Be Prepared to Make Tough Calls in Would You Rather...? The Game

Would you rather solve a murder case from 100 years ago or confirm a modern conspiracy theory? Would you rather only use technology from the year 2000 or only wear clothing from that year?

Published by Spin Master Games, Would You Rather...? The Game is a party game for 3-6 players, that is all about answering tough questions and guessing what other players choose.

Gameplay

On your turn, you spin the spinner. This will either tell you to take a visual card or give you one of the four categories on the regular cards. The visual cards have an image to go along with the A or B scenario that you have to choose from. Examples are ‘stuck in a time loop or stuck in prison’ and ‘stranded in a raft or in the desert’. The categories on the regular cards include cursed (you must choose between two negative scenarios), epic (you have to choose between two good scenarios), XOXO (the scenarios are based on romantic relationships), and go deep (the scenarios are often more thought-provoking or simply do not fit into any of the other categories).

After drawing your card, you read out the two choices you have to choose from, from the category you spun. You then secretly choose the A or B scenario by playing a card face-down. All the other players may then discuss whether they think you chose A or B, and then each secretly play a card face-down to lock in their guess as to what you chose.

All answers are then revealed. If playing to keep score, each player that guessed right scores one point. You score three points if no one guessed your answer correctly. It is now the next player’s turn. The first player to 10 points wins the game.

Review

There are a lot of questions in Would You Rather...? The Game that provide fun food for thought, and this is very much a discussion game. The meat of the gameplay is in those moments when players start to discuss the different scenarios, and go back and forth on their reasoning for different choices.

It has an impressive range of questions. It didn’t feel like they got repetitive and there were plenty of ones that were tricky or that varied a lot based on the person answering them. The cards themselves are just a little thin, as are the point tokens, but the spinner is a lot of fun to use. The components are also designed so that they fit within the box as you play, which keeps things tidy and makes it a game you can easily play at parties or over dinner.

The point system doesn’t really work, though. To be fair, the rulebook itself implies that the game doesn’t need to be played with points, and the enjoyment of the game is definitely the different scenarios, talking about them, and seeing why people choose different things. However, if you are going to include a point system it should work, and the active player scoring three points if no one guesses his answer doesn’t fit. It encourages you to select a choice you think others won’t guess, not answer a question honestly based on your actual preference, which is what the game is actually about.

This is obviously a game meant for adults. We didn’t encounter any questions, even in the relationship category, that got particularly risqué, but they are definitely questions written with an older audience in mind. We did like the different categories, although we never quite understood the criteria for something being a visual question as the pictures (while fun to see) weren’t strictly necessary and the scenarios seemed like they’d fit in the other categories.

Would You Rather...? The Game isn’t perfect, and there are a lot of similar variations of this game that have been published previously. Some of the questions are better than others, but it can lead to a fun evening with the right group, and it encourages conversation, player interaction, and occasionally some good laughs as you get into the nitty-gritty of the different dilemmas.

Pros: Nice wide range of questions, different categories for the scenarios, lots of player interaction, great ice breaker

Cons: Cards and tokens are a bit thin, scoring system is flawed

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.