Truth or Dare

I’ve played a fair number of sex-themed games…some involving chocolate, others involving cards and/or dice. And honestly, I’ve found most of them very unsatisfying.  Some are incredibly sexist, or heterocentric, or both.  Not every couple involves a man and a woman, and even when they do, the concept that all sex play leads to penis-in-vagina intercourse.

This was different. I was actually really impressed with how gender neutral MOST of the question were. I  say most, because there was was that mixed sex and gender, and placed the assumption that there are only two sexes:

“What sexual characteristic or ability do you enjoy in the opposite sex? What sexual characteristic of your gender do you take the most pride in?”

That one kind of stopped us for a bit. However, the rest were much more open minded, and definitely did not assume heterosexuality, although they could be used for straight couples too.

The dare questions…well. Let’s just say that they weren’t designed for pervs.  A lot of them involved taking off an item or clothing or two…the problem was that Q and I were lying in bed naked trying to play this game. Some of the other dares involved lap dances, and demonstrating sexual positions, etc. Basically, things that to *us,* were child’s play.  However, for a couple (or trio, etc) who doesn’t have a lot experience with sexual play, or wants to expand their horizons, this would be a great set of dares.

Since the dares weren’t up our alley, we stuck with the Truth cards, and had a blast. While we knew some of the questions, and other just made us laugh (like the one that had me plan out what porn scene I’d do, who I’d shoot it with, and what I’d wear…which is amusing, since I DO in fact shoot porn), overall they asked some great questions that lead to good conversations…and eventually, some rocking sex time.

I’d totally give this as a gift to couples of all orientations and gender combinations. I think pretty much anyone could have fun with it. It’s not intimidating, has a good variety of both Truth and Dare cards, and doesn’t make assumptions about the genders, orientations, or practices of the players. I’d give it 4 stars, out of 5.

If you want to read Essin’Em’s Review of Truth or Dare on her site, go here.

Joseph

When I first heard that we were getting an adult Truth or Dare card game, I was pretty excited. Another couple that we know popped into my head and I thought that it might be fun to play with them. I assumed that the game would be pretty vanilla and geared toward multiple couples. I was wrong. A lot of the dares instruct you to do things that will more than likely lead to you be…distracted in short order. Now, I suppose that this would be ok for some groups of couples, but we are not quite there.

Truth or Dare

The game we were sent consists of 50 “truth” cards and 50 “dare” cards and six sided die labeled “truth”, “dare”, and “wild.” Pretty simple concept, pretty simple execution; you roll the die, you draw a card, and you do what the card tells you to do. Now what the cards tell you to do—that’s where it gets interesting. The dares range from modeling under ware for your partner to getting spanked for incorrectly identifying food that your partner feeds you while you’re blindfolded. The truths are mostly sexual experience and/or fantasy questions. Standard but steamy. This all comes in a fairly tasteful and compact pink box for storage.

I am particularly fond of this game because it fosters communication as well as encourages boundary pushing. Many of the cards are things that you may have wanted to do or talk about with your partner but haven’t had the opportunity to bring up. Or maybe you were afraid of their reaction. Either way, the game provides a perfect excuse to test the waters. Because of the exploratory nature of the cards, the game lends itself well to couples of varied experience levels. For fairly new couples, it is a great way to get to know your partner even better and for couples that have been together longer, it may bring some adventurousness back into your sex life or make you consider your partner in ways you may not have before.

Mimi

My relationship with Joseph is already quite open and explorative in nature – he knows about my fantasies because I tell him and vice versa, plus we always discuss the possibility of carrying out fantasies – but even in our position I think some desires get buried under dirty dishes, errands, papers, and an overwhelming desire to do what we already know feels awesome. I mean, some days I just don’t want anything “new” or “exciting” to come anywhere near me. I want my tea, my blanket, and re-runs of Law & Order. Oh, and my cats.

This is why a game like Truth or Dare can be really refreshing and fun, even if you don’t need a drastic sexual wake up call. Sometimes we just need to give ourselves permission to stop worrying about the time, about a goal, or about doing something wrong. I’m not really inclined to do a striptease for Joseph, but if we playfully decide to choose a card each and mine happens to be a striptease, you bet I’ll shake my ass for him. And even if I’m terrible at it, we’ll have a good laugh. And it’ll be memorable.

Like the first night we decided to use some of the cards. I was already tied up, which made some of the cards quite difficult and therefore extra amusing, and by the time we decided to stop playing, we had sex in a room we had never had sex in before, I articulated a fantasy that I was barely conscious of before, and managed to find about three more ticklish spots on Joseph. (Ammunition, ladies. Ammunition.)

I don’t really believe that people need directives in order to have fun and try new things, but I do believe that we all need a nudge sometimes, a way of escaping the worry trap that makes us concerned with everything except having a damn good time with someone that turns us on. Play the Truth or Dare game and consider yourself nudged.

If you want to read the original Undressed Review of Truth or Dare, go here.

Truth or Dare

Which is where “Truth or Dare: A Game of Passion” comes in. The truths and dares are already written for you (so you don’t have to worry about your partner making fun of your idea of a saucy dare) — all you have to do is roll the die. The packaging is retro-cool and the rules are simple: If the die shows either Truth or Dare, pick a card from the appropriate stack, and if the die lands on Wild, take your pick and then either perform the command yourself or make your partner do it (the official rules add that you can pass if you like, but we think that’s lame so we’re going to ignore it).

