Telve: a Dixit-style online card game with a coffee fortune twist
In Telve one player is the Reader each round. They secretly pick one of their 6 cards and write a one-line reading for it. Everyone else secretly plays the card from their hand that best fits the reading, the cards are shuffled and revealed, and players try to spot the Reader's card.
The catch: if everyone finds it, or nobody does, the Reader scores nothing. The best reading is neither too obvious nor too obscure. Telve is for 3-8 players, nobody is eliminated, and a game takes about 25 minutes.
A free browser option for fans of picture interpretation games like Dixit. Telve is independent and not affiliated with Dixit. Create a room, share the code, and your friends join from their phones.
Readings are free-form: a single word, an idiom or a song lyric all work.
You earn bonus points whenever someone falls for your decoy card.
Nobody is knocked out; everyone takes turns as the Reader.
The host chooses how many times each player is the Reader, from 1 to 3.
You can try a demo against bots before gathering your friends.
How to play
Goal
A game of interpretation and bluffing, themed on coffee-cup reading.
3-8 players, nobody is eliminated.
Points are called kismet; most kismet wins.
Each round one player is the Reader; the role rotates clockwise.
1. The Reader writes a clue
The Reader secretly picks one of their 6 cards.
They write a one-line clue for it (60 characters max).
A word, an idiom, a song lyric: anything goes.
Everyone sees the clue; the card stays hidden until voting.
60 seconds. If nothing is written the round is skipped, no penalty.
2. Everyone plays a card
The other players secretly play the card that best fits the clue.
The aim is to set a trap that looks like the Reader's card.
30 seconds; a random card is played for anyone who doesn't.
At a 3-player table, non-Readers play 2 cards each.
3. The cards are revealed
All collected cards are shuffled and laid out face up, numbered.
The Reader's card is among them.
Nobody knows which card belongs to whom.
Tap a card to enlarge it.
4. Voting
Everyone except the Reader guesses the Reader's card.
You cannot vote for your own card.
The Reader cannot vote, only watch.
Once cast, a vote cannot be changed.
30 seconds; a random vote is cast for anyone who doesn't.
5. Kismet payout
If everyone found it, the Reader gets 0 and everyone else +2.
If nobody found it, the same: Reader 0, everyone else +2.
So the best clue is neither too obvious nor unreadable.
Otherwise the Reader gets +3 and each correct guesser +3.
Every vote on your trap card is +1 (max +3 per round).
Closing the round
On the result screen the round ends when everyone presses "Next round".
You can see who has pressed.
If nobody presses, the timer moves on by itself.
At the end of a round every hand is refilled to 6 cards.
End of game
The game ends once everyone has been Reader the set number of times (1-3).
It can end sooner if the deck runs out.
Whoever collected the most kismet becomes Head Reader.
The host can start a new game.
FAQ
How many players can play Telve?
3 to 8 players, and a game takes about 25 minutes. At a 3-player table, the players who are not the Reader each play two cards, so there are still enough options to choose from.
How is Telve different from Dixit?
The core idea is similar: find the card that matches a clue. Telve has its own cards, a coffee fortune theme and its own scoring, and it runs entirely in the browser. It is an independent game with no official link to Dixit.
How does scoring work?
If everyone or no one finds the card, the Reader gets 0 and everyone else gets 2. Otherwise the Reader and everyone who guessed right get 3. Each vote on your decoy card is worth 1, up to 3 per round.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It is free and there is no account or download. You just enter a nickname.