How To Play: Faces

After wrangling my friends for many game nights, I found How To Play faces is all about hilarious face choices, sharp reading skills, and expert bluffing. The rules are simple, the laughs are big, and the secrets to winning are in this guide. Remember: play bold, play silly, and play smart.

Faces: Box Cover Front

If you’ve ever wondered why Aunt Mabel picked that weird, winking face for “most likely to rob a bank,” you’re in the right place. My friends and I have played Faces more times than I’d like to admit (mainly because I keep losing). Here, you’ll find an easy outline of the game rules and all the best strategies I wish I’d known sooner.

Overview

What’s in the box

  • 162 Face Cards
  • 54 Description Cards
  • 8 Voting Wheels
  • 8 Dry-Erase Markers
  • Score Pad
  • Instructions

How To Play Faces: Rules Summary

Setup
  1. Shuffle all face cards and deal a set amount to each player (we usually do 5 each, but trust me, chaos works too).
  2. Put the rest face-down as the draw pile.
  3. Decide who starts as the Judge. My friends make me do it for my ‘trustworthy smile.’ They might regret this.
Gameplay
  1. The Judge draws a question card and reads it aloud. For example, ‘Which face just ate a lemon?’
  2. Each player picks one of their face cards and slides it face-down to the Judge. Use your best poker face here!
  3. The Judge shuffles the cards, flips them over, and tries to guess who submitted each face.
  4. Players try to fool the Judge or get their face picked for max points. (I fail at this about 80% of the time, mostly from giggling.)
Winning
  1. Players collect points for tricking the Judge or having their face chosen.
  2. Keep playing until someone reaches the agreed winning score—usually 10 points, unless you love marathon games.
Special Rules & Conditions
  1. Ties go to a re-vote, which gets heated fast in my group.
  2. If you run out of face cards, draw new ones from the pile. (Yes, we’ve run through the whole deck before.)
  3. Arguing over what face best fits the question is encouraged and counts as aerobic exercise.

Now you know How To Play faces! Read the question, pick a face, hoodwink the Judge, and try not to snort your drink out your nose!

Best Faces Strategies

Get the Last Laugh: Choosing the Funniest Faces


Spot the Standouts

When you play Faces, your goal is simple—pick the funniest face that will stump your friends. First, scan the options and trust your gut. If you burst out laughing just looking at a face, chances are others will too.

Match Mood to Prompt

Next, always match the How To Play faces prompt to the most over-the-top face. The more dramatic, the better.

  1. Look for big expressions: wide eyes, odd mouths, or wild eyebrows.
  2. Pick faces that don’t fit the prompt at all—they often get the biggest laughs.
  3. Go with faces that make you want to giggle or cringe.

Read the Room

Finally, think about your group’s humor. Every game night crew is different. If they love dry humor, pick subtle faces. If they love chaos, go wild! Never play it safe. Faces are always funnier the riskier they are.

Peek Into Your Friends’ Minds for the Win!

Watch Their Reactions

  1. Notice the way your friends’ eyes light up—or roll—when you read a card out loud. These little clues always give away what they’re thinking. I once caught Alex smirking, and that told me exactly which face he picked!

Remember Past Choices

  1. Keep track of your friends’ patterns. If Jess always goes for the zaniest face, don’t miss it next time. How To Play faces sometimes means playing the player, not the card!

Ask Leading Questions

  1. If you can, slip in a cheeky question before votes. Sometimes your buddies will slip and reveal a hint. Subtle, but sneaky. Try it and watch them squirm.

Mastering the Art of Bluffing in How To Play faces

Acting Natural

First, never look guilty! When you bluff, relax your face. Then, laugh or joke as usual. My friend Greg once giggled so hard, we never guessed he planted the wildest face!

  1. Smile or laugh casually
  2. Keep eye contact
  3. Don’t over-explain your choice

Mixing Up Your Play

Also, switch up your style. If you always look nervous, throw in a confident pick next round. Everyone gets confused, and then you pounce.

  1. Alternate between bold and quiet moves
  2. Change your tone each turn
  3. Surprise your group with unexpected picks

Building a Story

Next, create little stories around your faces. Suddenly, everyone pays attention to your tale—not your real pick! My sister falls for this every time, and I score easy points in How To Play faces.

  1. Relate your choice to an inside joke
  2. Distract with funny stories
  3. Keep the table laughing to cover your tracks

## Bring Your Best Face!

Look, if I can win Faces (once, out of twenty games, but still), there’s hope for you. The real trick? Have fun, laugh at the wild guesses, and never take your own poker face too serious. Try all the How To Play faces tips I shared—just remember, your friends are probably plotting new ways to fool you right now. Even if your strategy falls flat, at least you’ll have a heap of weird face cards and good stories. Now go out there and show everyone your best smirk, eyebrow wiggle or dramatic gasp. Good luck!

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

Jamie in his proper element: With all of his board games
Jamie Hopkins

With years of dice-rolling, card-flipping, and strategic planning under my belt, I've transformed my passion into expertise. I thrive on dissecting the mechanics and social dynamics of board games, sharing insights from countless game nights with friends. I dive deep into gameplay mechanics, while emphasizing the social joys of gaming. While I appreciate themes and visuals, it's the strategy and camaraderie that truly capture my heart.