Debate Club — rules, motions and how to play
Debate Club is a party game for 3–20 players in which two people are assigned opposite sides of a deliberately silly motion by a coin toss, each delivers a timed speech, and everyone else votes on who argued it better.
- Players
- 3–20 players
- Length
- ~20 minutes
- Type
- Creative
- Type
- High energy
Runs in your browser · no download · no account
This house believes the snooze button should be illegal. You have forty-five seconds, you have been assigned the side you personally disagree with, and eleven people are watching. That is the entire game, and it is much funnier than it sounds on paper.
The coin toss is the load-bearing part. Nobody picks their side, so nobody gets to make the argument they already had ready, and the person who genuinely believes the motion often ends up demolishing it. Watching someone construct a passionate defence of a position they have argued against all evening is the reason this game exists.
There are 434 motions here, from the utterly trivial — over or under on the toilet roll — through food, technology and pop culture to a philosophy deck with real edges on it. They are all written to be genuinely arguable from both sides, which matters: a motion with an obvious correct answer produces one good speech and one embarrassed one.
Debate Club is part of
What you need
- One phone, held by whoever is chairing
- 3 to 20 players — two debate, everyone else is the jury
- Somewhere the two speakers can stand up if they want to
- About 20 minutes for six debates
How to play Debate Club
A motion appears — "this house believes pineapple belongs on pizza" — and the phone names two debaters. Everyone else is the jury.
A coin toss decides who argues FOR and who argues AGAINST. You do not get to pick, and arguing against your own opinion is the entire point.
FOR opens with a timed speech, then AGAINST responds. Keep it to two good reasons; the clock is shorter than you think.
If rebuttals are on, each side gets one more short go to answer the strongest thing they just heard. No new arguments.
The jury votes: tap once per raised hand for the debater who argued it better. Nobody votes for themselves, and the chair can just call it if the room is obvious.
Winning a debate is 2 points. Losing by a single vote still earns 1 if the close-call bonus is on, and a genuine split pays both debaters.
Rotation pairing makes sure everyone debates the same number of times. Most points at the end is the most persuasive person in the room.
Scoring and winning
- Winning a debate is +2.
- With the close-call bonus on, losing by a single vote is still +1. A blowout is nothing.
- A genuine split pays both debaters 2 — the room could not separate them, so neither will the scoreboard.
- Only non-debaters vote. With three players the third person is the sole judge, and one tap settles it.
- The chair can skip the count and call a winner directly when the room is obvious.
- Rotation pairing keeps appearances level, so points reflect how you did rather than how often you were picked.
Debate Club strategy and tips
- Two arguments, well made, beat five rushed ones. Forty-five seconds is roughly three sentences and a landing.
- Open with your strongest point rather than saving it. Half the jury has decided by the time you reach your second sentence.
- Arguing the side you disagree with? Steal the argument you find most annoying when it is used against you. It is annoying because it works.
- Second speaker: answer the first speech before you start your own. A rebuttal that arrives after your case has already been made never lands.
- Jurors should vote on the argument, not the friendship. It is a house rule and it is broken constantly, which is why the recap lets the chair change the verdict.
- If a motion is dead on arrival, swap it from the motion screen. A motion only one side can argue is not a debate, it is a lecture.
Variants and house rules
Sudden death
Built in for ties — one more motion to settle the room.
No rebuttals
Turn rebuttals off for a fast session: two speeches, straight to the vote. Roughly halves each round and suits bigger groups.
Team benches
With twelve or more, split the room into two benches and let each debater take a fifteen-second consultation with theirs before speaking. Slower, but nobody is a spectator.
Devil's advocate marathon
One player debates every round, alternating sides, while the opponent rotates. Brutal, and it produces one exhausted champion.
Silent jury
No reactions during the speeches at all — no laughing, no groaning. Removes the crowd-work advantage and rewards the actual argument.
Debate Club FAQ
What are the rules of Debate Club?
Two players are given a motion and assigned opposite sides by a coin toss. The FOR side speaks first, then AGAINST responds, each on a timer. If rebuttals are on, each gets one more short turn. Everyone else then votes for whoever argued it better.
How many players do you need?
Three is the minimum, since two debate and at least one person must judge. It scales to twenty, and the bigger the jury the better the vote feels.
Do you have to argue what you actually believe?
No, and you usually will not. The coin decides your side, which is the point of the game.
How long is each speech?
Thirty, forty-five or sixty seconds, set before you start. Rebuttals are fifteen or twenty seconds, or off entirely.
What happens if the vote is tied?
It is recorded as a split and both debaters take 2 points. The chair can overrule it from the recap if the room wants a winner.
Can everyone debate the same number of times?
Yes — that is what rotation pairing does. It always picks the two players who have debated least, so nobody sits in the jury all night.