How to play our Physical Game
Better Topics is the only card game for couples wishing to strengthen their relationship by asking meaningful questions through a fun & replayable game.
Watch this
demonstration game!
We don’t like games that don’t have clear rules, so we’ve prepared a video which quickly covers everything
Brief Intro
This game is designed for 2 players – – preferably in a relationship. As a result, you will see the word ‘partner’ used often whilst we explain the rules.
The card game can be played by friends or family, and also with up to 4 people. However, in such cases you might want to remove some question cards.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the quantity of text on this page. The game itself is really simple. We just wanted to make our rules great (as we don’t like games where you’re left wondering what to do now?) so we included as many specific situations we came across.
120 Total Cards in a Pack
54 QUESTION CARDS
MEMORY
What was a happy memory from your childhood before school you haven’t shared yet?
“I can resist everything except temptation.” – Oscar Wilde
38 MODIFIER CARDS
MODIFIER
Tell me one more detail
“Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache.” – Mae West
22 REWARD CARDS
REWARD
You pay for takeout of my choosing tomorrow
“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people” – Orson Welles
6 CUSTOM CARDS
CUSTOM
…
“I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” – The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
Objective Of The Game
We’ll get to how to ‘win’ in a second, but before we do, please remember the principal objective of the game is to spend quality time with your partner and have an open, honest conversation — whilst also having a bit of fun.
The ‘secondary’ objective of the game is to be the first player without any more cards in your hand. Then, after one or more games, the winner will choose a reward from the Rewards Pile.
Setup
Before every game, please make sure:
1. You remove the Reward Cards and put them in a separate pile. In case you haven’t used the custom cards, you can remove those and the cover card as well.
2. You shuffle the remaining cards thoroughly. If this is your first game, we recommend you take minute or two to keep shuffling, to make sure players get a good mix of both Question and Modifier Cards.
Once the deck has been shuffled by one player, it is handed to their partner, who can choose to either Tap or Break the pile.
If they decide to Tap, their partner would first deal them five cards in one go, and then deal themselves five. If they Break the pile into two, their partner would first take the ‘broken’ cards from the top and move those to the bottom of the pile. They will then proceed to deal their partner one card, then one for themselves, and keep doing so until each player has 5 cards.
- All cards should be dealt face down. After each player has 5 of their own, the other cards are placed also face down into a Draw Pile, that’s put slightly to a side, but can be reached by both partners.
- In the odd scenario if one partner didn’t receive any question cards, their had should be placed back on top of the Draw Pile, which should then be shuffled again, and they then get dealt 5 new cards.
Gameplay
The first partner to ask a question is normally the one opposite the dealer. If there are more than 2 players, then the player to the right of the dealer gets to ask the first question.
Questions are to be clearly read to your partner before you place them down. Once a player finished reading their question, they should put the card down, facing their partner.
All of your cards should be placed alongside each other, facing your partner, and your partner places their cards in front of yours in a similar.
In case you don’t have a surface to play on, you can also simply ask your questions and then place them to a side, until the end of the game.
Once a question is asked by one player, their partner then has to answer to the best of their ability. The player who asked the question has to approve their partner’s answer before the game can move on.
This ‘approval process’ is important for two reasons:
1
We want to make sure this card game truly helps couples communicate better. If a player asks “What’s one weird idea that passed your mind last week?” and their partner answers “Nothing.” that should not be considered an appropriate answer.
When played properly and regularly, the game forces both partners to think of their answers, and also build up the habit of having more significant conversations.
2
The second reason why this small pause is important, is because it’s when you get to decide whether you want to play a Modifier Card alongside the Question Card. More on the various modifiers and their functions below.
Once a partner’s answer was approved, they can then move on to ask and place down their question.
At any point during the game, if a player is left without a Question Card to play, they must draw a card. Drawing a card is a turn in itself, so if you can’t play a card this turn, you draw one, and then your partner gets to ask another question.
Functions Of Modifiers
The game is made more fun with the help of dozens of Modifier Cards. There are multiple types of modifiers, each with their own particularities.
Modifier Cards that ask for more details, such as “Why?” or “How did you respond to it?” can be played alongside question cards (allowing you to play 2 cards in one turn).
