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About Concept
Concept, from Repos Production, has two clue-givers describe a word or phrase without speaking, using only markers placed on a board of simple icons such as colours, shapes, materials and feelings. One marker shows the main idea and others build sub-ideas around it, so Harry Potter might be young plus male plus magic plus glasses. Everyone else calls out guesses at once. It won the As d'Or in 2014 and was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres the same year.
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Is Concept Right for You?
Best for
Concept is for groups who enjoy puzzles and lateral thinking more than performing. It shines with five or six players, where there are enough guessers to keep the shouting going but everyone still gets a clear view of the board. It is also great with players who speak different languages, since the clues are all icons.
Maybe skip it if…
Groups who want constant laughter may find it quieter and more cerebral than most party games. At ten to twelve players, crowding round one board gets awkward.
How to Play Concept
Setup
Lay out the icon board and markers. Pair up two neighbouring players as the first clue-givers.
On Your Turn
- The clue-givers secretly pick a word from a card and agree on a difficulty.
- They place the main question-mark marker on an icon for the core idea, adding cubes to refine it, and use other colours for sub-ideas.
- Everyone else calls out guesses freely while the clue-givers adjust markers but say nothing beyond yes or no.
- When someone guesses it, the guesser and both clue-givers score, and the role moves round the table.
How to Win
After the agreed number of rounds, the player with the most points wins. Many groups happily play without keeping score.
💡 Strategy Tips
Start with the broad category (object, person, place, film) before anything else. Guessers lock onto the first icon, so make it the right one.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the category. Put the main marker on 'object', 'person' or 'place' first, or guessers spend ages in the wrong direction.
- Putting too many markers down at once. Build the clue a step at a time and watch the guesses.
- Choosing the hardest words before the table knows the board. Start easy so everyone learns how the icons get used.
- Forgetting that the clue-givers can adjust. Move markers when guesses go wrong, rather than just waiting.
Advanced Strategy
- Use the sub-concept colours to combine ideas, for example 'yellow' plus 'fruit' as a side concept to mean banana within a bigger clue.
- Use cubes of the same colour as a marker to add supporting details to that idea, one icon at a time.
- As a guesser, say your thinking out loud. Partial guesses help the clue-givers see what is landing.
- For phrases and titles, clue each word separately as its own sub-concept, then nudge the guessers to join them.
Variants & House Rules
Concept Kids: Animals
A cooperative version for young children who cannot yet read, with 110 animals to guess. Reviewers note the core rules stay close to the original.
House rule: cooperative play
Ignore the scoring and see how many words the whole group can find together. It suits mixed groups and removes the race to shout first.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Concept is a clever, original guessing game that feels like solving a puzzle together, even when you are technically competing. It won the As d'Or in 2014 and earned a Spiel des Jahres nomination, and it has held up well. We recommend it for thoughtful groups of five or six, and for any table where not everyone shares a first language.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to keep score in Concept?
The rules include scoring, but plenty of groups play without it. The fun is in the guessing, not the points.
How many players is Concept best with?
Five or six. It works from four to twelve, but with a big group, people struggle to see the board and get a turn as clue-giver.
Who publishes Concept?
Repos Production, the Belgian publisher also behind 7 Wonders. It was designed by Gaëtan Beaujannot and Alain Rivollet.