Playing ThoughtMatch on Discord

ThoughtMatch runs as a Discord Activity, so your group can play right inside a voice channel with no room code to pass around. This guide covers starting a game, inviting people, talking without giving your words away, and what to do when something goes wrong.

By Ansh R. Suryavanshi, creator of ThoughtMatch

What the Discord Activity is

A Discord Activity is a game that opens inside a Discord call, next to the people you're already talking to. ThoughtMatch is the same game in Discord as on the website: one player, the Dener, hides a secret word and reveals its first letter, and everyone else posts clues and presses Contact! to pry the word loose one letter at a time. The rules don't change. If you're new to them, read how to play first; it takes about five minutes.

What Discord adds is convenience. Everyone who joins the Activity sits at the same table automatically, you see each other's Discord profile pictures, and the voice channel you're already in becomes the table talk.

Starting a game

You can start ThoughtMatch from a server voice channel, or from a call in a DM or group DM.

1. Join the voice channel or start the call.
2. Press the Activities button (the rocket).
3. Choose ThoughtMatch.
4. The first time, Discord asks your permission for ThoughtMatch to see your username and who is speaking. Allow it, and you're at the table.

The username is how the game knows who you are, so there's no name to type. Knowing who is speaking lets the table show who's talking, which matters more than you'd think once a round gets loud.

If you want to use ThoughtMatch in a server and it isn't there yet, someone may need to add the app first. A server admin can add it to the server.

Inviting friends

There's no room code on Discord. Anyone in the call who joins the same Activity lands at your table. For people who aren't in the call yet, the lobby has an Invite friends button. It opens Discord's own invite dialog, so you can send the game to a friend or a channel without leaving it.

You need at least 3 players to play (a Dener, a clue giver and someone to make contact), and the table holds up to 12. Most groups find the game liveliest somewhere in between, with enough clues on the table to keep the Dener busy.

At the table

Each player shows up with their Discord profile picture. While someone is talking, their picture gets a green ring, so you can tell at a glance who just said "wait, is it a fruit?" and whether the Dener is the one laughing.

The host sets up the game in the lobby with the same options as on the website: which words count, how the next Dener is picked, the round timer and the number of rounds. The game night guide has suggested settings for different kinds of groups.

The game opens on a 3D table. If you prefer a flat layout, switch to the 2D view with the video-camera icon in the top bar. The view only changes how the table looks; the rules and the clues are the same either way.

Using voice chat well

Talking is a big part of the fun. You can groan at a broken clue, cheer a held contact and tease the Dener through a long silence. But there's one rule that the game can't enforce for you: never say your words out loud. The Dener is in the same voice channel, listening.

Your clue's word is private, and so is the word you type when you press Contact!. Say either one out loud and the Dener simply types it into their guess box and breaks the clue. The same goes for half-words and hints. Anything you say on voice is effectively a public clue that the Dener hears too.

Some ways to keep voice chat fun without leaking words:

• React, don't explain. "Oh, that's good" tells the Dener nothing. "That's the one from the camping trip" tells them a lot.
• Wait for the window. When a contact fails, everyone sees the words anyway. Save the "I thought it was...!" until then.
• Watch the green rings. If the Dener's picture goes quiet during a contact, they're probably concentrating on a guess. That's a good moment to stay quiet too.
• The Dener can talk too. A Dener who chats, bluffs and asks innocent questions can draw out a careless word. That's fair play, so be on your guard.

Tips for big servers

A busy community server brings its own challenges. A few habits help:

• Mind the cap. The table holds 12 players. If more people want in, consider a second voice channel with its own game, rather than leaving people watching.
• Pick a host who'll stay. The host chooses the settings and can remove a player, hand over host, skip a round or end the game. That's useful with strangers at the table.
• Agree on clue etiquette. Inside jokes are the heart of good clues among friends, but in a server full of people who've just met, a clue only two people can get feels unfair. The Dener can flag a clue as an inside reference, and the other players vote on it. Our house rules guide has ideas for agreeing on what's fair before you start.
• Use the round timer. With many players, a round timer keeps things moving and gives everyone a turn as Dener sooner.
• Keep the channel clear. With a full table, voice gets crowded. Muting background noise helps the green rings show who's really talking.

Discord and the website

You can also play the same game in a browser at thoughtmatch.online/play/, with the same rules. That's handy for friends who don't use Discord: one person hosts, shares the room code or link, and everyone joins from a phone or computer, usually with a call running alongside.

There's one catch. Discord players and website players are in separate rooms. A website room code can't be joined from the Discord Activity, and website players can't join a table in Discord. So if part of your group isn't on Discord, choose one place for everyone: either all join the website room and talk over whatever call you like, or all join the Activity.

Troubleshooting

It says "Couldn't sign you in"

Press Try again. If that doesn't work, close the Activity and open it again from the Activities (rocket) button.

I can't find ThoughtMatch in the Activities list

The app may not be available in that server yet. Ask a server admin to add it to the server. In the meantime, your group can play the same game on the website.

My friend is in the call but not at the table

They need to join the Activity as well as the voice channel. Use the Invite friends button in the lobby to send it to them.

My friend has a room code from the website

That code only works on the website. Either everyone moves to the website room, or your friend joins the Discord call and the Activity.

The 3D table is hard to read

Switch to the 2D view with the video-camera icon in the top bar.

For questions about the rules themselves, like what counts as the same word or what happens when someone drops out, see the FAQ.