Copy Cat Circle
One leader. One catcher. Can you spot who's controlling the room?
The catcher turns to face the wall. The screen names the leader — whoever is directly opposite the catcher — and tells them the first move, and everyone copies. The catcher turns back with three guesses while the circle tries not to look at the one person they cannot stop looking at.
Stand in a circle. Whoever is nearest the door is the catcher — they'll face the back wall. The screen tells the rest of us who the leader is and what to do. Everyone copies the leader. Don't stare at them, or you'll give it away. The catcher gets three guesses.
The room is warm enough to be silly but you want something with a puzzle in it rather than pure noise — and you have no props and no time to set anything up.
Props: None
Run this when…
If none of these is your room, pick another.A circle game that needs no props and no explanation
A group that has warmed up but not yet laughed
A fun transition between two heavier activities
Any room where an observation game beats a movement one
How to run it
Written to be glanced at mid-room, not memorised.
- Everyone in a circle, standing or sitting.
- Whoever is nearest the door is the catcher. On the face-away card they turn to the back wall.
- The screen names the leader — directly opposite the catcher — and shows the first move. Everyone copies straight away.
- The catcher turns back. The screen tells the leader when to change, and to what.
- The catcher gets three guesses.
- The catcher moves two seats left and faces the wall again; the screen picks a new leader and a new move.
Running it well
Only the host sees these. Participants never do.
- Coach the circle before the catcher turns back: “don't look at the leader — watch the person opposite you.” It doubles the difficulty and doubles the fun.
- The moves come from a bank of twenty that everyone can do, so the leader never has to invent one and never produces something too subtle to copy.
- If the catcher misses, reveal the leader and make it a win for the circle. Nobody should leave the middle feeling they failed at something.
Watch out for
Space, safety and the traps worth knowing before you start.
- The catcher must fully face the wall — the screen names the leader by position, so a half-turn gives it away.
- No movement that needs contact with anyone else.
- A circle over about thirty makes the catcher's job impossible. Split into two.
Seated version
“Everybody stand up” is not a neutral instruction. Offer this alongside, not instead.
Works entirely seated, using hands, head, shoulders and facial expressions. Arguably harder, because there is less movement to give the leader away.
If you want a debrief
Optional. Plenty of energisers are better left as the thing that woke the room up.
- What gave the leader away in the end?
- How did it feel to be followed by everyone without having asked for it?
Variations
For the second time you run it with the same group.
- Speed round: the leader changes every three to five seconds.
- Silent version: nobody speaks at all once the round begins, including the catcher.
Run it yourself
Free for thirty days, no card. Put it on the projector and step through it — nobody in the room needs a phone.
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- Where
- Needs a room
- Props
- None
- Big screen
- Required
- Teams
- Individual only