Features / 6 games featured
Paper-and-Pencil Games: Compare Guessing, Territory and Drawing
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Last updated 2026-10-19 · Run by Qdan, Inc.
Compare guessing, territory and drawing games played with paper and pencil, and try the same activities in your browser even without paper.
Check supplies, players, thinking and time to choose between two-player contests and group drawing or writing.
Three Games to Try First
- Dots and Boxes
Start a two-player territory game by drawing one line between dots.
- Hit & Blow
Try a short deduction game by comparing guesses and feedback.
- Drawing Quiz
With three or more players, start by taking turns drawing for everyone to guess.
Choose by Group Size and Activity
For two players, choose Dots and Boxes to draw lines or Hit & Blow to deduce a sequence. With three or more, try Drawing Quiz to guess a picture, or Drawing Telephone and Relay Novel for simultaneous drawing and writing.
Compare Players, Supplies, Thinking and Time
Players, time and learning effort describe the BGJ versions; paper sessions may take a different amount of time. The supplies column suggests how to try the activity on paper. Thinking is described through decisions such as narrowing down candidates, planning or inventing, rather than a difficulty score or ranking. Check the cards and rules for differences between general paper play and BGJ answers, group sizes and scoring.
2–100 players
5–20 min
- Quick to learn6 games
- Learn step by step0 games
- More to learn0 games
- Mostly skill1 game
- Luck and skill3 games
- Mostly luck2 games
Player counts and times span the smallest to largest values in this group. Learning and luck describe each game, rather than a quality score.
| Game | Players and time | Paper supplies | Thinking involved | What you do | Browser differences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Battle | 2 players, About 15 min | Two grids per player, pens and a screen between players | Deduction: use hits to narrow down ship direction and length | Take turns choosing a cell to fire at | Fleet placement and shot records are managed on screen |
| Hit & Blow | 2 players, About 5 min | Paper for a hidden answer, guess log and pens | Deduction: compare feedback counts to narrow down sequences | Submit a guess and read the feedback counts | Colours replace digits; both players race for one shared answer |
| Dots and Boxes | 2 players, About 10 min | Dot-grid paper, pens and initials to mark ownership | Planning: count boxes your next line could give away | Draw one line between neighbouring dots | Ownership and scores are recorded automatically |
| Drawing Quiz | 3–20 players, About 15 min | Paper everyone can see, pens, a timer and a score sheet | Creativity and observation: pick features to draw and recognise | One person draws; the others guess | Live strokes, typed guesses and scoring on screen |
| Drawing Telephone | 3–30 players, About 20 min | Several foldable sheets per player and pens | Creativity and interpretation: translate the previous entry | Everyone alternates drawing and writing together | Only the preceding entry is shown before the final reveal |
| Relay Novel | 2–100 players, About 15 min | One booklet or set of sheets per person, pens and a vote log | Creative writing: develop the story from the previous page | Everyone writes the next page of a different book | Visibility, passing order and voting are managed on screen |
Guessing: Use Clues to Find a Hidden Answer
Record the feedback from each guess to narrow down a hidden answer. For example, Sea Battle uses hit locations to reveal ship direction, while Hit & Blow uses matching counts to reveal a sequence.
Sea Battle
Use hits and misses to locate every hidden ship. On paper, keep separate grids for your fleet and your shots, hidden from your opponent. BGJ uses five ships on a 10×10 sea and one shot per turn; a hit also identifies the ship type, helping you work out its remaining cells.
- Paper supplies
- Two grids per player, pens and a screen between players
- Thinking involved
- Deduction: use hits to narrow down ship direction and length
- What you do
- Take turns choosing a cell to fire at
BGJ rules [4]
Hit & Blow
Compare feedback from successive guesses to find the hidden sequence first. A paper version can use a secret number and a written guess log. BGJ instead gives two players one shared four-position answer made from six colours. Take turns guessing; hits count correct colours in the correct positions, while blows count correct colours in other positions. [2]
- Paper supplies
- Paper for a hidden answer, guess log and pens
- Thinking involved
- Deduction: compare feedback counts to narrow down sequences
- What you do
- Submit a guess and read the feedback counts
Territory: Draw Lines to Claim Boxes
Add lines to a visible board and claim the boxes you close. For example, drawing the fourth side of a three-sided box claims it and gives you another move.
