Paranoia

Everyone sits in a circle. The first player whispers a question to the person on their left whose answer is someone in the room – for example “Who here would survive the longest in a zombie apocalypse?”.

That player says only the name out loud, or points at the person who fits best. The question stays secret. Now the paranoia starts: what was the question?

The person named has two choices:

• Drink to find out: they take a sip – and the asker has to repeat the question out loud.
• Don’t drink: the question stays a secret forever.

Then the person named whispers the next question to the player on their left.

Paranoia question ideas

• Who here is the worst liar?
• Who would get lost in their own town?
• Who would sign up for a reality TV show in a heartbeat?
• Who is the worst at keeping secrets?
• Who is always the first to leave a party?
• Who is secretly the smartest person here?
• Who would win a dance-off?
• Who gives the best advice?

Variations

• Coin flip: instead of drinking, the person named flips a coin. Heads, the question is revealed; tails, it stays secret.
• Reversed: whoever does not want to know the question drinks – asking is free.
• Non-alcoholic: the coin version works without any drinks at all.

Tips

Paranoia works best with harmless, even flattering questions. Agree on off-limits topics beforehand – questions that embarrass someone ruin the round. Online, play it with private messages instead of whispering.