Going first is a real advantage in a lot of games, which is why the house rules for deciding it are always so elaborate — highest roll, youngest player, whoever last visited a farm. They work, but they take a minute and someone always contests them.
Run one race instead. Every player becomes an animal, they run, and you get the entire turn order in one go rather than just the first player. Fifteen seconds and the table can start.
You get the whole order, not just first
Most first-player methods answer one question and leave you to sort out the rest of the seating. A race ranks everyone from first to last in a single run, so turn order, seating order and tiebreak order are all decided at once.
For games where going first is a disadvantage, run a Rumble instead and read the standings from the bottom — last one standing takes the final seat.
Beyond board games
- Who does the dishes, the bins, or the school run
- Who gets the front seat, the good bedroom, or the last slice
- Which order a group presents, speaks, or plays in
- Who picks the film, the restaurant, or the playlist
For two players
With exactly two of you a coin flip is faster, and you can name the two sides after the actual people rather than heads and tails.
How it works
Paste the players
Everyone at the table, one per line.
Run the race
First across the line goes first.
Take the whole order
Seating and turn order, decided in one run.
Questions
What is the fairest way to decide who goes first?
Any method that is random and that everyone can see resolve. A race here is both — the outcome is drawn before the animation and the whole table watches the same run.
Can I use it for more than two players?
Yes, up to 30. Coin Flip is the two-player version.
Can I decide who goes LAST?
Yes. Run a Rumble: the last one standing finishes first, so reading the standings from the bottom gives you the reverse order.