By 
Would you rather takes about thirty seconds to learn. One person reads two options, everyone picks one, and anyone who wants to explains why. You can play with two people, and a bigger group means more answers to debate.
Try the first question on whoever is next to you:
- Would you rather never use a search engine again or never use social media again?
Pick one, no sitting on the fence, and say why if you want to. That’s a round.
Every question here comes from Lolo Cards - 5,200+ conversation cards for iPhone.
The rules, start to finish
The basic game has four steps. A how-to guide from Game On Family says it works best with four or more players, but you can start with two.
- Pick a reader. One person reads the question. Rotate the job every few rounds, or let the reader be whoever has the phone.
- Read it out. The question starts with “Would you rather” and gives two options. Read both before anyone answers.
- Everyone picks. Say your answer aloud, or raise a hand for the first option or the second.
- Explain, if you want to. Say why you picked your answer. People can pass, though. Nobody owes an essay.
A second set of rules, from GameRules.com, has players sit in a circle, answer in turn and give a reason, and then the next person asks a new question. It says the game needs no materials.
Try these two house rules:
- No third option. “Neither” and “both” are not allowed.
- The reader goes last. Their answer can influence everyone else’s.
Questions that split the room
A good question makes people pick different sides. If everyone says “fly” over “invisible” in half a second, the round is over before it started. Try these:
- Would you rather be able to read minds or predict the future?
- Would you rather be able to control fire or control water?
- Would you rather lose the ability to taste sweet things or salty things?
- Would you rather have to say everything twice or never be able to repeat yourself?
If a question gets a unanimous answer, don’t drop it. Ask someone to defend the other side for ten seconds, then move on.
You’ll find more funny, crazy, food and hard questions on the would you rather questions page.
Four ways to play it with a group
Once you have the basic round down, change one thing at a time.
Point game. Game On Family describes a scoring version where players earn a point when they choose the same answer as the majority. Count the hands, hand out points, and stop at ten questions. To score, try to guess where the room will land.
Silent vote. The same guide describes players writing answers down instead of saying them. Everyone reveals at once, so players choose before hearing anyone else’s answer.
Last one standing. Players who pick the less popular option sit out until one person remains. This is quick and a bit ruthless, so keep it to one game, and let people who are out take over the reading.
Team round. This one is our suggestion. Split into two teams. Team A talks it over for a minute and agrees on a single answer. Team B guesses which one they chose. Then swap. A team scores a point for each correct guess.
Defend your answer
Add another step: after everyone picks, one person has to defend the other side. It slows the game down once everyone has had a few turns, and it suits questions that take more thought:
- Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or freeze time whenever you want?
- Would you rather always know what to say or always know what to do?
Give the defender thirty seconds. If someone changes their mind, they say so out loud.
When the night gets late
If the group gets quieter late in the evening and answers get longer, try questions that leave more to discuss:
- Would you rather be able to change one decision from your past or know one thing about your future?
- Would you rather lose all your memories or never make new ones again?
- Would you rather live in a world where everyone is brutally honest or where everyone is politely dishonest?
If an answer touches on something sensitive, pass to the next card.
Different crowd? The family would you rather night covers mixed ages, and the who knows me best game is a good follow-up once your friends have picked a few sides.
Start with one round
Read the first question from this page to the person on your left. Count to three and point. If it’s fun, play ten and stop there, before anyone gets tired of it.
