How to play Slow Burn
Two players, a pair of dice and a hundred cards of each kind. A round takes about a minute. A game takes as long as you like.
What you need
Two adults who both want to play. One phone, tablet or computer between you works fine. To play from different places, each of you needs a device, plus a video or voice call open on the side.
A round, step by step
- Pick truth or dare. The player in the hot seat chooses. Not sure? Tap “Let the dice decide”.
- Roll the dice. The other player rolls. The two dice show a number from 00 to 99, which points to a card in that deck. The numbers are shuffled every game, so nobody can learn where a card lives.
- Read it out loud. The roller reads the card. On the card, “me” means the roller and “you” means the player in the hot seat. A line under the card says how to deliver it: answer out loud, in a low voice, with eye contact first, with eyes closed, with a guess first, or without words.
- Rate the heat. The roller decides how hot it was: Warm (1 point), Hot (2) or Burning (3). The points go to the player in the hot seat.
- Swap. The player who was in the hot seat becomes the roller, and the next round begins.
The heat meter and the five levels
The bar at the top shows the room temperature. It rises with every turn and every point. In Slow burn mode the cards climb with it: Tease, Warm, Hot, Spicy, then Burning.
Early rounds are light on purpose. The last two levels talk openly about desire and sex, and they land best once the room has warmed up. Agree your limits before you start.
Slow burn or Wildfire
- Slow burn is the default. Cards get hotter as the room does, so the game builds on its own.
- Wildfire deals any card at any time. A Burning card on the first turn is allowed. Choose it when you want surprises.
How the game ends
There are 100 truths and 100 dares. The game ends when both decks run out, or when either player chooses End game. The results screen shows who brought the most heat. If one deck runs out first, the game tells you that only the other kind is left and keeps dealing from it.
Playing online
Choose Host online, enter your name, and share the five-letter room code or the invite link. The other player chooses Join online and enters it, and the game starts when they arrive.
Keep a video or voice call open. You say your answers and do your dares on the call, while the game keeps the dice, cards and scores in sync. If someone’s connection drops, they can rejoin with the same code. If the host closes the page, the game ends.
Keeping it comfortable
Pass any card, any time, no reason needed. Nobody has to explain a pass, and nobody should push for one.
Agree your limits before you start, especially with someone new. Dares in this game never need touching, undressing or drinking. If a card feels like too much, pass it. If either player says stop, the game stops.
Both of you must be 18 or over, and both of you must want to play. That is the only rule that is not negotiable.
Tips for a better game
With someone new
Start in Slow burn and let the dice decide for the first few turns. Rate generously: it makes the next answer braver.
As a couple
Put the phone down between turns and look at each other. Try Wildfire when you want to be surprised.
Long distance
Prop the camera at eye level, dim the lights and use headphones so you can talk quietly. Eye contact dares work best when you look at the camera, not at the screen.
Slow answers win
The best cards are the ones answered slowly. Take a breath before you reply.