Pandora's Box: the anonymous questions party game

01 — DefinitionWhat is Pandora's Box?

Pandora's Box is one of the 14 party games in Dronk, and the only one where the players write the content. The idea is simple: there are questions you'd love to ask your friends, but never would if your name were attached. So the app takes the name off.

Every player drops questions into the box in secret. A question can be for one specific person ("Emma, when did you last text an ex?") or for the whole room ("Who in here would win a dance-off?"). Once the box is full, the questions come out one at a time on a shared card. The person it's for answers out loud, or takes the penalty. Then the next card.

Because nobody can trace a question back to its author, people ask the things they actually want to know. That is the whole game. It's called an anonymous questions game, a question box game or the box game depending on who you ask. Same mechanics.

02 — RulesHow to play Pandora's Box (step by step)

One box runs in three screens: setup, writing, drawing. The shuffle happens invisibly in between, and the round ends when the box is empty. On one phone the whole thing takes 15–30 minutes. Here is what the phone shows at each step.

1. 
   1

   Setup: one phone or LIVE, names, what's in the box

   Pick One phone (write in secret and pass the phone) or LIVE (everyone writes from their own phone, with a pin). Set the player count and tap a name to change it. Then decide what's in the box: Empty box for your own questions only, or mix in Mild, Deep or Spicy, and no one can tell yours from ours. Tap Start the game.

2. 
   2

   Writing: pass the phone, write in secret

   "Pass the phone to Olivia. Olivia writes in secret, no peeking." She taps I'm Olivia, write, types as many questions as she likes, picks who each one is for (one person or the whole room) and hands the phone to the next name. Nobody sees anyone else's questions. Every question is shuffled into the box the moment it's added, so the order never reveals the author.

3. 
   3

   Drawing: one card at a time

   A gold card comes out of the box: To: Jake, "What was your most cringe childhood nickname?" Jake answers out loud, or takes the penalty. Next from the box draws the next card; + more questions lets anyone add to the box mid-game. Keep drawing until the box is empty, then start a new one.

03 — LIVEPlay LIVE: everyone writes from their own phone

Passing one phone works, but it has a weakness: the person writing has to hide the screen, and the person next to them can count how long they took. LIVE mode removes that. The host creates a room and shares a 4-digit pin code. Up to 16 players join from their own iPhones, and everyone types their questions at the same time, privately, on their own screen.

When the box is drawn, each card appears on every phone at once, so the whole room reads the question together. Anonymity is handled server-side: only the question text and its target make it into the shared box. Who wrote it is never sent to the other players, never shown, and never revealed afterwards. Joining a LIVE room is free.

1. 
   LIVE

   The same card on every phone

   To: Olivia, "When did you last lie to someone in this room?" This exact card is on all the phones in the room at the same moment, with a counter of how many questions are left in the box. Next from the box draws the next one, Skip passes on a question that goes too far, and End game closes the room.

04 — PacksThree question packs, plus the empty box

Your own questions are always the best ones. But a pack gets the box started, fills the gaps on a quiet night, and gives everyone cover: when a seed question lands, nobody can be blamed for it. Each pack holds 60 questions, 40 for the room and 20 aimed at a specific person.

05 — Questions26 real questions from Pandora's Box

These are taken straight from the app's seed packs. Cards labeled FOR: name are aimed at one person the app picks when the card is drawn. Cards labeled room are answered by everyone, or by pointing at someone.

• RoomWhat's the most embarrassing thing you've googled recently?
• RoomWhat's the worst movie you secretly love?
• RoomWhich song do you belt out when nobody's listening?
• RoomWhat's your most useless hidden talent?
• RoomWhat's the dumbest thing you've bought at 2am?
• RoomWhich animal matches your personality three hours into a party?
• RoomWhat's your most controversial food take?
• RoomWho in this room would win a dance-off right now?
• For: nameShow the latest photo in your camera roll — and explain it.
• For: nameWhat's your worst dad joke? Let's hear it.

• RoomWhat's something you've changed your mind about in the past year?
• RoomWhat's the best decision you've ever made?
• RoomWhich compliment have you received that you still think about?
• RoomWhat are you most proud of that you rarely talk about?
• RoomWhat's the best advice you never followed?
• For: nameWho in this room would you trust with your biggest secret? Pick one.
• For: nameWhat's something you've never said out loud to anyone in this room?
• For: nameWho in this room do you want to say something kind to right now? Say it.

• RoomWho in this room would you swipe right on if you didn't know each other?
• RoomWhat's your worst date experience ever?
• RoomWhat's the worst pickup line you've used — or received?
• RoomWhat's your biggest ick — the one that kills it instantly?
• RoomWho in this room is most likely to send a text they regret at 3am?
• RoomWhat's the most cringe thing you've texted a crush?
• For: nameDescribe your first kiss — the situation, not the name.
• For: nameWho in this room would you pick as your plus-one to a wedding — right now?

That's 26 of 180. The rest are in the app, and the best ones are the ones your friends write.

06 — TipsHow to run a great box

Write questions people actually want answered

The box rewards curiosity, not cruelty. "What's your first impression of everyone here?" gets a great answer. "Why are you like this?" doesn't. Aim for questions where the honest answer is a story.

Mix targeted and room questions

Room questions ("Who in here...") get the whole table pointing and arguing. Targeted questions put one person on the spot. A good box has both. If you only write targeted questions, the same two people end up answering everything.

Seed the box for a new group

With people who don't know each other yet, switch on Mild and write one question each. The seed questions carry the first ten minutes; by then everyone has loosened up enough to write a real one. Save Spicy for groups who already know where the lines are.

08 — More gamesMore games in Dronk

Pandora's Box is one of 14 party games in the app. If you like questions and confessions, try these next: