Game-night playtesting · v0.6.1

Know exactly what happens next.

Choose your role for a detailed, ordered walkthrough. The host guide covers preparation through teardown; the participant guide covers only the actions players need.

Start here

Which instructions do you need?

The system at a glance

Four pages, four distinct jobs.

Use this map whenever two screens look related but you are not sure which one controls what.

  1. 1
    Host Home

    The organizer’s private launcher. Create events and reopen saved dashboards and table links.

  2. 2
    Event Dashboard

    The workspace for one game night: roster, participant invitation, table codes, seats, and game closure.

  3. 3
    Participant Onboarding

    The pre-event page players use to choose a faction and Leader and read the First Game Introduction.

  4. 4
    Table Session

    The page both players join for one particular game. Rules Arbiter questions are attributed here.

The Rules Arbiter opens from a joined Table Session. It is not a separate game record.

Organizer instructions

Host a complete game-night playtest.

Follow these phases in order. Each phase ends with a visible checkpoint so you know it is safe to continue.

Open Host Home
01

Before invitations

Create the game-night event.

  1. Open Host Home in the normal browser profile you will use to organize the event.
  2. In Create a game-night event, enter an optional event label and the facilitator creation key.
  3. Select Create and open event.
  4. Wait for the private Event Dashboard to open.
  5. Use the Host Home link in the dashboard navigation to confirm the event was saved in this browser.
Checkpoint: Host Home lists the event and its Event Dashboard button works.
02

Before the selection deadline

Invite participants.

  1. Open the event from Host Home.
  2. Select Copy participant link.
  3. Send that public link to everyone expected to attend.
  4. Tell participants when their selection is due and that their prepared Deck will be based on their latest submission.
Suggested invitation

Choose your Gauntlet faction and Leader before game night. Read the First Game Introduction and submit your selection so your Deck and components can be prepared for you.

Do not send: the Event Dashboard URL, Registration Controls, a table URL before it is needed, or any URL containing host=.

03

While participants choose

Monitor the roster.

  1. Open the Event Dashboard and select View roster.
  2. Select Refresh roster whenever you need current results.
  3. Review Choices submitted for each participant’s latest faction and Leader.
  4. Follow up with anyone under Joined, not submitted near the deadline.
  5. Use Participant preview only to inspect the public experience; do not join the event as a player from the organizer URL.
Checkpoint: Every expected participant either has a submitted choice or has been intentionally marked as a late addition.
04

At the selection deadline

Freeze choices and prepare materials.

  1. From Host Home, open Registration controls for the event.
  2. Select Close session to stop new onboarding submissions and revisions.
  3. Return to the Event Dashboard and select Download CSV.
  4. Prepare one complete player set for every submitted choice.
  • Selected faction and Leader
  • Prepared or recommended Deck
  • Three Territories
  • Player Token
  • Faction and Leader components
  • Reference material and one six-sided die

Closing event registration does not prevent the organizer from creating child table sessions afterward.

Checkpoint: The physical player sets match the final roster CSV.
05

Before players sit down

Create one QR code for each game.

A QR code represents one individual game—not one physical table for the entire evening.

  1. Open Table sessions on the Event Dashboard.
  2. Enter the number of games you expect, including later rounds and one or two reasonable spares.
  3. Select Create table codes and confirm.
  4. Select Print QR cards.
  5. Select Download table manifest as a recovery and browser-transfer backup.
  6. Check that every card has a unique table number, serial, readable QR code, and instruction for both players to scan it.
4 tables · 1 roundCreate at least 4 codes.
4 tables · 2 roundsCreate at least 8 codes.
Uncertain attendanceAdd 1–2 spare codes.
Checkpoint: Every intended game has a distinct printed QR card, and Host Home lists the saved table links.
06

At each table

Seat players and start the game.

  1. Place one unused QR card at the table.
  2. Have both players scan the same code.
  3. Each player selects their recognized name or chooses themselves from the event roster, then selects Join game.
  4. On the Event Dashboard, select Refresh games.
  5. Confirm the correct two names, factions, and Leaders appear and the table status is Ready.
  6. Choose one player as the session recorder. That player selects Game started once.
Unused
No player has joined.
Joining
One seat is occupied.
Ready
Both seats are occupied.
Closed
The QR code is retired.
Checkpoint: The dashboard shows two correct players and Ready before play begins.
07

During play

Keep the digital record attached to the correct game.

  1. Players remain on their own joined Table Session pages.
  2. When a rule or card interaction is unclear, the player asking selects Ask the Rules Arbiter from their own device.
  3. Use the physical playtest sheet to record timing, outcome, warnings, ratings, and qualitative observations.
  4. Use Quick session note for a notable event that should be attached to the digital game record.

Questions submitted through a joined device are automatically linked to the table session and the player who asked them. No one needs to re-enter a session code.

08

When a game ends

Finish, collect feedback, and retire the QR code.

  1. For a completed game, the designated recorder selects Game completed.
  2. For a stopped game, select the correct stop reason and then Record stopped game.
  3. Have both players finish their portions of the physical playtest sheet.
  4. Collect the sheet.
  5. Return to the Event Dashboard and select Refresh games.
  6. Confirm the correct players are attached to the correct table.
  7. Select Close game and confirm the serial.

Closing preserves the game record but prevents new joins, additional game events, and reuse of that QR code.

Checkpoint: The physical sheet is collected and the dashboard marks the game Closed.
09

For every later round

Use a fresh QR code.

A second game always uses a new code, even when the same players, matchup, or physical table are reused.

  1. Place a new unused QR card at the table.
  2. Both players scan and join again.
  3. Verify both seats on the Event Dashboard.
  4. Repeat the start, play, feedback, and closure steps.

This keeps every game’s players, questions, timing, events, outcome, and feedback analytically separate.

10

After the final game

Close the event cleanly.

  1. Collect every physical playtest sheet.
  2. Select Refresh games on the Event Dashboard.
  3. Close every completed, abandoned, or unused table session that will not be used later.
  4. Confirm no live game remains open accidentally.
  5. Retain the roster CSV, table manifest, physical sheets, and saved event entry in Host Home.
  6. Use Forget event only when you no longer need that browser shortcut. Forgetting does not delete server records.
  7. Create a fresh event for the next independently organized game night.
Final checkpoint: All physical feedback is collected and every table code is either intentionally open or closed.

Troubleshooting

When the expected screen does not appear.

Most problems are resolved by identifying the page, browser, or session state involved.

Host Home is empty.

Open the private Event Dashboard once in the same normal browser, then return to Host Home. On another browser or device, restore table links from the manifest.

The table link is missing on this computer.

The public table token is retained by the browser where it was created. Use that browser or import the table manifest into Host Home.

My name is not in the table dropdown.

Return to the onboarding invitation and complete the faction and Leader submission. Ask the organizer to refresh the roster. Genuine late additions may use I am not on the roster.

The page recognizes the wrong player.

Select Not you?, choose the correct roster entry, and join again.

The table already has two players.

That game session is full. Ask the organizer for a fresh table QR code.

The game is closed.

Closed QR codes are retired and cannot be reused. Ask the organizer for a new code.

A Rules Arbiter question was not attributed correctly.

Make sure the player joined the Table Session before opening the Rules Arbiter and asked from their own device.

The organizer page looks like a player page.

Return to Host Home and open Event Dashboard. Organizer URLs contain a private host= parameter and should never be distributed.