Topic packs

Creatures from the savannah, the deep ocean, the back garden and the polar ice. A friendly pack for new tables — the words are easy to picture, which makes the impostor's job of faking a mental image genuinely hard.

A day on the sand — a sandcastle, a beach umbrella, flip-flops, a lifeguard. Everything here belongs to one place, so the best clues describe what you'd be doing rather than the object alone.

From the garden feeder to the tropics — a robin, an owl, a flamingo, a peacock. Easy to picture, which makes the impostor's job of faking a mental image hard.

Everything on the table at a kid's party — cake, balloons, a piñata, goodie bags. The words all belong to one event, so the strongest clues describe the moment each one shows up.

A weekend in the woods — a tent, a campfire, a sleeping bag, a compass. The pack splits into shelter, warmth, navigation and food, so the first clue usually tells the whole table which corner you're in.

What's in the wardrobe — sneakers, a scarf, jeans, a swimsuit. Everyone dresses themselves, so this pack is forgiving for the crew and punishing for an impostor who reaches for "comfortable" one time too many.

Everything you'd pour into a glass or a mug — water, coffee, lemonade, a milkshake. A warm-up pack: the words are things you've had today, so clues get specific fast and a vague one really shows.

Street food, sweets, breakfast staples and things served on a stick. Everyone has an opinion and a memory attached to food, so clues get personal fast — which is exactly where impostors slip.

The fruit bowl and the market stall — bananas, grapes, watermelon, mango. The words are things you've peeled or sliced, so clues about how you eat them land well.

The objects within arm's reach right now — a pillow, a microwave, a vacuum, a spoon. The words are mundane, so the game becomes about finding the one detail that's specific to that object and nothing else.

Out among the beds and the borders — a hose, a wheelbarrow, a watering can, a greenhouse. The pack mixes tools you swing with structures you walk into, so clues stay varied.

The small six-legged crowd — ants, bees, ladybugs, fireflies. The words are things you've watched up close in a garden, so clues about behaviour beat clues about looks.

The gadgets in the utensil drawer — a whisk, a grater, a rolling pin, a ladle. Small, single-purpose objects, which makes the game about naming the one job each of them does.

Weather, landscapes and the big geological events — a thunderstorm, a glacier, an aurora, an earthquake. Half the pack is things you see and half is things that happen, which keeps clue-giving varied.

Cities, landmarks and the everyday buildings you pass through — the library, the airport, the zoo. Because these are locations you can walk around in, the best clues describe what you'd do there.

What's in the pencil case and the backpack — pencils, erasers, glue sticks, rulers. A friendly all-ages pack; the words are things everyone has handled, so honest clues come easily.

Out past the atmosphere — planets, rockets, astronauts, comets. Half the pack is things that are up there and half is things we send up, which gives clue-givers two clear directions.

Court games, combat sports, winter sports and endurance events. The pack rewards players who watch sport and quietly buries players who don't — a good stress test for the impostor.

The gadgets on your desk and in your bag — a laptop, a router, a drone, a printer. Because everyone owns most of these, clues about how the thing frustrates you are often more useful than clues about what it does.

The contents of a toolbox — a hammer, a wrench, a drill, a tape measure. Plain, functional objects, so the game becomes about the one action each tool performs.

The toy box — a teddy bear, a kite, a yo-yo, building blocks. Half the pack is things you hold and half is things you do, which keeps clue-giving varied and forgiving for newer players.

Ways to get around — a bicycle, a submarine, a helicopter, a skateboard. The pack splits cleanly into land, sea and air, so the first clue usually tells the whole table which third of the pack you're in.

The overlooked bits of human anatomy — an elbow, an eyelash, a fingerprint, an earlobe. An Imposter+ pack, and a sneaky one: the words are so small and specific that a broad clue stands out immediately.

The pick-and-mix wall — lollipops, gummy bears, taffy, candy canes. An Imposter+ pack. The sub-themes ("Hard Candy", "Chewy Candy") narrow it, but there's more than one of each.

Faces from Saturday mornings and prime time — SpongeBob, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, Homer Simpson. An Imposter+ pack. "Disney Classics" and "Prime-Time Cartoons" barely overlap, so the impostor can't guess blind.

Under the big top — a clown, a tightrope, a ringmaster, a human cannonball. An Imposter+ pack. Half the words are performers and half are the acts they do, which gives clue-givers two clear lanes.

Countries from every continent — Japan, Brazil, Egypt, Norway. An Imposter+ pack. "Asian Countries" still leaves a dozen options, so the impostor has to listen hard before naming one.

The dinosaurs a six-year-old can name — T. rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor. An Imposter+ pack. The impostor gets a group like "Horned Dinosaurs", which helps, but there's more than one.

Stories read aloud at bedtime — Cinderella, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk. An Imposter+ pack. Themes like "Woodland Tales" cover several stories, so the impostor still has to work.

Board games, party games and video games — chess, charades, Minecraft, bingo. An Imposter+ pack. "Classic Board Games" and "Battle Royale Video Games" are miles apart, so the impostor is genuinely guessing.

Everything that appears on the last night of October — pumpkins, ghosts, cobwebs, candy corn. An Imposter+ pack. The words all belong to one night, so the strongest clues describe where each one turns up.

What you'd point at behind the glass — vanilla, mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, pistachio. An Imposter+ pack. "Nutty Flavors" and "Dessert Flavors" are close enough that the impostor can nearly bluff it.

Careers you'd recognise from a kid's picture book — doctor, pilot, firefighter, farmer. An Imposter+ pack. The impostor only sees the field ("Healthcare Jobs", "Aviation Careers"), so a confident wrong guess is a real risk.

Blockbusters, franchises and animated classics almost everyone has seen. An Imposter+ pack. Because the titles are so famous, a single lazy clue like "space" can hand the impostor a free pass — precision matters.

Instruments, gear and the culture around live music — a violin, a vinyl record, a DJ, karaoke. An Imposter+ pack. The spread from "orchestral strings" to "electronic dance culture" means the impostor really can't guess blind.

Beasts from legend — a dragon, a unicorn, a kraken, a minotaur. An Imposter+ pack. The impostor gets a family like "Sea Legends", so the wrong monster from the right myth is an easy slip.

The whole pirate kit — a treasure chest, a parrot, an eyepatch, a Jolly Roger. An Imposter+ pack. The words orbit one idea, so the game is about the specific object, not the theme.

What goes on before it hits the oven — pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, anchovies. An Imposter+ pack, and an argument-friendly one: half the table has strong feelings about pineapple.

The capes everyone knows — Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, the Hulk. An Imposter+ pack. The impostor only sees "DC" or "Marvel", so naming the wrong hero from the right studio is an easy trap.

Games from the hall cupboard — Scrabble, Clue, Jenga, Battleship. An Imposter+ pack, and a sibling to Games: the words are the boxes you'd pull out on a rainy afternoon.

Shows almost everyone has at least heard of — Friends, The Office, Stranger Things, Breaking Bad. An Imposter+ pack. The impostor only gets a genre like "Workplace Comedies", so a confident wrong guess is a real risk.

The franchises even non-gamers can name — Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Tetris. An Imposter+ pack. "Arcade Classics" and "Creature Collectors" are worlds apart, so the impostor is genuinely guessing.

Cities that anchor a country in your head — Tokyo, London, New York, Rome. An Imposter+ pack, and a close cousin of Countries: the trick is a clue that fits the city and not just the nation around it.

Structures you'd recognise from a postcard — the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids, the Colosseum, Big Ben. An Imposter+ pack. The impostor gets a region like "European Landmarks", which narrows it but doesn't hand it over.