The quick version
Each person presents three numbered statements, exactly two true and one false. Allow two group questions, then everyone else writes a guess. Reveal the lie and briefly explain the truths. Finish after everyone has had one turn; there is no required winner.
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Choose your three statements
Sit where everyone can hear. Give each person paper and time to write three short statements numbered 1, 2 and 3. Exactly two must be completely true; the third must be false. Put the false one in any position. Do not make a technically false detail so tiny that the reveal feels like a trick of wording.
Everyday experiences work well: an unusual meal you made, a place you visited, a hobby or something you once repaired. Pick details you are happy to talk about. You can change a statement before presenting or pass on presenting entirely. You can still guess on other turns.
Choose a clockwise speaking order and agree on this house finish: one turn per willing speaker, with no points in the main version. Guesses are individual, so a split vote needs no tiebreak. If you want a scored game, choose the scoring variation before anyone begins.
Ask, guess and reveal
Present the three
The first speaker reads all three numbered statements in a similar tone. Give enough detail to make them understandable without telling a long story yet. The listeners can jot down the numbers and a word or two to remember them.
Take two questions
The group asks at most two short follow-up questions in total, taking turns rather than talking over one another. The speaker answers truthfully about the two real statements and may maintain the invention when asked about the false one. A question can be declined; it still uses one of the two questions. Do not demand evidence from a phone or another person.
Commit to a guess
Everyone except the speaker writes 1, 2 or 3 privately for the statement they believe is false. On the speaker's signal, show the guesses together. No changing after seeing someone else's answer. The speaker then names the false statement and confirms the two true ones.
Hear the story and switch
Let the speaker give a brief explanation of a real detail that surprised the group. Then move clockwise to the next willing speaker. Finish once everyone has presented or passed. There is no elimination, ranking or winning vote in the main version. To play again, prepare three fresh statements and reverse the speaking order.
Make the reveal satisfying
Demonstrate with your own prepared statements. Three equally specific claims are harder to read than two ordinary facts and a spectacular claim. Keep the false statement plausible; keep the true ones clear enough that you can explain them afterwards.
When close friends already know one another's obvious facts, choose a theme nobody has exhausted, such as cooking attempts or abandoned hobbies. If someone accidentally gives two false statements, replace that person's turn with a fresh set. In the scored variation, void the guesses from the invalid set before replaying it.
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Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
Two truths and a lie · See main rules
Suggested house variationGuessing score
Record one point for each correct private guess; the speaker earns no point on their own turn. Everyone must present once for this scored version, so each has the same number of guessing opportunities. After the full circle, highest total wins and tied players share the win. If someone opts out of presenting, use the unscored main format.
Two truths and a lie · See main rules
Suggested house variationTwo facts and one wish
Instead of inventing a past event, include one thing you wish you had done and two things you actually did. Listeners guess which is still a wish; follow-up answers may preserve its disguise. Keep the two-question limit, private simultaneous guess and one-turn-per-person finish. Reveal the wish and its real appeal; no score is needed.
About this guide
Adapted as a small social house format from the IAF Library method hosted by SessionLab: prepare two true statements and one false statement, ask questions, vote and reveal. The two-question limit, private guesses and optional scoring are house choices, not requirements of the source method.
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