What is the Paranoia game?
In Paranoia, a person asks a fun question about someone without them knowing. For this party game, one player starts by asking a “Who” question to the person next to them, like “Who’s the most likely to eat the last slice of pizza?” Then, the other person answers the question with a name. The person who was named can either give into the paranoia and learn the question by drinking or resist and move on. Paranoia is a great game to play at a pregame, which is when you gather with friends for drinks before a main event, like a bar or sporting event. The questions for Paranoia aren’t too serious. Instead, they’re amusing, fun, and playful. The game is called Paranoia because it plays on our natural urge to find out what people think of us. Judgement can make you scared, paranoid even.
How to Play Paranoia with Drinks
Gather 3 or more friends in a circle and choose your drinks of choice. You need at least 3 people to play Paranoia. Gather them around a table or in a circle and have your drinks on hand. It’s best to play with shots or cocktails, but beer, cider, and other sippers work just as well. If you don’t drink, sub the alcohol for water or soda.
Whisper a “who” question to the person on your right. Start off with a fun, light question then work your way up to more exciting questions. For example, it’d be best to start with something like “Who here is the most likely to be late for work after a night out?” before asking “Who here is most likely to be fired from their job for showing up drunk from the night before?” If you’re comfortable with your group, skip breaking the ice to speed things up.
Have the person say the name of their answer out loud. Don’t say the question, just say the name of your answer. For example, answer “Oscar” to the group if you think your friend Oscar is the most likely to be late for work after a night out, but make sure you don’t say the question.
The person who was named can either drink to know the question or move on. No matter where the person is in the circle, they have a choice to make. They can either drink to find out the question or they can move on by asking the person to their right a new question. To drink for the question, take a shot or a five-second drink from a beer, cider, cocktail, or another drink of choice.
Repeat the steps until you’re tired or too paranoid. After wrapping up the last question, continue asking other people questions until you’re ready to end the game and move onto something else. There’s no official end to Paranoia, you and the group decide when to call it.
How to Play Paranoia without Drinks
Gather 3 friends or more in a circle. You need at least 3 people to play Paranoia. Gather them in a circle or around a table and have a coin on hand.
Whisper a “who” question to the person on your right. Ask the person on your right a “Who” question, like “Who would be the last one to leave the movie theater?” or “Who is most likely to get scared at a haunted house?” As the game progresses, feel free to ask more exciting questions, like “If you were getting bullied at school, who in this circle would be the first to come help?”
Have the person say the name of the answer out loud. Just say the name of the answer. Do not say what the question was.
Flip the coin, and if it lands on heads, say the question. To eliminate the drinking aspect, flip a flip flop in the air. If it lands on heads, then you have to say what the question was to the circle. If it lands on tails, move on to the next question. The person who was last named is the next to ask a question.
Repeat the steps until you’re tired of playing. Keep the game going by asking more questions. There’s no end to Paranoia, so play as long as you’d like. Or until you’re too paranoid to keep going.
Questions to Ask for Paranoia
Ask exciting ‘who’ questions that teach you more about the players. Questions in Paranoia are a great opportunity to learn what everyone thinks of each other, so asking fun, exciting questions is crucial! Here’s a list of questions to choose from: Who here has the worst job? Who here is most likely to black out tonight? Who’s gonna be the first one to leave tonight? Who in this room is basically a celebrity? Who here is the most likely to be TikTok famous? Who here would cheat on their partner? Who is the fakest person in the room? Out of everyone, who keeps it real the most? Who is the worst in bed? Who cooks the best food? Who is the one always getting into shenanigans during a night out? Who’s the most likely to go home with a random at the end of the night? If you were in a fight and needed backup, who would you call? Who’s the most likely to ditch you in a haunted house? Who would you call to bail you out of a police station? Who is most likely to wake up in a random place?
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