Why Honesty is in the deck
Honesty is a value almost every family claims. In Pew’s 2023 report on parenting in America, honesty comes out at the top of the values parents name (Pew Research Center). A word that parents agree on that much is worth putting on a card, because the agreement tends to stop at the word.
How people read it differently
The split can run through white lies. One side says small lies add up and slowly wear trust away. The other says a kind lie is sometimes the right thing: about a friend’s haircut, or a gift nobody wanted.
So two players can both say honesty is what they value most and still disagree on almost every example. One tells a friend the truth about a partner. The other stays quiet to keep the peace. Both call it honest in their own way. Some players talk about the first lie they got caught in, or the first one they were told.
The other side: Radio
The back of the card shows a Radio. In the golden age of radio, families gathered around one set to listen together (Wikipedia). Today the Radio side can bring car rides, a kitchen radio that was always on, or a station a grandparent wouldn’t let anyone change.
Honesty and Radio were paired by a random draw.
How to play this card
Draw the card. Choose a side: Honesty or Radio. Roll the die. Look at the word from that side.
Possible faces: MEMORIES, BODY, PEOPLE, VALUES, CHILDHOOD, FUTURE. Say as much or as little as feels right.
The others ask what they’re curious about, without judging: What did that feel like? Who else was there? Has it always meant that to you?
What is said at the table stays at the table. With Honesty, that line from the rules does a lot of work.
Related words
From the Values cluster: Freedom, Death. Close by: Trust. Play the free online game, see the printed deck, or read the research.