Fishbowl is an entertaining party game perfect for large groups.
Be the team to correctly guess more answers in three different game styles to win this game!
Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play fishbowl below.
Fishbowl Tutorial
Needed
Six or more players; pen; three small pieces of paper per player; bowl; timer
Setup
Before the game begins, each player will come up with three words or phrases and write them on separate pieces of paper. Once all the players have finished, fold the slips of paper in half and put them into a bowl. All players are then split into two teams.
Objective
The object of the game is to correctly guess as many of the words or phrases when it is your team’s turn.
Basic Game Play
Teams will alternate having one player from their team drawing from the bowl. The player will try to get his/her team to guess the phrase on the paper drawn.
Once the team correctly guesses the phrase, a new phrase is drawn from the bowl. Each player’s turn is 60 seconds. The way the player gives clues to his/her team depends on the round.
Round 1: Taboo
In the first round, players will give clues by describing the word or phrase. For example, if Batman is drawn, the player could say, “comic book superhero,” “the dark knight,” and “sidekick is robin.” The player is not allowed to say any part of the word or phrase, and cannot say “sounds like” or “rhymes with.”
After the 60 seconds are up, the current phrase the player has is returned to the bowl. The team will score a point for each phrase correctly guessed.
Team 2 then sends a player up for a 60 second turn. Teams go back and forth until all the phrases from the bowl have been correctly guessed.
When the last clue is correctly guessed, the timer is stopped. The player will note how many answers were correctly guessed. All the clues are put back into the bowl and mixed up.
Round 2: Password
The same player that ended round 1 will begin round 2 with the remaining time left from the turn. In the second round, players will give only a one word clue. It is important to remember all the phrases from round 1 because they are all seen again in round 2.
The timer begins again, and the current player draws a phrase. The player gives the one word clue, and that word is the only word that can be given. Again, teams take 60 second turns and add up their points after each turn.
Once the last phrase from the bowl is correctly guessed, the timer is stopped to end round 2. All the clues are put back into the bowl.
Round 3: Charades
The same player that ended round 2 will begin round 3 with the remaining time left from the turn. In the third round, players will act out the phrase in order to get their team to guess correctly. The timer begins again, and the player draws a phrase to act out. Teams take turns until all the phrases are correctly guessed.
Scoring
After each player’s turn, the team gets one point for each correctly guessed clue. When a player goes between two rounds, be sure to note the points before returning all the phrases to the bowl. The team with the most points at the end of round 3 wins the game.
Rules
When it is team 1’s turn, only team 1 guesses. When it is team 2’s turn, only team 2 guesses.
The game is played with no passes allowed or if agreed upon, one pass per turn. If playing with a pass, a player can pass on a phrase by returning it to the bowl and drawing a new phrase.
A player’s turn ends immediately if the clues given to the team don’t follow the guidelines for the round. In round 1, if any part of the word or phrase is given as a clue, the turn is over. In round 2, if more than one word is given as a clue, the turn is over. In round 3, if sounds or words are used while acting out a clue, the turn is over.