Dots and Boxes
Draw the fourth side of a square to claim it, aiming to own more boxes when the board is full. On paper, draw a grid of dots and mark claimed boxes with your initials. Completing a box gives another move, so compare the box you can take now with the chain you might leave to your opponent. [1]
- Paper supplies
- Dot-grid paper, pens and initials to mark ownership
- Thinking involved
- Planning: count boxes your next line could give away
- What you do
- Draw one line between neighbouring dots
Drawing and Writing: Share Pictures and Stories
Use visual features or earlier writing to communicate with the next person. For example, Drawing Telephone turns the word “cat” into a picture, which the next player interprets as a word.
Drawing Quiz
Show the subject through a drawing and guess the word while time remains to earn points. On paper, use a sheet everyone can see and take turns drawing. In BGJ, strokes appear live for everyone; players type guesses and the artist judges them. The first correct guess ends the round, and totals are compared after everyone has drawn.
- Paper supplies
- Paper everyone can see, pens, a timer and a score sheet
- Thinking involved
- Creativity and observation: pick features to draw and recognise
- What you do
- One person draws; the others guess
BGJ rules [7]
Drawing Telephone
Turn words into pictures and pictures into words, then enjoy how each message changes. On paper, pass sheets around and fold away older entries. BGJ lets everyone draw or write at the same time, showing only the preceding entry. Reveal the full chains at the end and compare interpretations together, without a winner. [3]
- Paper supplies
- Several foldable sheets per player and pens
- Thinking involved
- Creativity and interpretation: translate the previous entry
- What you do
- Everyone alternates drawing and writing together
Relay Novel
Read the previous page and add a continuation to a story that others may choose in the final vote. On paper, pass a booklet per person and agree how much earlier writing stays visible. In BGJ, everyone writes different books simultaneously, with only the preceding page visible by default. Your written pages and each book’s votes determine your score.
- Paper supplies
- One booklet or set of sheets per person, pens and a vote log
- Thinking involved
- Creative writing: develop the story from the previous page
- What you do
- Everyone writes the next page of a different book
BGJ rules [9]
Frequently Asked Questions
What games can you play with just paper and pencil?
You can draw lines in Dots and Boxes, locate ships, deduce a number sequence, or pass pictures and stories around. Compare supplies such as dot grids, coordinate grids and paper to hide answers in the table.
Which paper-and-pencil games work for two players?
Dots and Boxes, Sea Battle and Hit & Blow are the two-player contests in this guide. Choose visible planning, location deduction or sequence deduction; Relay Novel also supports two or more players.
Are there paper-and-pencil games for large groups?
Drawing Quiz, Drawing Telephone and Relay Novel offer group guessing, picture-and-word chains or shared stories. BGJ supports up to 20, 30 and 100 players respectively; these are browser limits, not recommended group sizes for managing paper versions.
Can I play without paper or pencils?
Every featured game can be played in a browser without paper or pencils. For group play, each person uses their own device; check each game page for its rules and group size.
Is Hit & Blow the same as a paper number-guessing game?
Both use feedback about matching values and positions, but BGJ uses colours instead of digits. Rather than guessing separate numbers chosen by each player, two players take turns trying to solve one shared answer generated by the game.
Sources and How BGJ Plays
- Dan Finkel (mathematics educator) — Dots and BoxesHow to Play: dot paper, edges, claiming a square, extra turns and winning by box count / Checked: ↩
- Rod Pierce (mathematics educator) — Bulls and CowsGeneral feedback separating a matching value and position from a value in another position; BGJ colours and shared-answer rules are documented separately / Checked: ↩
- The Scout Association — Lost in translationGet lost in translation: pass paper, alternate pictures and sentences, fold away earlier entries; group size, timing and reveal controls differ from BGJ / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Sea BattlePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, setup, actions, scoring and settings in the game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Hit & BlowPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, setup, actions, scoring and settings in the game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Dots and BoxesPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, setup, actions, scoring and settings in the game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Drawing QuizPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, setup, actions, scoring and settings in the game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Drawing TelephonePublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, setup, actions, scoring and settings in the game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Relay NovelPublished status, languages, players, time, learning effort, setup, actions, scoring and settings in the game’s meta.json rules / Checked: ↩