until the table erupts in laughter or debate.
2. Quickly lock in your choice before the mood shifts.

Break the Predictable Pattern

If you always pick quickly, switch up your pace. This throws off the group’s guesses, and keeps your style mysterious. In my last game, my friends stared at me so hard I thought I owed them money.

1. Pause sometimes to look thoughtful.
2. Other rounds, vote in a flash.

Watch the Leaderboard

Whenever someone is close to winning, time your vote to block them. For example, I once waited for the leading player to look away, then picked a face I knew they’d never choose. Sweet, sweet victory.

1. Track who’s ahead each round.
2. Target their weak moments with your choices.

Ready to Show Your Poker Face?

Congrats! You made it through my Faces strategy guide without falling asleep or drooling on your meeples. (No shame if you did though—this game gets wild.) Now you know the rules, the sneaky tricks, and the best moments to make everyone think you’re psychic or, at least, have x-ray vision for awkward faces.

My best advice: trust your gut, read your friends, and never underestimate the power of a well-timed eyebrow raise. Next game night, bring your A-game and show ‘em how to play Faces… or at least how to make everyone laugh! Good luck, champ!

Want to know what we think of Faces? Read our detailed review of Faces here