Carly Dwyer Naik of Intramersive, LLC. talks about Pass the Sugar, Please and why it’s become the newest late-night game sensation. The game is by Clio Yun-Su Davis and is part of “Honey & Hot Wax: An Anthology of Erotic Art Games”. Learn more and pre-order the anthology here!
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What is Pass the Sugar, Please and how does one play?
Pass the Sugar, Please is a small group role-playing game that takes place over a lovely tea party where the play realizes that everyone had all paired off the night before at a secret adult club that depends on anonymity.
The pairs have to communicate with each other what they enjoyed about the night before, what they’d like to change about their interactions, etc. but they can only talk about it using euphemisms about the morning tea they are having.
Why do you think there is such a current desire for late-night content?
I think there is a desire for such content right now because people are really isolated and we’re being asked to give up much of who we are to save others, which is very noble and important but I think people are feeling out of touch with themselves. One player invited her friends to the game as a virtual birthday party and she wrote me a message later expressing how much she didn’t realize she needed that kind of interaction.
The theme is adult in nature but the actual interaction is silly, creative and about support, acceptance and being there for each. What’s really been fun is the diversity of the games, now that our events are online we’ve played with people from New York, Texas, Seattle, LA and locally. Total strangers are having belly laughs as they talk about scones with loaded tones, it is bringing people together in a way that celebrates things people otherwise feel awkward about.
Why do you think it’s important for adults to play games, especially right now?
I think playing games is always important as it encourages creative problem solving and releases endorphins. I think those are important reasons now but it also gives us a way to connect that doesn’t focus on the world at present.
We can meet new people and enjoy the company of old friends in ways that we don’t have to talk about our current situation. Games are how we can create touchpoints during this time that aren’t defined by COVID. We tend to talk about escapism as though it’s a bad thing, as though escapism is always synonymous with avoiding the issue at hand.
That’s an incorrect assumption even beyond these current times. Game playing gives everyone the opportunity to experiment with problem-solving, playing with and around rules, collaborating and toying with our morally ambiguous sides, and frankly, adults need to do that more.
What are some of the interactions someone can expect to have in a game?
So while this game does deal with very adult content none of that content actually comes into the gameplay. We spend about 15 minutes at the top of the game ensuring everyone understands the rules and the safety mechanism in place to make sure everyone is comfortable. Each game also has a silent moderator who is a staff member of our company who is present in case someone in-game wants to alert a neutral third party of anything they need assistance with.
Each player will get to choose a character (A, B, C, D, E, or F) who paired off the night before at an exclusive BDSM club they all belong to. Each pairing was consensual and fun but one of the rules of the club is you can’t talk about it outside of the club. You are all invited to tea with a neutral mutual friend (The Host) where you realize your partner from the night before is at the tea with you.
Over the four courses of tea, you have secret things you want to communicate to your partner but you can only communicate it by talking about what you are eating for tea. If you have ever cracked a “that’s what she said” joke you are already ready for this game. It’s kinda like sexy Clue but instead of murder, you’re trying to improve your relationship with another person at the table.
There is no nudity and no explicit language in this game. At the end of the game, we reveal what each character was trying to convey each course of the meal. We’ve had such a good time, it’s a great laugh and it hasn’t been uncomfortable or embarrassing at all.
When and where are these events? Is there a tech learning curve and how do people get up to speed?
We are running Friday 4/10 @ 7:30 and 10:00 pm, Saturday 4/11 @ 7:30 (1 ticket left) and 10:00pm and again on Sunday 4/12 @ 7:30pm. We will run more if there is demand. Only 6 players per game so it’s fun and intimate. We play on zoom so if you have zoomed at all that’s all you need to know to play!
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