There's truth or dare, and then there's dirty truth or dare. You know, the version where the questions get a little more personal, the dares involve significantly less clothing, and suddenly you're learning things about your partner that definitely weren't covered on your first date.

Sure, the game is fun (as games are), but there's a bonus benefit to it: Sometimes asking someone about their deepest, dirtiest fantasies is a lot easier when it's technically part of a game. Especially if you've been dying to bring up that one thing you want to try in bed but haven't quite figured out how to work it into casual conversation. (Turns out, “Hey, can you pass the salt? Also, how do you feel about being tied up ?” isn't the smoothest approach for everyone.)

“Because it's dirty truth or dare, you know it's an erotic adventure upfront,” explains Carol Queen, PhD , staff sexologist and chief cultural officer at Good Vibes . Of course, that doesn't mean anything goes.…