We’re not really strangers (or more specifically the modded version that I was able to play with home friends) was created by Koreen Odiney and it is a get-to-know-you card game that requires players to draw cards and answer questions that get progressively more intimate. This game feels like it’s directed toward young adults, as it draws on life experience and is great at facilitating relationship building. There is little competition in the game and no point totals which is essential to the goal of the game which is facilitating relationship building between players. I personally would consider this game a multiplayer co-op game because players are very engaged with each other the whole game, and everyone has the same goal of breaking the ice and making new friends (or even strengthening pre existing ones).
The game mechanics of We’re Not Really Strangers are simple: players draw questions from a set of three piles of varying intimacy level and answer the question that was drawn. The game has pretty loose rules and allows for easy adaptation for groups, in addition to this the design is quite minimal which allows players to focus on the content of the conversation over the cards themselves (this is something we also replicated in our game as it is conversation based as well). This allows people of different familiarity levels to adapt the game to their needs, staying at level one, for example, if they choose to remain a bit less vulnerable, or advancing to later stages if they choose to get more deep. This game’s primary method of fun is fellowship, as participants get to know each other through the prompts. A wide variety of prompts keeps the game interesting and the vast numbers and combinations of groups makes the game different every time it’s played.
An interesting dynamic I noticed while playing was the divergence from the prompts. After someone would answer a question, it prompted a story. After they told the story someone else would think of their own. The game allows this divergence quite well as its lack of rules or point scoring allows groups to wonder and explore with each other. I found this to contribute really well to the fellowship of the game, and I left feeling much closer to the two people I played it with 😊.
Overall this game is great for getting to know people! I have loved using it with residents, costaff, new friends, and old. The lack of structure is great for achieving the goal and kind of fun, and although unconventional for a game, I think this structure works really well for it. If I was to change anything I would just add more prompt questions, or introduce supplemental packs to expand game play and counteract the tendency to get familiar with questions and introduce some discovery into the game as well. I will definitely continue to play this game, and I hope to make my own mod of it sometime soon!
Me and some friends playing we are not really strangers <3
