Two Truths & a Lie – Game Play and Ideas

 “Two Truths and a Lie” is a fun game to play at the beginning, when the group members are all just meeting each other. This is a favorite icebreaker game at school, at camp, on group trips, even in professional settings when a new team is just starting out. It is a fun way to know each other a bit better.  

What You Need to Have to Play “Two Truths & a Lie”

‍Small pieces of paper; pens, pencils, something to write with; a jar or other container in which to collect everyone’s paper notes. 

 “Two Truths & a Lie” Game Setup

This is a game that can be played in any setting, during any season. Indoors, outdoors, first time a class starts a new course together, first time a team starts work together, first time a group meets at a conference, or even when families of a new couple meet for the first time! The possibilities are endless, and one thing is for sure: this is a fun way to get to know a bit more about the new people in your life. All you need are a few basic materials, as well as a bit of creativity and curiosity. 

How to Play “Two Truths & a Lie”

Step 1

Each willing participant receives a piece of paper and a writing instrument. Everyone then writes three things on their piece of paper. These three things are about themselves, but there is a twist: only two are true, and one is made up, but presented as fact. 

‍Step 2

When everyone has finished writing their three pieces of information, the papers are collected in a jar or any other suitable container. 

‍Step 3

When all the papers are in the container, it is time to draw and guess! There are two ways to draw: either one person draws all the papers and reads aloud for others to guess, or the container is passed from one person to the next, and everyone takes turns drawing one paper and reading aloud, for others to guess. 

‍Step 4

First thing to guess is who wrote the paper? When the author is identified, everyone tries to guess which of the three things on the paper are true and which one is the lie. You can ask questions or request examples that might help deduce which one is the lie. If there are many people playing, it might be good to limit the number of questions each author has to answer, before the final guess is submitted. 

 “Two Truths & a Lie” Ideas

It is often the case that you find yourself out of ideas right when you need to write down simple things about yourself! Here are a few options to consider for inspiration when it is your turn to play – use these for truths or for lies, only you will know!

• Something that is your favorite: food, flavor, color, toy,  car, bike, street, building, item of clothing, time of day, song, music, kitchen appliance, any thing that is or might be believable to be your favorite. 
• A memorable meeting:  a place you met your significant other, a famous person you met, an awkward meeting with a stranger, maybe you met an interesting and rare animal when you were out hiking once!
• A place you visited: perhaps you once went on vacation to Machu Picchu and got lost on the way up, or an old Buddhist temple, or a very remote desert destination, a famous building, a quirky museum, maybe one time when you worked as a pizza delivery person during one summer, you made a delivery to your favorite artist’s house and they invited you to stick around for the party!
• Your cultural contributions: did you start a modern jazz band in high school? Did you contribute art to a magazine? Perhaps you once tried your hand at painting or sculpture and a curator liked your work enough to include it in a gallery. Maybe your art even sold for a good price! Did you get yourself something nice with that money? The possibilities are endless!

How to Win at “Two Truths & a Lie”

The best strategy, if you want to make sure other will not guess your lie correctly, is to keep your facts not too simple but not too outrageous. Write down three things that are just believable enough that others may not suspect too much. Alternatively, you can disguise an unbelievable truth between two other outrageous statements, so that it will be difficult for other players to pick which impossible choices might have actually be true.  

The Benefits of Playing “Two Truths & a Lie”

This game is very helpful in improving communication within a group, because it brings out everyone’s humor, which always makes it easier to talk to new people about more or less personal things. It is a great icebreaker, creates fun memories on which the group can build inside jokes and a common language going forward. Last, but not least, it helps people know each other in a non-intrusive way, where everyone chooses what information they want to share about themselves.