Icebreakers · Family Lines · the family reunion pack
Runs in the Family
Don't write your answer — write the family's. The biggest group scores; a tie scores nobody.
- ~12 min
- 3–10 people
- One device, or phones
- In the Family Lines pack
- Ages 10+
Runs in the Family is one of the ten games in Family Lines, a pack bought once and kept by your group.
What it feels like
They say it runs in the family. Tonight, we find out how much. The winning answer isn't yours. It's the one the rest of the family writes too. Here's how it works. In a private turn, answer five quick prompts. But don't write your own answer. Write the one you think most of the room will write. Then the answers are grouped, one prompt at a time. Argue about what counts as the same answer, and merge them. Everyone in the biggest group scores one point, every round. But if two groups tie for biggest, nobody scores at all.
How to play
- Take a private turn each: five quick prompts. Don't write your answer — write the one you think most of the room will write.
- The answers are grouped, one prompt at a time.
- Argue about what counts as the same answer, and merge them.
- The biggest group scores. A tie for biggest scores nobody.
Scoring: 1 point to everyone in the biggest group, each round.
You'll get prompts like
- “A dish that's at every family gathering”
- “Something a grandparent always says”
What you need
3 to 10 people and one phone, tablet or laptop to pass around — or everyone on their own phone in a room. Nothing to download, no accounts. The best lines can be sealed into your group's Almanac and come back in later games.
