Build the board.Beat the room.Steal the round.
A live trivia game for 2–6 teams, one human Host, and the phones already in your pockets. A TV or projector is recommended—not required.
- 2–6 teams
- No account needed
- Phones are controllers
- Host makes the call
The room uses one public Big Screen, one private Host device, and phones for the teams.
The fast version
The whole game in 60 seconds
Learn this loop first. The deeper rules will make sense once everyone understands how a miss turns into an opportunity for the rest of the room.
- 01
Join
Build the room
Scan the QR or enter the six-character code. One person claims Host; everyone else forms 2–6 teams.
- 02
Lead
Choose Captains
The first player on a team becomes Captain. They coordinate the team’s private decisions and official answers.
- 03
Choose
Lock three categories
Two of your topics route to rivals and one comes back to you. An optional AI house category adds a surprise.
- 04
Order
Face off
Two teams use secret RPS. Rooms with 3–6 teams use Target Lock to choose the play order.
- 05
Answer
Climb the tiers
The Host chooses a question. Your team discusses; the Captain or nominee locks one final response.
- 06
Steal
Punish a miss
A miss, Pass, or timeout opens a full-value steal. Every steal actually ruled wrong costs that team 1 point.
- 07
Win
Own the scoreboard
Highest score wins. Tied leaders answer simultaneously in Final Lock until one team remains.
Before the first question
Choose the setup that fits your room
The shared display and the Host are different jobs. Keep the Host screen private because it contains candidate questions, expected answers, and ruling tools.
Recommended
Party Mode with a TV
- 1Open Steal the Round on the TV, projector, or shared laptop.
- 2Choose Start Party Mode. That screen becomes the public Big Screen.
- 3Players scan the QR or enter the room code on their phones.
- 4One person claims Host on a separate device; everyone else creates or joins a team.
No shared screen
Host from a phone
- 1On the home page, choose No TV? Host from your phone.
- 2Claim the Host role and share the room code or join link.
- 3Players follow the match on their own devices while the Host runs the room.
- 4Keep the Host display facing the Host; private answers and question tools live there.
What you need
- Stable internet
- One separate device for the Host
- At least one team device per team; individual phones are better
- A TV or projector for Party Mode
- Three category ideas per team
No download or account is required. Players join in a browser with a QR code, link, or six-character code.
Best first game
Quick
3 categories · 2 tiers · 30-second discussion · AI house off.
6 scheduled questions and 9 base points per team.
Full experience
Classic
4 categories · 4 tiers · 60-second discussion · AI house on.
16 scheduled questions and 40 base points per team.
Tune the room
Custom
Choose 1–4 tiers, AI house on or off, timers, Final Lock difficulty, and advanced rules.
The setup screen estimates length from your choices.
“Base points” are not a score ceiling. Full-value steals can push a team higher, while penalties can move a score below zero.
Four clear jobs
Know your role before the room starts
Successful games give every player one simple job. Steal the Round keeps private choices on phones and the public story on the Big Screen.
Runs the show
Host
Configures the room, curates questions, controls pace, compares answers, pauses play, and makes every final ruling.
Makes team decisions
Captain
Names the team, locks categories, makes face-off choices, coordinates discussion, and submits or delegates answers.
Solves together
Teammate
Discusses every question, can become the nominated answerer, and may act for the team during steals and challenges.
Presents the room
Big Screen
Shows the join code, rosters, questions, clocks, scores, and ceremonies without acting as a controller.
The category gamble
Choose topics you may have to steal back
Every Captain privately locks three distinct categories. Pick subjects your team knows, but keep them broad and factual enough to produce fair questions.
Your three locked topics
Pixar films
Women in science
Ocean geography
route to rivals
Your knowledge may become their question—and your steal chance.
returns to you
You will play one of the topics your team authored.
AI house on? Every team receives one different surprise category in addition to the three routed topics.
Keep it playable. “Pixar films” beats “Movies” or a subjective inside joke. The Host reviews near-duplicates.
Two teams
Secret RPS
- 1. Both Captains secretly choose rock, paper, or scissors.
- 2. Hands reveal only after both lock. A tie starts an immediate rematch.
- 3. The winner chooses whether to play first or second.
Three to six teams
Target Lock
- 1. Every Captain secretly locks a whole number from 1–100.
- 2. A random target reveals; teams rank by distance from it.
- 3. Closest chooses any open position, then the next team chooses. Exact-distance ties are randomized.
Play order changes momentum and observation—not Final Lock priority.
One question, start to finish
Discuss together. Lock once. Let the Host rule.
