iKNOW rules, explained simply
iKNOW is a trivia board game by Tactic where you bet on your own knowledge and on everyone else's. Here's how a game works, in our own words, and how to play the same idea online.
Free · 2–10 players · each on their own phone · no app, no account
The idea
Every question has three clues, from hard to easy. Before hearing any of them, you decide how many you'll need. The fewer you need, the more points you win. You also bet on whether another player will get the answer right. The first player to 20 points wins.
What's in the box
A board, question cards, and for each player two tokens: an iKNOW token (how many clues you need) and an iBET token (your bet on someone else). Points are paid in chips: white chips are worth 1, black chips 5, and five whites can be swapped for one black.
A round, step by step
- A reader is chosen. One player reads the round and doesn't play it. The job moves one player to the left every round.
- The category. The reader picks a category and reads out what kind of answer it is, without any clues yet.
- Place your iKNOW token. Going round the table, each player puts their token on a square with three, two or one pips. Three pips means you'll answer after the first clue.
- Place your iBET token. Each player bets on one other player's iKNOW token: on the plus side if you think they'll get it, on the minus side if you think they won't. You can't bet on yourself.
- The clues. The reader reads the first clue, and everyone on three pips answers. Then the second clue for the two-pip players, then the third for the rest.
- The answer. The reader reveals it and pays out.
Scoring
| Right answer on 3 pips | 3 points |
|---|---|
| Right answer on 2 pips | 2 points |
| Right answer on 1 pip | 1 point |
| Wrong answer | No penalty |
| Right bet | +1 |
| Wrong bet | −1 |
| Being the reader | +2 for the round |
The first player to reach 20 points wins. With just two players, the reader answers too and there's no reader bonus.
A worked example
The category says “I'm thinking of a city”. Anna feels sure and goes for three pips. Ben plays safe on one pip. Anna bets Ben will get it (plus); Ben bets Anna won't (minus). The first clue is about a metro area of 6 million people; Anna answers “Munich” and is right: 3 points, and Ben loses a point for his bet. After the third clue Ben gets it too: 1 point for him, and 1 for Anna's bet.
iKNOW editions
Besides the original, there are newer editions such as iKNOW 2.0, and family and junior versions with easier questions. The heart of the game is the same: three clues, bet on the clues you need, bet on your friends.
No board with you? Play online
Know It is a free online game built on the same idea. The app shows the clues, so nobody has to sit out as reader, everyone chooses at once, and scoring is automatic. See how it compares.
Questions people ask
- How many points do you need to win iKNOW?
- 20. The first player to reach 20 points wins.
- Can you bet on yourself in iKNOW?
- No. Your iBET token always goes on another player.
- Do you lose points for a wrong answer?
- No. Only a wrong bet costs a point.
- What does the reader get?
- 2 points for the round, since they can't answer. Not in a two-player game, where the reader answers too.
Free · 2–10 players · each on their own phone · no app, no account
iKNOW is a trademark of Tactic Games. Know It is an independent game and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Tactic Games. Questions are adapted from the TriviaHG dataset (MIT licence).