A Fake Artist Goes to New York
A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a social-deduction drawing game in which everyone except one player knows a secret word, all players add single lines to a shared drawing, and the group then votes on who was bluffing. It is a commercial party game designed by Jun Sasaki and published by Oink Games in 2011 for five to ten players. Facilitators use a pen-and-paper or online whiteboard version as a playful warm-up; this page describes that use and is not affiliated with the publisher.
Facilitation script
- 1
Explain the game and hand out pens in different colours. Name the first Question Master and play one open practice round with the word visible to all.
5 min - 2
Round 1: the Question Master announces a category and distributes the slips. Players draw one line each for two laps, vote on three, and the fake artist guesses if caught.
6 min - 3
Rotate the Question Master and play round 2 on a fresh sheet.
5 min - 4
Rotate again and play round 3. Add further rounds if time and energy allow.
5 min - 5
Announce the scores if you kept them, show the drawings once more and link to the next agenda item.
2 min
Tips
Play one open practice round so that everyone understands the tension for the real artists: draw too clearly and the fake artist guesses the word, draw too vaguely and you look like the fake.
Brief the Question Master to pick words that are easy to draw, since abstract words make the round fall flat.
Skip the scoring when the game is purely a warm-up; the reveal and the laughter are the point.
Common pitfalls
The Question Master picks an abstract or obscure word: nobody can draw it, every line looks suspicious and the vote becomes random
Real artists draw the object plainly in the first lap: the fake artist reads the word off the page and the round is over before the vote
Players lift the pen and add several strokes: the one-line limit is what keeps contributions ambiguous, and without it the fake artist is exposed immediately
Staggered pointing instead of a simultaneous vote: late voters follow the majority and the fake artist is caught or cleared by herd behaviour
Running it with twelve or more at one table: each person waits several minutes between turns and attention drifts
Variations
Online, use a shared whiteboard with one pen colour per person and send the word by private chat message, with the fake artist receiving an X. For groups larger than ten, split into parallel tables of five to seven so that turns come around quickly. To connect the game to the session, have the Question Master choose words from the workshop topic, such as product features or customer types. If you want a longer session with the original cards and markers, the published game by Oink Games is the complete version.
Where it fits
When to use it
A group of five to ten needs to loosen up before sketching or visual work, and people claim they cannot draw
A team social or offsite needs a game that takes one minute to explain and no equipment beyond pens and paper
A remote team wants shared laughter on a whiteboard they already use
Energy has dropped after a long input block and you can spare 15 to 30 minutes
The team already knows each other and enjoys light bluffing games
When not to use it
The group has more than ten people and cannot be split into tables: turns take too long, so use a whole-room energiser such as Line-Up
People have only just met and you want them to learn about each other: Two Truths and a Lie gives personal content, which this game does not
Trust in the team is strained: a game built on suspicion and accusing a colleague of faking can land badly, so pick a cooperative drawing activity such as Draw Toast
You have less than ten minutes: one round with explanation needs most of that, and a single round rarely gets the room going
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is A Fake Artist Goes to New York?▾
A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a drawing and bluffing game for five to ten players, designed by Jun Sasaki and published by Oink Games in 2011. Everyone but one player knows a secret word, each player adds one line at a time to a shared drawing, and the group then votes on who the fake artist is. A caught fake artist can still win by guessing the word.
How long does a game take?▾
The publisher gives a play time of about 20 minutes. As a workshop warm-up, plan 15 to 30 minutes: five minutes to explain and practise, then three or four rounds of about five minutes each.
Can it be played online?▾
Yes. Use any shared whiteboard where each person draws in a different colour, and have the Question Master send the secret word to each player by private message, with an X for the fake artist. Vote by having everyone type a name into the chat and press enter on the count of three.
Do I need the original game to play?▾
The mechanics work with paper, slips and coloured pens, which is how facilitators usually run it. The published game from Oink Games includes ready-made materials and the full rules, and is worth buying if a team wants to play regularly. If you describe the activity to participants, credit the game by its name.
What does the game add to a workshop?▾
It gets people drawing imperfectly in front of each other within minutes, which lowers the bar for sketching in later exercises. It also produces quick shared laughter in a team that already knows each other. It does not generate content for the workshop topic, so treat it as a warm-up or social activity.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Jun Sasaki, published by Oink Games (2011).