How to Win at Mr. White: Strategies for Civilians, Undercovers and Mr. White

How to Win at Mr. White: Strategies for Civilians, Undercovers and Mr. White

Mr. White is won and lost in the clue round, long before anyone votes. The cards themselves are simple; the information you give away is not. Here is how to play each of the three roles so that the table reads you the way you want to be read.

If you are a Civilian

• Clue the category, not the word. "You would find it in a kitchen" narrows the field without handing over the answer.
• Give a clue only the real word fits. A clue that also works for the undercover's word tells the table nothing, and tells the impostor everything.
• Anchor the table. When two players describe very different things, say which one fits your word. Civilians who agree loudly are the ones impostors can hide behind.
• Notice who is vague. A player who is describing a word they have never seen tends to keep their clues broad and generic. That is exactly the profile of an undercover.
• Do not defend yourself too early. Defending before you have been accused draws attention to you for no reason.

If you are an Undercover

• Know the trap. Your word is close to the civilians' word but not the same. "Coffee" when the secret word is "tea" will send the table in the wrong direction if you overplay it.
• Steal a civilian's clue and echo it. Repeating another player's phrasing makes you sound certain, because you are borrowing their certainty.
• Attack the weakest clue. If someone's clue was vague, suggest they are hiding something. It is a cheap way to move the table's attention off you.
• Keep a distinct voice. Every player describes their word differently. Copying the table's favourite player word for word is a dead giveaway.

If you are Mr. White

• You have no word, so describe the feeling. "It is something everyone has done" or "You would use it on a Monday morning" fit almost any word and almost any table.
• Never give a specific clue. A specific clue is the one thing a bluff cannot fake, because a bluff has nothing to be specific about.
• Agree loudly and early. Building a little momentum in round one makes you part of the consensus, which is much harder to vote out later.
• Vote with the crowd. You only get one guess, and only after you are eliminated. You want to be voted out late, with a table that is still arguing.
• Your final guess is everything. Once you are caught you get one shot at the civilians' word. Listen hard to every clue, because that guess is the difference between a win and nothing.

Table tips

• Keep the round short. Five or six players is where the bluffing is most readable, and ten is where it is hardest to follow.
• Play a full round before swapping roles. Reading how the table argues is worth more than any single trick.
• Use the word categories. Narrow lists make vague clues more suspicious, which is good for the table and bad for the imposters.

Try it free in the browser at mrwhite.app - it works on a single phone, so you can pass it around the table.