Gamehelpinanutshell

Overview

In a Nutshell is a party game normally played in two teams, with up to 16 players and two ways to play. The BGA version has completely different questions to the physical board game.

A box hides a secret question. Reveal its words in any order and try to work out the answer. Sometimes one word is enough - but every extra word you reveal could help your opponents get there first!

On Board Game Arena, you’ll play Hot Nutato as a two-player head-to-head game. Take turns revealing a word or guessing the answer. Guess correctly to score points; guess incorrectly and you hand your opponent a point and a chance to steal another.

Be the first to reach 7 points to win.

Starting a question

Each question is hidden behind ten numbered windows. The words stay in their original positions, but you can open the windows in any order.

The starting player must reveal a word. Play then passes to their opponent.

On your turn

Choose one of two actions:

Reveal another word: Choose a closed window to open. The revealed word stays visible to both players, and your turn ends.

Guess the answer: Enter your answer and submit it. You are guessing the answer to the hidden question, not its missing words.

You cannot reveal a word and guess on the same turn. Once you submit a guess, you cannot change it.

Blank windows

Some questions use fewer than ten words. If you open a blank window, keep opening windows until you reveal a word.

When the final actual word is revealed, any remaining blank windows open automatically. The next player must guess.

Scoring

Correct guess: You score 2 points, and the question ends.

Incorrect guess: Your opponent scores 1 point and gets one free guess at the same question. A correct free guess earns them 1 additional point. An incorrect or skipped free guess has no further penalty.

After the free guess, the question ends. There are no further attempts.

Checking answers

Answers are checked automatically. Close matches may ask you to check your own guess against the official answer, which only you can see at that stage.

Be honest: spelling mistakes or different wording are acceptable if your guess clearly identifies the intended answer. A related but different answer is incorrect.

The next question

Players alternate who opens the first window of each new question, regardless of who scored.

Use Last question results to see the previous question, the windows revealed, the guesses and the points awarded.

Winning

The game ends immediately when a player reaches or passes 7 points.

This includes reaching 7 from the point awarded when an opponent guesses incorrectly; no free guess is then needed.