Why Family is in the deck
When Pew asked people in 17 advanced economies what makes life meaningful, family came first in 14 of them (Pew Research Center). It carries weight for nearly every player, and it works at every kind of table: a holiday dinner, a group of friends, a therapy group.
How people read it differently
Ask three people what “family” means and you can get three maps.
For one, family is blood: parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins. For another, it’s the people they chose, the friends who became family when relatives didn’t. Writers even sort “found family” into types (Tumblr).
A third reading is wider still. A paper on families in India describes the joint family, where several generations live together, decisions are made together, and unity and loyalty come before privacy (Chadda & Deb 2013). In that reading, family is a shared name and a shared honor, carried for life.
None of these is the right one. Players from each will hear the same word and picture different rooms, different numbers of people, different rules.
The other side: Bread
The back of the card is Bread. It was picked for sharing bread as hospitality in many cultures. It can bring a story about a meal, about who cooked, or about what was always on the table at home.
Family and Bread were paired by a random draw, and they happen to sit well together.
How to play this card
Draw the card. Choose a side: Family or Bread. Roll the die. Look at the word from that side.
The die shows one of six words: MEMORIES, BODY, PEOPLE, VALUES, CHILDHOOD, FUTURE. Say as much or as little as feels right.
The others can follow up with short, open questions such as Who else was there? or Has it always meant that to you?
Family can be a heavy word for some players. Agree together how passing works before you start.
Related words
From the same Relationships cluster: Home, Love. Close by: Tradition. Play a round in the free online game, see what’s in the box, or read how the words were picked.