The basic loop
A facilitator hosts a game and shares a six-character code (e.g. HEX-934) with their team. Players join with that code and a display name — no accounts, no passwords. As they arrive, the facilitator pairs them up:
- One builder per pair — they have a blank canvas and a tray of coloured polygons.
- One guiderper pair — they see the goal pattern, but their builder doesn't.
- Optional observers — they watch one pair, see both screens live.
When the round starts, the pair talks — over the call or across the table. The guider describes the picture. The builder taps an empty cell on the grid to place the selected shape; tapping an existing piece enters Edit mode (move with another tap, rotate, delete). Neither side sees the other's screen.
The twist: secret briefs
Each player gets a private brief before the round begins, framed by a one-shot intro overlay so the constraint lands before the canvas does. The brief is a rule that distorts the conversation — for example, the builder must place pieces opposite from the direction the guider says, or the guider can only describe shapes using nautical terms. After the intro is dismissed, the brief stays open in the side rail for the whole round.
Players can't reveal their brief to their partner. They can ask each other questions. The whole game is the negotiation between the two private rules.
Briefs come from one of three sources, picked per side by the facilitator at game-create time: a curated library of hand-written entries, custom free-text briefs the GM authors to point the lesson at a specific theme, or AI-generatedfor fresh constraints every game. Every option produces the same intro overlay + side-rail card on the player's screen.
Live feedback during a round
Pieces score continuously as they land — green halos for correct placements, red for wrong, and the score updates the moment a piece commits. The guider's goal canvas mirrors the same green halos and a live “X / Y placed” chip, so both partners see the same feedback at the same moment. Pairs that complete a round get a celebratory banner + confetti; partial completions get a tone-aware debrief headline so the wrap never feels like a graded report card.
Facilitator super powers
The game master has a curated rail of mechanics they can trigger on a single pair or globally, plus an inline scoring tile. The five most useful sit inline; a More super powers CTA opens the rest in a fullscreen grid. Each maps to a real workshop dynamic:
- 🔮 Prototype unlock — a configurable 3–15 s glimpse of the goal, ~10–20% wrong on purpose.
- 📖 Reveal briefs— both players see each other's rule (irreversible within the round).
- ↻ Agile share — unlocks one snapshot for the builder to push their current canvas to the guider. GM-fired (off by default); each fire grants one more share.
- ⏱ Time pressure — drop a configurable amount off the clock.
- ✦ Change builder brief— re-roll the builder's hidden constraint.
- ✦ Change guider brief— re-roll the guider's hidden constraint.
- 🎲 Randomizer — wipe the goal pattern, generate a new one.
- ✎ Requirement change — mutate exactly one piece in the goal.
- ▲ Make it harder / ▼ Make it easier— re-roll the goal at +1 / −1 complexity, keeping the round's grid intact.
Prototype unlock and Agile share are uncapped — the rest have small per-round caps and short cooldowns. The point isn't to use them all; it's to reach for the right one when the room gets stuck. A short toast pops on the affected pair's screen each time one fires, so the change registers.
Remote, in-person, or hybrid
At game-create, the GM picks remote (default) or in-person. Remote workshops can also opt into per-pair breakout roomsvia Google Meet (with participant emails as attendees) or Jitsi (free, no sign-in for anyone). Each pair gets a private call link to talk on while they build, and the workshop's main video link demotes to a small “Main room ↗” secondary chip. In-person mode hides video and breakouts entirely — everyone's already in the room.
Running the room
The GM dashboard shows every pair at a glance with a live progress bar and completion %. Pairs that have solved the puzzle render in green, so the GM can spot which pair to nudge without drilling in. Pre-round, the dashboard collapses into a single column with three numbered cards — invite players, allocate pairs, set game options — so the lobby phase stays uncluttered.
After the game
When the round ends, every player sees the goal alongside what they built, plus everyone's briefs and a per-pair leaderboard. The facilitator runs a debrief on the call: where did the picture diverge? Which brief got in the way? What did you stop asking each other? Tessera ships three suggested retro questions on the game-end view to seed the conversation. The GM can launch another round with the same players, same complexity, or bump the complexity dial — pairings persist unless they hit Shuffle.