[Well, she's not Val, but she does know the game.]

It's a guessing game. Words are marked out, letter by letter, and usually a scaffolding and the beginnings of a noose. After that, letters are guessed one by one, with each incorrect letter adding a body part to the "hanged man". Once the entire man has been drawn, the person playing the game has lost. Alternately, if they guess the word correctly before the entire man has been drawn, then that means they won.