Info About If Only
I still remember the first time I opened the little red box of If Only. The pieces didn’t look like much at first glance—just a handful of cards with simple prompts and a set of tokens—but once my friend and I started playing, it felt like we were diving headfirst into each other’s daydreams and “what ifs.” In this two-player storytelling game, one person acts as the Regretful, revealing a scenario that went awry, while the other steps in as the Narrator, trying to suss out what went wrong and propose a twist to set things right. It’s the kind of setup that encourages you to really stretch your imagination and dig into the little “if only” moments in life.
What makes it so cozy is how quickly you slip into conversation without feeling any pressure. The Regretful draws a card that describes some unfortunate event—maybe you spilled coffee on your notes right before a big presentation or you sent a text to the wrong person at the worst possible time. From there, you give just enough detail to paint the picture, and the Narrator buzzes in with a question or suggestion: “What if the barista was actually an old friend who recognized you?” Suddenly, you’re riffing off each other, weaving these tiny regrets into a mini-movie.
Beyond the fun of creating these little vignettes, there’s a genuine sense of connection that emerges. You find yourself sharing personal anecdotes or laughing about how embarrassingly plausible some of the regrets are. At its heart, it’s not a cutthroat competition or a technical puzzle to solve—it’s more like an impromptu writing workshop crossed with a late-night heart-to-heart. There’s something comforting about admitting the things you’d change and having someone play along with you.
And once you’ve cleared your first handful of regrets, the game doesn’t lose its spark. Every card flip feels fresh because your imaginations are so different, and you never quite know where the story will lead. By the end, you’ve not only created a bunch of quirky little tales but you’ve also learned a bit more about how your friend thinks, jokes, and what moments they’d most like to rewrite. It’s simple, it’s delightful, and it reminds you how a few seconds of creative play can turn any regret into a memorable story.