A team completes every active tier in its current category before control moves on. Teams do not alternate after every question.
- 1
Curate
The Host privately chooses one of four candidates or requests a fresh batch.
- 2
Reveal
The room sees the category origin, tier value, question, and shared countdown.
- 3
Discuss
The active team talks it through. The Captain may nominate one teammate for this question.
- 4
Lock
The Captain or nominee submits one final answer—or the team can Pass. Timeout also counts as no answer.
- 5
Rule
The Host compares submitted, expected, and acceptable answers side by side, then makes the call.
- 6
Resolve
Correct scores the tier value. Incorrect, Pass, or timeout opens the steal window.
Ocean Geography · team pick
Hard
Question in play
Which sea has no land boundary and is defined primarily by ocean currents?
Team locks
“The Sargasso Sea”
Host ruling
Correct · +2 points
If the generated answer is too narrow, the Host may accept a defensible alternative. AI suggestions never overrule human judgment.
Tier values
The Host may use only the opening tiers in a shorter format.
How control rotates
Finish the category’s included tiers, then pass control to the next unfinished team in the chosen order.
Where matches swing
Steals reward preparation. Challenges protect trust.
These are the two rules worth explaining aloud before the first question. Both have narrow, visible stakes so the room knows exactly what can happen.
Open steal
Every eligible rival gets a shot
- One private answer per eligible, unfinished rival team. Any teammate may lock it; the first submission is final.
- Server receipt order determines the Host queue. Answers and order stay hidden while the window is open.
- The first answer ruled correct earns the full current value and ends the queue.
- Each answer actually ruled wrong costs 1 point. Unreached entries are not penalized.
Worked example · 3-point question
Team B · wrong
−1
Team C · correct
+3
Team D · unreached
0
One challenge flag
Appeal your own rejected response
A team may challenge only when its own original answer or its own steal was rejected. Bystanders and category authors do not gain standing.
Challenge succeeds
Correct the ordinary question credit, reverse conflicting credit as needed, and keep the flag. There is no bonus award.
Challenge fails
The flag is retired. The default point cost is 0; an advanced setting changes it to a flat −1.
The AI advises. The Host decides. Research and match suggestions never change the score until the Host acts.
Optional and endgame rules
Learn these after the normal loop
Chaos Mode is an advanced option. Final Lock is the fair, simultaneous tiebreaker used only when the lead is tied after every board is complete.
Optional: Chaos Mode powers
Chaos is off by default. Each team receives one use of each power, and only the Captain can activate them.
- Raise the Stakes: play before the question reveal to double that question and any steal from it.
- Time Boost: add 30 seconds to your own running normal-answer clock.
- Time Squeeze: reduce a rival’s running normal-answer clock to 10 seconds while more than 10 seconds remain.
Powers are unavailable during Final Lock or while paused. A discarded or void question refunds powers spent on it.
Final Lock sudden death
Only teams tied for the highest final score enter. Every tied team sees the same fresh question and answers during one shared window.
- Exactly one correct: that team wins.
- Several correct: only those teams continue.
- Nobody correct: the full tied field gets a fresh question.
Speed gives no priority. There are no steals, challenges, Chaos powers, or play-order advantage.
Host quick guide
Protect the pace—and the room’s trust
The app handles state, timers, and scorekeeping. The Host’s highest-value job is choosing clear questions and making fair, confident rulings.
Curate before reveal
Prefer one-defensible-answer questions. You can request up to three fresh no-point-cost batches when the options are weak.
Compare, then decide
Read the submitted answer beside the expected answer and accepted alternatives. Accept a defensible response even if the generated answer is narrow.
Recover consistently
Pause for loss of the authorized answer controller, wait or reassign Captaincy, then resume explicitly. Do not use recovery for ordinary indecision.
Keep the private Host link private. Anyone with it can control the match. Share the Big Screen or player link with the room instead.
Use the right repair. Regenerate before reveal, replace a flawed live question, or use correction and void tools after a ruling.
Questions players actually ask
Quick answers before you start
These are the details most likely to stop setup or start a rules debate. Share this section with the room whenever needed.
Do we need a TV or projector?
Can a teammate submit the answer?
What happens if someone disconnects?
Who can see private answers?
What if the generated answer is wrong or too narrow?
How long does a game take?
Does the fastest answer win?
Can a score exceed the format total—or go negative?
Ready to steal the round?
For a first game: choose Quick, leave Chaos off, keep teams close in size, and remind everyone that the first teammate to submit locks the team’s steal.