Choose one player to be the host (they can still play). The host’s main responsibilities are:

1. Set the tone: The game is about connection, memories, and good times. The fun comes from solving the mystery - are friends' acting strange because of a dare, or just being quirky?
   
   
2. Review the rules with everyone.
   
   
3. Set the game duration and track time (game can be whatever length you want; we recommend 45-60 minutes).
   
   
4. Announce the start of the game and give a verbal warning when time is almost up.
   
   
5. End the game and facilitate the voting process for the awards.

Each player secretly picks one Dare Card. If the dare doesn’t suit you, you can swap it out for another one, but only once.

Once everyone has their dare, the host announces the start of the game. Players are expected to perform their dares continuously, weaving them naturally into the flow of the gathering. There’s no set number of times you need to perform your dare, but you must do it at least once in the first 10 minutes. Be mindful—if you don’t perform your dare enough, you risk being penalized.

The key is to keep it subtle. Blend your dare into the background, making it hard for others to catch you, while still keeping up the fun! For example, if your dare is to give high-fives, you might casually start offering them to friends throughout the evening, or if you’re supposed to speak in rhymes, do so during conversations without drawing too much attention to it.

After the first 10 minutes, players can start making guesses about others' dares. Whenever you think you’ve figured out someone's dare, raise your hand and make your guess by saying the person's name and describing the dare. For example, "I think Alex’s dare is to give high-fives."

Performance of dares are paused while a guess is being made.

Players do not need to name the exact phrase to get the guess correct. If you are the player whose Dare Card was guessed, use your discretion to respond in one of these ways:

• Correct Guess: Give the player who guessed correctly your Dare Card. They earn 1 point. Stop performing your dare but you can still make guesses.

• Incorrect Guess: Give the player who guessed incorrectly a strike. After three strikes, they can’t make any more guesses for the rest of the game. Keep track of your own strikes. Be honest, or you might find yourself flying solo in future games.

• Close Guess: You can acknowledge a close guess without ending your dare. The guesser does not get penalized. The game continues, and the dare stays in play.

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. The number of cards you hold at the end of the game equals your total points.

• +1 Point: For keeping your own card. If no one guesses your dare by the end of the game.
• +1 Point: For taking someone else's card. For every correct guess you made during the game.

Penalties are optional. If the group prefers to keep it light and fun, you can skip the penalties altogether. Penalties are voted on at the end of the game. Here’s how they work:

• The Sandbagger Penalty: Players who barely performed their dare may lose 2 points if the majority votes in favor of this penalty.

• The Pretender Penalty: If a player didn’t perform their dare at all, they risk losing all points. This penalty is also applied only if a majority of the group votes for it.

At the end of the game, players vote on fun awards—check out the cards with the orange header! These don’t affect the final score, but they add to the fun! We recommend the following guidelines, but feel free to adapt them as you wish:

• Give out at least one award from each category: Best in Show, Plot Twists, & Flops
• Hand out no more than half as many awards as there are players. So, if you’ve got 10 players, stick to 5 awards or fewer.