Skissa is kind of like Pictionary. The drawer is giving a word and must draw a picture to get as many people as possible to guess the word. It's simple in concept. However, some people play it better than others, and it's not always due to a difference in drawing abilities. Consider the following tips when playing.

• Thou shalt use differing pencil sizes.
• Thou shalt use colors.
• Thou shalt not give early hints. (Mostly.)
• Thou shalt give late hints.

Thou shalt use differing pencil sizes.

If you don't change anything about your pencil size when you're given a word, you're drawing with the smallest pencil available. The small one is great for small details, but not so great for drawing a whole picture. I almost always upgrade to the next largest one, sometimes going even bigger.

The reasoning behind this is that it's easier to see larger lines. It's also easier to draw with larger lines because unsteady hands or vibrations don't make as big of an impact.

Thou shalt use colors.

If you don't change your color when you're given a word, you're drawing with black. Black is good for stick figures and other things, but some words are tons easier with color. For instance, drawing a lemon or a lime with black would result in pretty much the same shape.

If a word causes a color to come to mind, immediately start with that color. Sure, you could use black and then fill it in, but give your guessers a head start and use the right color to begin with.

Thou shalt not give early hints. (Mostly.)

This one is all about optimizing your score when you're drawing. Until someone has guessed the word, don't give hints unless you're absolutely certain no one will get it without them. If it's two words, usually the first hint is good enough. If it's just one word, you might want to go ahead and give them two. Remember that you've got two minutes for drawing and guessing.

Here's the reasoning: For each hint you drop, the value of the first correct guess decreases. If you drop no hints and someone guesses it, you get 10 points. If you drop all three hints and someone guesses it, you'll only get 5 points. This is why you don't want to drop any hints before someone guesses the word if at all possible.

Thou shalt give late hints.

This one is all about optimizing your score when you're drawing. Once someone has guessed the word, drop any and all remaining hints immediately. You want for as many other people to guess the word in the remaining 20 seconds.

Here's the reasoning: For each correct answer after the first, you get 1 point, no matter how many hints are given. Because of this, there's very few reasons not to drop all the hints after the first correct answer.