Join the game
The rules
- Your table has two teams, Red and Blue. Each team has one spy chief.
- Only the spy chiefs can see which word cards are their team's secret agents.
- The spy chief gives one word and a number, like OCEAN 2.
- The agents talk it over and tap cards. A card flips when most of the team picks it.
- Find all your team's agents first. Never tap the black Alarm card!
How to play
New to Secret Agents? Watch this short video first. Turn your sound on to hear it.
RED TEAM
BLUE TEAM
Secret
Agents
How to play
The rules, step by step
1Two teams, one boardYour table splits into a Red team and a Blue team. Everyone looks at the same 25 word cards.
2The spy chiefEach team has a spy chief who can see the secret colors. The spy chief changes every mission, so everyone gets a turn.
3The clueThe spy chief types one word and a number. The word links some of the team's cards. The number says how many.
4Vote togetherAgents talk it over and tap a card. When most of the team taps the same card, it flips over.
5Keep going or stopFind one of yours and you may keep guessing, up to the number plus one. A wrong card ends your turn.
6Win the missionThe first team to find all of its agents wins. Tap the black Alarm card and your team loses right away!
The four kinds of cards
Agent training
Your spy chief gave a clue. Tap the cards that fit it. Think first, because a wrong card ends your turn!
Training
Spy chief training
You are the Red spy chief. Pick the best clue for your team. You get one pick, so think it through!
Which clue is best?
Good clue rules
- The clue must be one real word. The game checks it.
- You cannot use a word on the board, a word that is too close to one (like ROCKS for ROCK), or a word with a board word inside it (like SNOWMAN for SNOW).
- Spy chiefs stay quiet and keep a straight face. No pointing, no hints, no funny looks!
Start a game room
Show this page on the board. You will get a room code for students to type in.
How it runs
- Students click Play and type the room code and their real first name.
- Tables fill in join order. Each table splits into a Red team and a Blue team.
- Pick the table size, the word cards, and the turn timer. Then press Start.
- Your screen shows every table: the board, the clue, whose turn it is, and the score.
- When every table is done, you see each table's winning team.
Teacher note
- Teams: each table splits in join order, so the 1st, 3rd, and 5th students to join a table are Red and the 2nd, 4th, and 6th are Blue. Friends who join one after the other end up on different teams.
- Tables: a table needs at least 4 students (two on each team). With more students than one table holds, more tables open, and the game evens them out when you press Start.
- Spy chiefs: the spy chief changes every mission, so press Next mission to give more students a turn. Only spy chiefs see the secret colors on their own screen. Ask spy chiefs to sit across from their team and tilt their screens.
- Voting: a card flips when more than half of the team's agents tap it. With 3 agents, 2 must agree. With 2 agents, both must agree. Talking it over is the whole point!
- Clue checks: the game only takes one real word. It turns down words on the board, words too close to a board word, words with a board word inside them, and unkind words.
- Sneaky clues: a clue like "starts with B" or a hint about letters is against the rules. Press New clue before the team guesses to send the spy chief back to try again.
- Your screen: it never shows the secret colors unless you turn on Show the key. Only do that when your screen is not on the projector.
- Word cards: Starter words are everyday things, many with more than one meaning (BAT, BARK, STAR). GATE words are bigger words from science, history, and stories (ECLIPSE, PHARAOH, PENDULUM).
- Rooms: a room closes by itself after four quiet hours. Up to 40 students can join.