Everyone gets a secret. Nobody gets told.

The idea

SidePlot is for 4 to 16 people in the same room, each with their own phone. When the game starts, everyone gets a secret plot: a two-stage mission aimed at one other player, like getting Laura to make up a name for a band, then getting her to describe what it sounds like.

You don't stop the party to play. You keep eating, talking and hanging out, and you work your plot into ordinary conversation. Everyone is doing the same thing at the same time, which means somebody is working on you too.

When time runs out, everyone accuses the person they think was plotting against them. Then the host runs the reveal, one case at a time, and the evening gets rewound in front of everyone.

Setting up

• The host opens play.sideplot.app and taps Create a game. Pick a length, a setting and which mission packs to use.
• Everyone else scans the QR code on the host's screen, or opens play.sideplot.app and types the six-character code. No account and no app needed.
• Everyone needs their own phone (or their own private browser). Plots are secret, so no sharing.
• The host can start once at least 4 players are in. Up to 16 can join.

Length

Quick Plot runs 20 minutes. Party Plot runs 45 and is made to run under a dinner or a party, with more time for the harder plots.

Setting

Family is clean and works for all ages. Friends is cheekier and harder to pull off, but never mean. Both are complete games.

Your plot

When the host starts the game, your phone shows your case file. It has:

• Your mark: the one player you're working on. Nobody targets themselves, everyone has exactly one target, and everyone is exactly one person's target.
• Stage 1 (100 points): the setup. Usually getting your mark to say, name or pick something.
• Stage 2 (200 points): the payoff. It builds on Stage 1 and opens up once you claim it.
• A stealth bonus (100 points) if you land both stages and your mark doesn't name you at the end.

The file stays closed on screen. Press and hold to peek, let go to hide, so a glance over your shoulder only sees a manila folder.

Not feeling it? You can reroll once for a different plot with the same mark, or skip and sit the round out. You still get to accuse, and you still see everything at the reveal.

Playing

There are no turns. Everyone works on their plot at once, whenever an opening shows up. When a stage happens, open your file and tap Claim. You can add a short private note about how it went, which gets read at the reveal.

Claims are provisional. They only count if your mark confirms them at the end, so claim honestly. The game never buzzes, beeps or flashes, so nothing on your phone gives you away.

The host can end the game early if the party calls for it. Every claim made so far is kept.

Plot twists

Around the halfway point, a plot twist may show up in your file: a small, optional extra aimed at the same mark. Something like getting them to bring your topic back up later without you mentioning it, or getting them to say the word “pineapple.”

Twists are worth 50 points if verified. Pass on one and nothing happens. If you haven't finished Stage 1 by the midpoint, the twist waits until you do.

Accusations

When the timer hits zero, claims close and everyone gathers. Each player secretly answers one question: who was plotting against you?

Pick one player, or choose No Guess. You have 90 seconds, and nobody sees anyone's answer until everyone is locked in. A correct accusation is worth 100 points. A wrong guess costs nothing.

The reveal

The host runs the reveal from their phone, one player at a time:

1. A.The plotter. Whose case it is, and their plot title.
2. B.The mark. Who they were secretly working on.
3. C.The plan. Both stages, and which ones they claimed. The plotter gets to explain.
4. D.Did it happen? The mark confirms or rejects each claimed stage. If the plotter and the mark disagree, the host can call a quick vote of everyone else. A tie, or too few people to vote, means it doesn't count.
5. E.The accusation. Who the mark suspected, and whether they got it right.
6. F.The tally. Points for the case, then on to the next one.

Plot chains

Some games include a plot chain: two or three plots that secretly belong together. Three people might each be trying to start the same band, one after a name, one after a solo, one after a lead singer, with no idea the others are involved.

Each plot in a chain works on its own, so nobody depends on anyone else. After the individual cases, the reveal shows any chain where at least two people landed their first stage, with the confirmed links drawn in string. It only ever shows what was confirmed.

Scoring

• Claims alone never score. Only what the mark (or the table) confirms counts.
• Stage 2 only scores if Stage 1 was verified.
• The stealth bonus needs both stages verified, and your mark must not have accused you. Get named and you keep your stage points.
• A correct accusation only scores if your plotter verified at least one stage on you.
• Nothing ever takes points away. Wrong guesses and No Guess both score 0.
• Ties go to the most verified Stage 2s, then Stage 1s, then correct accusations. Still tied? Joint winners.

Results

After the reveal, everyone sees the leaderboard and the night's highlights: the Master Plotter with the most points, anyone who stayed Undetected, the Sharpest Detective who first caught their plotter, and the Biggest SidePlot when a chain came together. Then play again with fresh plots and the same group.

House rules

Every plot in SidePlot is written to be funny for the person it's aimed at. That means:

• Nobody is ever made to do anything. One reroll, skip anytime, no explanation needed.
• No danger, and no touching anyone who doesn't want it.
• Nothing that humiliates, bullies or picks on a person. Grudges and roasts aim at objects and ideas.
• No pressure to drink or eat anything. Family plots never mention alcohol.
• No money, purchases or real bets. No one's private information or phone.
• No pretending to be the police, faking emergencies, or breaking anything.

If a plot ever lands wrong in your group, skip it, and please tell us at support@sideplot.app so we can fix it.

Tips for plotters

• Plant early, collect late. Stage 1 lands best before anyone is suspicious. Stage 2 can wait for the right moment.
• Have a story ready. “A squirrel stole my sandwich” is easier to sell with a follow-up detail.
• Don't only talk to your mark. Chatting with everyone makes it harder to tell who was working on whom.
• Everyone is acting a little strange. That's the game. The person being weird with you might be after someone else entirely.