How to play Never in My Life

In short

• A question appears, e.g. “Have you ever sent a message to the wrong person?”
• In secret, you guess how many people in the room will answer “I have”.
• In secret, you answer for yourself: “I have” or “Never in my life”. Or you skip.
• We reveal only the number of confessions — never who. Correct guesses score points.

1. Setup

1. One person creates a room and becomes the host . The others join via the link or by typing the 5-character room code. No account needed, just a nickname. When you join, the game asks you to confirm you’re an adult.
2. 3 to 12 players, each on their own phone. Best with 5 or more — then the result is truly anonymous (see Anonymity).
3. In the lobby the host picks the deck and the number of questions (8, 12 or 16; 12 questions take about 20 minutes). Then they tap “Let’s go!”.

2. Decks

• Social (221 questions): mishaps, travel, work, phones, food, parties and stories from home. For adults, but nothing intimate — a good start, especially with new people.
• Spicy (159 questions): dates, kisses, flirting, crushes, relationship slip-ups and romantic madness. Cheeky, but tasteful.
• Mixed: random questions from both decks — innocent one moment, spicy the next.

The questions are meant to be fun, not to embarrass anyone: nothing about looks, weight or health, no profanity, no explicit content and no jokes about other people’s misfortune. They’re all worded to fit everyone.

3. How a round works

1. The same question “Have you ever…?” appears on every phone.
2. Guess: tap a number from 0 to the number of people in the room — how many you think will answer “I have”. Count yourself too.
3. Answer: “I have” or “Never in my life”. Only you can see your answer. You can also tap “Skip this question” — then you don’t count toward the result, and guessing is optional.
4. Everyone sees who’s ready, but not what anyone chose or whether they skipped. You can change your mind until the reveal.
5. When everyone is ready, the result reveals itself on all phones at once. If someone has wandered off from their phone, the host can tap “Reveal now”.
6. You’ll see “I have”: X of N (N is the number of people who answered, not counting skips), everyone’s guesses and the points.
7. Story time — but only for those who want to! The host starts the next question with the “Next question” button. Nothing happens on its own.

4. Anonymity and consent

• Nobody sees who answered what — not during the round, not after the reveal, not in the summary. We only show the total.
• Answers are deleted from the server the moment they’re revealed. Only the number of confessions remains. Guesses are public after the reveal — that’s part of the fun.
• Consent comes first. Any question can be skipped with one button, no penalty. To others, a skip looks exactly like an answer. Nobody has to tell any stories.

Honestly about small groups

The number says something too. When everyone or no one confesses, everybody knows how the others answered. In a group of 3–4 you can also work it out from your own answer: if your “I have” is the only confession, you know the rest answered “Never”. That’s why:

• the game won’t start or reveal a result when there are fewer than 3 people in the room,
• with fewer than 5 people, the game reminds you about this in the lobby and during the round,
• only answer what you’re happy to share — skip the rest.

There’s no “approximate result” mode: an approximate number would still give away the “everyone” and “no one” cases, and the points for guesses would reveal the exact result. Skipping the question is more honest.

5. Points: who knows the crew best

• Guess the result exactly: +2 points.
• Guess one off (one person too many or too few): +1 point.

Guesses further off don’t score, but don’t cost you anything either. When everyone skips a question, nobody scores.

Example: 4 people play, one skips. “I have”: 2 of 3. Anna guessed 2 (+2), Ben 3 (+1), Chloe 0 (no points). The person who skipped could still guess and would have scored too.

6. End of the game

After the last question the host taps “End game — show results”. The host can also end the game early — then the questions already revealed count, and the interrupted round is discarded along with its answers.

• Ranking: who knows the crew best. With equal points, several people share the same place.
• Summary: the most innocent round (fewest confessions), the wildest (most) and the biggest surprise (when the guesses were furthest off). Based on the share of confessions, no names.

“Play again” starts a new game in the same room. Questions don’t repeat: the room remembers the ones you’ve had, also from earlier games. When the deck runs out of new questions, used ones come back (but never twice in one game).

7. FAQ

Can anyone peek at my answer?

No. Only you can see your answer, on your own phone, until the reveal. Then the server deletes it and only the number remains.

Can I join during a game?

Yes, via the link or the code. A newcomer can start guessing and answering right away.

Someone left mid-round. What happens to their answer?

It’s discarded along with their guess. If everyone else is ready, the result reveals itself. If fewer than 3 people remain in the room, the game waits for someone to join.

We’re playing remotely.

The app doesn’t transmit sound. Get on a call (WhatsApp, FaceTime, Google Meet…) — the best part is the stories after the reveal.

How do I get back into the game from another phone or browser?

Enter the room and type the same nickname. The game will ask “Is that you?”. Once you confirm, you’re back in your spot with your points.

What if the host leaves?

The person who joined earliest becomes the host. The game goes on.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. No account or app install needed.