A party game for small groups, with nowhere to hide.

In a big group, a name can get lost in the noise. In a small one, it cannot. When there are only four of you and the reader says your name, everybody knows that you were one of three possible answers — and everybody wants to know why it was you.

Small groups also mean faster turns. Everyone reads more often, everyone gets named more often, and the night debrief has far more to say about who kept picking whom.

• Three players. The reader always chooses between the other two. It is the tightest version of the game: every answer is a straight comparison.
• Four players. Enough choice to keep everyone guessing, few enough that nobody is ever left out of the questions.
• Five players. A proper party in miniature. Alliances start to show, and so does who always gets named.

Paranoia works for 2 to 20 players, and the app keeps the deal fitting the room: some questions and twists only appear once the group is big enough, so a small group never gets cards it cannot play.

With two players there is nobody else in the room to name, so Paranoia switches to Inner Circle. Every question turns towards the people you both know outside the room: say the name out loud, lock it in, and the reveal decides whether your partner ever finds out why. Read more about two-player games with Paranoia.

• Start on Nice. In a small group, questions get personal fast. Agree the level together before going Spicy.
• Write your own. Small groups share the best in-jokes. You can write your own questions, and three of them go into your games for free; Paranoia Pro makes it unlimited.
• Keep Jokers on. They shake up who reads next and stop the same two people facing each other all night.
• Someone missing? Host a private room in OWN PHONES and they can join from home on their own phone.

For a bigger crowd, see party games for every occasion, or browse example questions.