Overview

Delir’phone is a French party game for 4-10 players centered around improvised phone calls. The active player draws a situation card and three secret words, then performs a fake phone call incorporating those secret words while the other players try to identify them. The game blends improvisation, acting, and deduction in a humorous format where players score points by either hiding or discovering the secret words.

Components

• Situation cards (describing the context for each phone call)
• Secret word cards (6 words per card, color-coded)
• 3 colored chips (for selecting which 3 of the 6 words to use)
• 80-second timer
• Scoring track or tokens
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Place the situation cards and secret word cards in separate draw piles.
2. Set the timer nearby.
3. Provide scoring tokens or paper for tracking points.
4. Determine the starting player.

Turn Structure

On the active player’s turn:

1. Draw Situation: Draw a situation card and read it aloud (e.g., “You are a surgeon telling your patient you forgot a wire coil in their belly”).
2. Draw Secret Words: Draw a secret word card with 6 words. Throw the 3 colored chips to randomly determine which 3 words you must use.
3. Make the Phone Call: Start the 80-second timer. Improvise a phone call based on the situation, naturally incorporating all 3 secret words into the conversation.
4. Opponents Guess: While listening, all other players write down which words they think are the 3 secret words.
5. Reveal and Score: Reveal the 3 secret words and score.

Actions

Improvising the Phone Call

• Perform the fake phone call in character, following the situation card’s premise.
• Weave the 3 secret words into the conversation naturally enough that opponents cannot easily identify them.
• The call lasts up to 80 seconds.

Guessing Secret Words

• Listen carefully to the phone call and note any words that seem forced, unusual, or deliberately placed.
• Write down your guesses for the 3 secret words before the reveal.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Active Player: Scores 1 point for each secret word that nobody guesses correctly. The better you hide the words, the more you score.
• Guessing Players: Score 1 point for each secret word they correctly identify.
• The first player to reach 25 points wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• 80-Second Time Limit: The phone call has a strict time limit. All 3 secret words must be used within this window.
• Natural Integration: The skill of the game lies in making the secret words sound natural within the conversation context. Obviously forced words are easy to spot.
• Situation Variety: The situation cards provide absurd, funny, or challenging scenarios that force creative improvisation.
• Random Word Selection: Using colored chips to select which 3 of 6 words to use ensures unpredictability.
• French Language: The game is in French; situations and secret words are in French.
• Scoring Balance: The active player benefits from good acting (hiding words), while observers benefit from careful listening (finding words).

Player Reference

Turn: Draw situation → Draw secret words (3 of 6) → Perform 80-second phone call → Others guess → Score

Active Player Scoring: 1 point per word nobody guesses

Guesser Scoring: 1 point per word correctly identified

Win: First to 25 points

Key Skill: Naturally integrating secret words into the improvised phone call