1. Work out which side you are on
On Party Club you see your own word, never your team, and the game won’t tell you. Listen more than you talk in round one. If every clue fits your word, you are probably a civilian. If two or three clues feel off, say people keep mentioning sharp teeth and your word is Dolphin, you are probably the undercover.
2. A good clue fits your word, and only just fits the other
Take the pair Dolphin and Shark and look at a few possible clues:
| Clue | Dolphin | Shark | How it plays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lives in the ocean | Yes | Yes | Too safe, says nothing |
| Has a fin on its back | Yes | Yes | Safe for round one |
| Swimmers are happy to see one | Yes | Not really | A signal to teammates; a sharp undercover may catch it too |
| Does tricks at aquarium shows | Yes | No | Too obvious: the undercover now knows your word |
| Rows of teeth | Sort of | Yes | Leans toward the other word; useful for an undercover |
The sweet spot is a clue that is clearly true for your word and only half-true for the other. Play it safe in round one and tighten up from round two.
3. Adjust to your place in the order
- Going first, you have heard nothing yet, so keep it broad in case you are the undercover.
- Going last, you have heard everyone, so you can be more specific and follow the direction most people took.
- On Party Club the first speaker rotates every round, so everyone takes a turn at both.
4. If you are the undercover, blend in
- Match the detail level. Vague when others are vague, a little sharper when they get specific. Don’t be the vaguest person at the table.
- Use what both words share. Once you have guessed the civilian word, describe features that fit both, like “has a fin” or “a strong swimmer”.
- Don’t open a new direction. Whoever names a specific feature first gets watched. Following someone else’s idea in your own words is safer.
- Don’t go quiet. “Same as them” every round stands out too. Give a plain, true clue instead.
5. As a civilian, find the odd one out
- Listen for echoes. Undercovers often repeat the previous clue in different words, because it feels safe.
- Listen for clues that stay vague. In round two most people get sharper. Someone still saying “you see it every day” deserves a second look.
- Guess the other word. Take the clue that didn’t fit and ask what word it points to. Once you have a guess, it’s easier to see who keeps drifting toward it.
- Signal without giving the answer. One clue that only fits your word, without naming it, helps teammates clear you.
6. Voting: know how many mistakes you can afford
On Party Club there is one undercover with 4–7 players and two with 8–12, and the undercovers win once they are as many as the surviving civilians. While no undercover has been caught yet, this is how many wrong eliminations civilians can survive:
| Players | Undercovers | Wrong votes civilians can survive |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | 4 |
| 10 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | 2 | 6 |
| 12 | 2 | 7 |
With four players you get one mistake, so the first vote in a small game matters a lot. Talk it through before voting and avoid spreading votes over three or four suspects: split votes help the undercover. Votes stay secret until the count. A first tie for the top spot gets one runoff between the tied players; another tie means nobody goes out that round.
7. House rules for icebreakers and first games
- Don’t say the word, translate it or use a sound-alike clue. That’s in the rules, and it keeps things fun.
- One sentence per turn, then tap “I’m done” so the game keeps moving.
- Start new groups on easy pairs. The Undercover word list has an easy category and a hard one.
- If you are voted out, keep your word to yourself. The game reveals every team and both words at the end.
For the full details, see the Undercover rules.