
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,059
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne
- 3–5 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2016

2020
Rules assistance for Decipher
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Decipher is a board game released in 2020 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Bill Eberle, Peter Olotka, and Greg Olotka.
This game is all about thinking up clever words that will be hard to decipher and cleverly combining letter pieces to guess secret words. Decipher is a different kind of word game for 2–4 players. Players use four differently-shaped letter pieces to create and solve word puzzles. In each round, a different player builds a secret word puzzle. The others know only which letter pieces are in the secret word and gather clues and points by asking about where letter pieces go. Can you decipher the the secret word? The Letter Piece Game system is a special way to build letters from four different basic shapes. The idea for the Letter Piece Game™ system comes from the game designers of Wordsmith — Bill Eberle, Greg Olotka, Peter Olotka, and Jack Kittredge — whose credits include Cosmic Encounter, Dune, Hoax, and more. Decipher includes the same playful semi-transparent colored plastic letter pieces found in Wordsmith. A special plastic insert turns the game box into a game component. —description from the publisher
Decipher supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Decipher is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Decipher for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Decipher has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Decipher belongs to these categories: Word Game and Deduction. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Decipher and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Decipher are: Bill Eberle, Peter Olotka, and Greg Olotka. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Decipher as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.