The Chameleon is a social deduction game, and one of the best! Each round all players, except one (the chameleon), gets to see a secret word. By saying words that relate to the secret word, players try to work out who the chameleon is, while the chameleon does everything they can to blend in.
Things to like: Easy to understand, rounds are very quick, can supports many players.
Things to dislike: Can be stressful for the chameleon, players not concentrating can select the wrong secret word.
Overview of The Chameleon
| Number of players | 3-8 |
| Game length | 15 minutes |
| Age range | 14+ |
| How long to learn the rules | 5 minutes |
| Component quality | Basic |
What is in the box?
- 56 cards
- 2 dice
- 1 pen
How The Chameleon plays
The Chameleon is really very simple to explain. All players (except the player is the chameleon) have to work out who the chameleon is, whilst the chameleon has to remain hidden.
At the start of each round, a topic card is revealed to all players. The topic card has 16 related words. For example, the food topic card lists 16 different types of food (pasta, cake, chocolate etc…). Each player is dealt a card. For most of the players, this card will reveal the secret word (from the 16 words on the topic card). For one player however, the card will not give them any information about the secret word. This player is the chameleon.
Each player in turn then has to say a word that relates to the secret word. For example, you might say ‘birthday’ if the secret word is ‘cake’. The chameleon also has to say a word, even though they do not know what the secret word is.
Once everyone has said a word, players can start debating who they think the chameleon is. This is where the heart of the game lies. If you are not the chameleon, you will be trying to work out who’s word did not match the secret word. In reality, there will some doubt over everyone. The reason… if the chameleon is correctly identified, they will have a chance to try and guess what the secret word if. If they do, they win. Therefore, when players are saying a word that relates to the secret word, they cannot make it too obvious.
You can read the full rules of The Chameleon here.
Final thoughts on The Chameleon
There Chameleon is a fantastic party game, especially for people who don’t usually play board games. It works so well partly because it is so quick to play a round, and partly because, at its best, it is a hilarious experience. Players will often be saying words that seemingly have no relationship to the secret word. Sometimes it feels like everyone is the chameleon!
Thoughts on The Chameleon from a non-gamer (my wife)
I love The Chameleon. it is one of my favorite games. Each time you play the game with new people it is a completely different experience and I can’t imagine getting board of it. As well as being fun, it is so clever. I particularly like the fact that peoples’ choices of word reveal a little something about themselves.