At a glance
| The box game | On Table Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 2–12 | 2–12 |
| What you need | The dial, spectrum cards and a screen | A phone each |
| Scoring | 4, 3 or 2 points for the team; 1 for a correct left or right call | The same, or one shared score in co-op |
The goal
Score more points than the other team by landing the dial on your Psychic’s target.
Setup
- Split into two teams.
- Choose which team goes first, and pick its Psychic.
How a round works
- The Psychic draws a spectrum card, for example Hot–Cold, and secretly spins the target to a random spot only they can see.
- The Psychic gives one clue: a thing that sits at that spot on the spectrum.
- Their team talks it over and turns the dial to where they think the target is.
- The other team calls whether the target is to the left or right of the dial.
- Reveal the target, score, and pass the turn to the other team with a new Psychic.
Scoring and winning
- The target has a centre band worth 4, with 3 on each side and 2 beyond that.
- The other team scores 1 if their left or right call was right.
- The first team to 10 points wins.
Clues and variants
A good clue is a thing
On Hot–Cold near the cold end, “yesterday’s coffee” beats “chilly”: it lives at one spot on the scale.
One clue only
The Psychic gives a single clue, then stays quiet while the team argues.
Co-op
Play as one team: everyone guesses together and adds up points over a set number of rounds.
Playing Spectrum on Table Party
Spectrum is Table Party’s version: free in the browser, with everyone on their own phone. A round goes like this.
- The Psychic secretly sees where the target sits on the spectrum.
- They give one short clue — no numbers, no pointing.
- The clue is a THING that lives at that spot. Say the spectrum is Hot–Cold and the target sits near the cold end: “yesterday’s coffee” is a great clue. Not freezing, definitely not hot — almost-cold. That’s the game.
- Their team argues about where the clue belongs, then locks in the dial.
- Closer is better: 4, 3 or 2 points. The other team can steal a point by calling which side the target was on.
What’s different here
- Spectrum is Table Party’s own game, with its own spectrums.
- The Psychic sees the target on their phone, and everyone else turns the dial on theirs.
- A co-op mode puts the whole table on one team with a shared score, and the Psychic role rotates every round.
The fiddly bits on Table Party
The bands
Five equal slices, scoring 2-3-4-3-2 outward from the centre. Outside them the round scores nothing at all.
The side call
The team that did not guess picks left or right for one point. A dead-centre guess leaves no side, so nobody takes it.
Who may turn the dial
Everyone on the guessing team except the Psychic, moving live on every phone. Whoever locks first locks for all of them.
Length
Teams split by seat order, alternate turns, and play to ten points. Co-op instead plays a fixed six rounds.
The prompt deck
Classic and pop-culture spectrums by default, out of a set that also includes a spicier category. The host can hand-pick exactly which ones the table sees.
The official rules
For the publisher’s own wording, read the official rules from CMYK. Table Party is independent and isn’t affiliated with CMYK.
Questions about Spectrum
Can the Psychic give more than one clue?
No. One clue per round, and then the Psychic stays quiet while the team decides.
Can you use numbers as a clue?
No. A number points straight at the dial. Name a thing that sits at the target instead.
Is Spectrum free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Spectrum?
Between 2 and 12. Below 2 there are not enough of you for the game to work. Table Party for Teams seats up to 100 in one room.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Spectrum over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
Play Spectrum online
Free, in the browser, with everyone on their own phone.