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Control Who Joins Your Game

Stop people walking past from joining. Lock the room once your group is in, or set a player limit. Off by default, so a casual night needs none of this.

1

When you need this

Most pub nights are happy to let anyone with the code join. But some venues, schools especially, need to make sure only the intended group plays, so non-participants or passers-by can't jump in. These controls are built for that, and they stay off until you turn them on.

You get three controls, all in one place and all off until you turn them on: a join code (only people you give the code to can join, even while the room is open), Lock joining (stop new players once your group is in), and Max players (cap the numbers). The join code is the one that stops non-playing customers wandering in while the game is open.

2

Open Venue Setup

Start your game as normal, then on your host home open Venue Setup (in the Tools row). Scroll to Who can join. The controls are per session, so start a game first.

3

Require a join code (stops randoms while open)

In Who can join, tap Require a join code. A short code appears, shown only to you (on this screen and your game Host screen, never on the audience or TV). Read it out to the people who are playing. From then on, anyone trying to join must enter the code, so a non-playing customer who never got it can't get in, even though the room is open.

Tap New code any time to change it instantly (handy if it leaks), or Stop requiring a code to switch the gate back off. This is the main way to keep a game to your group while it is still open to join.

4

Lock the room

Once everyone is in, tap Locked. New players are then turned away with a clear message telling them to ask you. Tap Open again any time to let people back in.

Players who already joined are never removed by locking. If their phone sleeps and reconnects, they come straight back in. Locking only affects brand new joiners.

5

Set a player limit (optional)

Type a number into Max players to cap how many can join. Once the game is full, new joiners are turned away until you raise the number or someone makes room. Leave it blank for no limit.

The "X in now" line shows your live count so you can see how close you are to the limit.

6

Save

The join code applies the moment you set it. For Lock and Max players, tap Save to apply them to the running game. You can come back to Venue Setup any time to change any of it mid-game.

Good to know

  • All three controls are on every plan and off by default.
  • The join code is the one that stops randoms joining while the room is open; Lock stops everyone once your group is in.
  • The code shows only to you, never on the audience or TV screen.
  • Existing players are never kicked when you lock, hit the limit, or set a code.
  • Players without the code see "Incorrect code"; locked-out players see "The host has locked this game" (S304); a full game shows "This game is full" (S305).
  • For schools: require a join code and Lock once everyone is in, for the tightest control.