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A Fake Artist Goes to New York

$32.99 CAD

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Board Game Info

Number of Players: 5-10
Play Time: 20 Minutes
Age:
Complexity:
Designed by: Jun Sasaki
Publisher: Oink Games

About the Product

Product Description

One of you has no idea what you're drawing. Everyone else does. Nobody's allowed to say a word.

A Fake Artist Goes to New York is a party game from Japanese publisher Oink Games that fuses social deduction with collaborative drawing into something genuinely unlike anything else. The Gallerist secretly writes a word on a small tile for every player — except one, who gets a blank with an X. That one player is the Fake Artist. Everyone knows a category (say, "animals"), but only the real artists know the word ("flamingo"). Players take turns adding a single pen stroke to a shared drawing, trying to signal to their teammates that they know what they're drawing without making it obvious enough that the Fake Artist can guess it.

After two rounds of strokes, players vote on who they think was faking it. But even if the Fake Artist is caught, they can still win by correctly guessing the word. This creates a tense, hilarious cat-and-mouse game where being too obvious as a real artist is just as dangerous as being too vague as a fake one.

The whole thing fits in a box smaller than most wallets, accommodates up to ten players, and teaches in under three minutes. It is one of the best games to always have on you.

What We Think at WiredVillage Boardgames

We play this one frequently at our game days. It’s fantastic for large groups and works well with players of all ages. It always gets big laughs, and it’s surprisingly fun to look back at the ridiculous drawings everyone created after the round is over.

What People Are Saying

"What really makes the game fun is the table talk, the accusations and the desperate justifications for why someone drew a line the way they did." — Oliver Kinne, There Will Be Games

"A Fake Artist Goes to New York is an excellent party game, whether your group likes drawing games or Spyfall or not. It's a consistent source of fun that even a big group can participate in." — FarmerLenny, iSlaytheDragon (9/10)

Played 30+ times in a single year by one reviewer — still going strong (iSlaytheDragon)
Described as delivering the thrill of social deduction "with only a fraction of the angst" of heavier bluffing games
Praised across reviews for being fast, portable, and easy to teach to any group

Game Mechanisms

Hidden Roles Before a single line is drawn, the table is already split. One player secretly receives a blank tile — they are the Fake Artist. Everyone else received the same word. No one announces their role. No one reacts. The tension starts before the pen even hits the paper, because you're immediately scanning faces, watching reactions, and wondering who looks just a little too calm.

Line Drawing Each player takes turns making exactly one continuous pen stroke on a shared piece of paper. It can be as long or as short as they choose — a sweeping arc, a small tick, or a deliberately ambiguous scribble. Real artists must thread a needle: draw clearly enough that your teammates know you're in on it, but obscurely enough that the Fake Artist can't figure out the word from your contribution alone.

Bluffing The Fake Artist's job is to look like they belong. With no idea what the word is, they must read the emerging drawing, make a mark that fits, and carry themselves with total confidence. The best Fake Artists don't just survive — they start pointing fingers at real artists and making everyone doubt each other. The best rounds end with someone completely innocent getting accused while the actual Fake Artist walks away free.

Voting After two full rounds of drawing, everyone votes simultaneously — pointing at who they think is the Fake Artist. If the vote is split or lands on an innocent player, the Fake Artist wins outright. If they're correctly identified, they still get one chance to redeem themselves by naming the word. It's a dramatic, chaotic finish that guarantees someone at the table gasps every single time.