Just please note:
These can only be played after your partner answered the question, and Only if the extra question makes sense. Also, only one more detail Modifier can be played in one turn.
Examples:
If your partner answers “George” to the question “Who would you punch right now?” You can play the the “Why?” question.
However, if your partner answers “I loved the date we went on last Thursday to Wagamama” to the question “What’s your favorite thing we did together last week?” it doesn’t make sense to ask neither “When?” nor “Where?” But you can still play the “Tell me one more detail” card.
Multipliers
Multipliers can be played after other relevant Modifier Cards.
For example, if you play the “Tell me one more detail” Card, but want to know even more, you can then play the “Double Modifier” Card on top, so your partner has to tell you one extra detail. Note you cannot play a multiplier before you get an answer, nor can you play it over cards such as “Cancel the question” or “Skip your turn” as if your partner loses their turn, it’s then your turn to ask a question, so you can’t play another Modifier Card. (Except if it’s a Joker, but more on that in a moment).
Skip your turn
This card can only be played before your partner asks a question. If they already started reading their question, you can’t make them skip their turn anymore.
Reverse Question
This card can be played only during your partners turn, after they asked their question. An important note here is that, because you’re playing this card during their turn, it will still be your turn after they finished answering their own question. This is a good one.
Cancel the Question
This one’s a bit different, as it’s the only card that can be kept until the end of the game and used as a question card on a players last turn.
Take An Extra Card
This card can be played at any time during the game, even if it’s your partner’s turn. We’ll let you be creative.
Play Two Questions
As most other Modifier Cards, you can only play this one Modifier Card this turn, and only after you already played a question and got an answer.
Jokers
Jokers allow you to ask any question you want. If that’s not enough, you can also play a Joker at the beginning of your turn (in case you have another modifier you can then play along side it) or after you’ve already asked a question, effectively allowing you to ask 2 questions in one turn.
Game Ending
The game goes as per the Game Play rules until one player is left without cards, making them the winner of that round.
A couple special notes here would be:
1. Most Modifier Cards cannot be played on your last turn (very few exceptions), so you’ll have to draw another card.
2. If you play the “Play two questions this turn” card, but you have less than 2 questions in your hand to play, you’ll have to take another card.
At the end of a round, players can decide to play another round, or end the game. We recommend couples play either 2/3 or 3/5 so you go though most of the cards and play for longer.
The game is also concluded if you go through all of the cards in the Draw Pile. At which point the player left with the least amount of cards in their hand wins the current round.
We do not recommend reshuffling the deck once all cards have been played as the questions will basically be the same. Instead, leave at least a good few days in between games. We recommend playing once per week. That’s frequent enough to have it become a habit, but spread out enough for all questions to be relevant again.
Rewards
Once a set of games is concluded, the winner gets to draw 3 Reward Cards from the Reward Pile. Without looking!
After they have drawn 3, they can read each one, either to themselves, or out loud, and then they get to pick one. Yes, just one. You can pick another one next week, if you win then as well.
A few example Rewards you can choose from are: “I get a 20-minute foot massage tonight,” “You make me breakfast in bed next Sunday,” or “We swap a household chore for a week next week.”
REWARD
You pay for takeout of my choosing tomorrow
“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people” – Orson Welles
Suggestions & Playing Tips
1
For a bit of extra fun, we took the time to find and add small quotes to each card. You can decide to read these quotes before reading the question on the card. The purpose of these quotes is to make players smile, enjoy themselves, and ultimately open up more, making the time you spend together even more valuable.
2
If you want to be a bit strategic, try to associate the most appropriate modifier to each question you have, so that you can play a Question Card and a Modifier Card with every turn. Remember: Most Modifier Cards can only be played if they make sense with your partner’s answer.
3
We’ve played quite a few games, and said it’s enough if each partner gets 5 cards every round, as in most cases you’ll have to take more cards. However, if you feel your rounds finish too soon, feel free to start each round dealing 6 or 7 cards to each partner.
4
And finally, remember, the main purpose of the game is to get couples to openly talk and spend quality time with one another. So if your partner answers a question and you feel like asking “Why?” even if you don’t have the “Why?” Card, we suggest you still ask. Or if you want to ask something that’s not on any Question Card, go for it. It’s about time we’ve all started discussing Better Topics.
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