Yesternerd for total beginners: the four daily history games, explained

What is Yesternerd?

Yesternerd is a daily history puzzle page that drops one fresh "issue" every day at midnight. Each issue contains four games — Face Value, Relic, Lifeline, and Thread — and everyone in the world gets the same set that day. That shared set is what makes comparing scores with friends (or strangers) so satisfying.

There's no account, no sign-up, and no ads. It runs in any browser and works offline once loaded. The only thing you can really lose is your streak, which is why the site warns you to play in a proper browser tab rather than an in-app browser, where "streaks can die in here."

The four games at a glance

Three of the games follow the same basic shape: a run of five rounds, each worth up to 100 points, with your day's score being the average of your rounds. The fourth, Thread, is a different kind of puzzle entirely.

Face Value: who's under the scraps?

A portrait is hidden under nine paper scraps, with one already open. You tear scraps away to reveal more of the face — but you can only tear scraps touching the open area, so you have to plot a route. Once you think you recognise the figure, type a name. Spelling doesn't need to be perfect.

Tears cost 10 points each, wrong guesses cost 15, and you can buy hints along the way: a "Claim to fame" clue for 25, "Lived" (dates) for 15, or "3 choices" for 80 — which reveals three options and pays whatever's left if you then answer correctly.

Relic: same tearing, different prize

Relic works exactly like Face Value, but instead of a face you're unwrapping a mystery artefact. Same tearing rules, same scoring, same hint slips. If you've played one, you know how the other plays — the fun is in the object rather than the person. The tutorial text even covers both at once: "a famous face or artefact hides under nine scraps."

Lifeline: two dots, one life

Lifeline is the most different of the three scored games. Each round shows a map with two dots: where a historical figure was born and where they died, with the years attached. You type their name. An unaided answer pays 100 points, and a correct answer always pays at least 10. Clue slips cost 15–25, wrong guesses cost 15, and the "three choices" option costs 80 and pays what's left.

Because the map gives you less to work with than a half-revealed portrait, Lifeline tends to reward people who know their geography and dates — but the hints are there when you need them.

Thread: sixteen terms, four hidden connections

Thread is the odd one out. You're handed sixteen terms and asked to sort them into four hidden threads of four terms each. You shuffle the board, select terms, and submit your groupings. There's no tearing, no points per round, and no guessing a single name — it's a pure logic-and-knowledge puzzle, and you either crack the connections or you don't. (If you want to get better at spotting them, there's a dedicated guide for that.)

How scoring and streaks work

The three scored games share the same scoring skeleton:

100 points for an unaided correct answer; a correct answer always pays at least 10.
Tears cost 10 each.
Wrong guesses cost 15.
Clue slips cost 15–25, depending on the hint.
"Three choices" costs 80 and pays what's left.
Each consecutive correct answer from the second onward earns +10.

Your day's score for a game is the average of your five rounds, so a streak of correct answers in a row is the main way to push your average above 100.

Your streak is simply the number of consecutive days you've played. Miss a day and it resets, which is why the game nudges you to play in a stable browser. If you switch devices, use the "Moving house?" carry code to bring your record — and your streak — along.

A few beginner tips

Start with Face Value. It's the most forgiving, since you can reveal a lot of the image before committing.
Don't hoard your points for tears. Tears cost only 10, and seeing more of the image is usually worth it.
Use "3 choices" sparingly. 80 points is a big chunk, but it beats a wrong guess when you're completely stuck.
Play daily. Even a quick attempt keeps the streak alive, and the +10 bonus for consecutive correct answers makes consistency pay off.

One issue a day, four games, no sign-up. Play it once and you'll see why the streak is worth protecting.