[1] Each player is given a sheet of paper, and all are told to write down a word or phrase to fit a description ("an animal"), optionally with some extra words to make the story.
Each player then folds the paper over to hide the most recent line, and hands it to the next person.
[2] The exact sequence varies, but an example sequence given in Everyman's Word Games is:[2] The same reference book gives the following example of a completed story:[2] Mediocre Joe met transparent Kim at the bowling alley, to dig for gold.
The composite person or creature is then revealed to all by unfolding the paper.
The game has also been seen as a precursor to computer-generated literature such as Christopher Strachey's Love letter generator M.U.C.