What's the Good Word?

What’s the Good Word? is a clever and simple guessing game where players try to guess the Good word while avoiding the Bad word, which are both listed on a card. 

One player acts as the hint giver, called the Hinter, and tries to get their teammate(s), called the Guesser, to guess the Good word without anyone saying the Bad word.

How to Play

Taking a Turn

• Play begins with a Hinter drawing a card from the deck and giving their first clue.
• The Guesser or Guessers then must respond with what they think is the Good word.
• On each person's turn, they MUST make a reasonable attempt and give a word. Guessers can only say any given word once per round; if they mistakenly repeat a word, alert them to make a new guess.
• This process repeats, with the Hinter giving a hint, then the Guesser giving a guess, until either the Good word or the Bad word is spoken. Then the current card is discarded and a new one is drawn to continue the game!

Getting Points

• When a Guesser successfully identifies the Good word, their team gains a point.
• If a Guesser OR Hinter says the Bad word, the other team gains a point.

Hints

• The Hinter can only give a single one-word hint on each of their turns. 
• Hints can NOT be proper nouns and can NOT be in other languages
• Hints can be spelled out to avoid confusion, but you can NOT explain your reasoning or give any other additional information (including sounds and gestures).
• Unlike the Guesser, the Hinter may repeat words as much as they like. Hinters may also use words that the Guesser originally gave as guesses.
• Get creative with your hints! You can try to lead your team however you choose, but remember, you can only communicate with one word per turn!

Ways to Play

Head-to-Head (4+ Players)

• Split into two teams, then designate one Hinter per team.
• On the first turn, flip a coin to see who goes first. Then alternate which team goes first on the following turns.
• In Head-to-Head, both teams are trying to guess the same card. After the team going first gives their hint and guess, the next team’s Hinter poses a new hint to their team. Repeat this process until either the Good word or the Bad word is spoken.
• After every 2 cards, each team must switch to a new Hinter.
• First team to 10 points wins! (See Getting Points)

Freeplay (2+ Players)

• In Freeplay, there is only one Hinter at a time, regardless of the number of players.
• If there are only two players, the Hinter and Guesser simply go back and forth, with hints and guesses, until the Good word or Bad word is said. When you are done with a card, switch roles.
• If there are more than two players, you may choose to have the Guessers work together or play against each other. If they are working together, play as outlined above as though there were only two players. 
• If the Guessers want to compete, the Hinter gives hints individually. When the first Guesser receives their hint and then guesses, the next Guesser receives a new hint and makes their guess, and so on.
• It is not necessary to keep score in Freeplay.