Don’t worry, no one’s going to ask you if you’ve ever shagged a sheep in this game. The Truth cards mostly just encourage fantasy sharing, and the questions about the past are pretty mild on the jealousy factor (e.g. If you could watch an intimate moment from your partner’s life before you, what would it be?). And the Dares are mostly good dirty fun — acting or sounding out a porn clip, giving lap-dances, role-playing, getting D.I.Y. with kitchen tools, improvising with items from the fridge, calling a tech support line for a software company and telling them you need software for brothel management (okay, so maybe this last one could actually have been written by a 14-year-old boy — but, hey, nothing wrong with feeling like a teenager again). However, we do give you permission to take a pass on the Dare that asks you to call a relative and fit the words “whip,” “suckle,” and “climax” into a five-minute conversation, no matter what the die says. A relative? That’s just plain wrong.

The game is probably best played with a long-term partner — if you’re still in the honeymoon stage, it’s more fun to accidentally stumble on this stuff. And besides, you want to save a little something for later. Either way, we recommend a drink or two while you play — ask any high schooler, the Truth, not to mention the Dare, is more fun with a little Dutch courage.

If you want to read Em & Lo‘s review of Truth or Dare on their site, go here.

Truth or Dare

The Suggested Rules (to follow or flout as you please)

• Now that you have a willing partner and you’re ready to play, decide who will go first. Be daring! Volunteer! Roll the die. If it lands on Truth or Dare, pick a card from the appropriate stack and read it aloud. Then, take a deep breath, and answer the questions on the Truth or perform the Dare.
• If the die lands on Wild, take a moment to savor your power. Now, choose either a Truth or Dare card. You can perform the card’s command yourself, order your partner to perform it, or pass.
• If you are uncomfortable answering a Truth, remember that a little humor goes a long way. Truth or Dare is meant to be fun as well as enlightening.
• If you spent the rest of the night exploring one Dare, not to worry–there’s much more to look forward to next time!

You could put all kinds of interesting spins on it, like you can choose not to answer/do the dare, but then you have to remove an item of clothing… you know, make it Strip Truth or Dare. If you had a group, you could play in the round and pick a card and then pick a person to do/answer the card’s contents. You could even just pick up a dare randomly, every now and then when things get boring in the bedroom. The sky is the limit.

You can also decide to pitch these rules out the window and play it sort of as you normally would: ask your partner to choose truth or dare, and then draw the appropriate card and read it to them, and then they must either tell the truth or do the dare accordingly.

How creative/good/fun is it?

The questions and suggestions are really cool, actually. The Truth questions are really thought provoking and creative. Some are better than others, and people in a long term relationship may already know some of your partner’s responses, such as to this question: “Which of your bedroom techniques are you most proud of? Why is this a particular source of pride?” However, you might not know the answer, and in that case now is a good time to learn! The game does have plenty of Truth questions that are not about knowing what your partner prefers, but get you thinking creatively and are more along the lines of: “What comic book superpower would be most useful to you in pleasuring your partner? Describe how you would use it.” I approve of any game that forces me to imagine superhero sex.

The Dares are fun too. One of my favorites is: “After selecting a racy adult movie, play a random segment with the sound down. While the movie plays, create your own sound effects and impromptu dialogue, playing all the characters.” Oh hell, yeah. It’s like Who’s Line Is It Anyway, but for porn. Or look at this one: “Role Play: Cast yourself in the role of the sexy stranger. You notice each other as your pass. Carpe diem! Seize the moment and make a brave proposition.” I like this, because I have the damndest luck trying to get my partners to role play with me, and worse luck actually fucking a stranger. I think this would be an easy way to playfully introduce the idea of role playing.

Some of the Dares really annoy me, like this one: “Call a 1-800 customer service line for a mattress or bed retailer. Ask them if they can give advice to help modify a bed frame for ’special attachments.’ Become increasingly explicit as the phone conversation progresses.” Folks, think about what you’re going to do. People at work don’t generally want to be included in your sex games, so please respect that. I personally am so tired of people calling my porn store to ask if we have dildos/Real Dolls/porn films. You have no idea.

Who will like this (and who won’t)?

People who aren’t going to get a lot out of this game are people who have never had sex at all. I would not be losing my V-Card in conjunction with this game.

The game would be best suited to two individuals in a relatively new relationship who have had sex together previously and are looking for a fun way to explore kinkier, wilder things in a safe, playful way.

It would be a fun gift for a long term partner, or for a friend who has a new or long term partner. It would also be a fun thing to bring to a group gathering of people who might be inclined to be getting into the play party scene (polyamorous folks), as sexy ice breakers. I think if the poly scene was your bag, this game could be a riot.

Head on over to Good Vibes and pick up your own Truth or Dare Game (I dare you) for yourself and your partner to play now, or for a gift for someone who could use a few ideas on how to shake things up and get away from the ’same old.’

If you want to read Carnivalesq‘s review of Truth or Dare on her site, go here.