Invite players: share links, codes, seats and turns
Open a Virtual Table room to guests with a link or code, seat players, track turns and scores, and draw on the table together.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026
This article is for hosts ready to bring playtesters in. Guests need no account: a link or a room code gets them to the table, and seats and a turn tracker keep the game in order.
What this page helps you do
- Let guests join with a link or a code.
- Know what guests can and cannot do.
- Seat players, run a turn tracker, keep score and time.
- Draw on the table and see who is connected.
You'll start from the Share button inside a room (Prototypes > Virtual Table, then Open a room).
Before you start
- Beta, rolling out to teams. If Prototypes is missing from your sidebar, your team is not in the rollout yet.
- Plan: Pathfinder plan and up. Automate with AI is Oracle and LaunchBoom only, 50 builds per team per day.
- Roles: Collaborators cannot use the Component Designer or 3D Mockups. Only team members edit a room; guests play.
Open the room to guests
Click Share. The Invite players dialog explains: "Anyone with the link or the code can join and play, no Boardssey account needed."
- Turn on Let guests join this room.
- Copy the Link with Copy link, or the Room code (shown as XXXX-XXXX) with Copy code.
- Send either one to your players.
Helpful details
- Key areas: The link looks like
/play/<code>. Players can also type the code at boardssey.com/play. - What you can do: Click New code to switch the old link and code off and issue a fresh pair. Turning sharing off and on again does the same.
- Good to know: Guests who arrive before a member is in the room see "Waiting for the host". The table opens as soon as you enter.
Know what guests can do
Guests type a name on the way in ("What should we call you?") and appear with a cursor and that name.
Helpful details
- Key areas: Guests can move pieces, draw and flip cards, roll dice, use the pen and pull copies from spawners. They cannot enter edit mode, use Automate with AI, Log playtest or Link a game.
- What you can do: Give a guest a seat so private zones and hands work for them.
- Good to know: A guest's top bar offers Make your own table, which leads to a Boardssey sign-up.
Seat the players
Add a Seat in edit mode for each player. During play, anyone right-clicks a seat and chooses Sit here; Stand up leaves it.
Helpful details
- Key areas: The seat's properties show Seated: {name} and a Free the seat button for the host.
- What you can do: Tick Show a score to draw a number under the seat with − and + on either side. Click the number to type a score.
- Good to know: Seats are what Owner and Player hand refer to, so seat everyone before private information matters.
Track turns, scores and time
Three widgets keep a session in order.
Helpful details
- Key areas: Turn tracker: list the players by name or click Use the 4 seats, then press Next on the canvas to advance. Scoreboard: up to 20 rows with a name and color, plus and minus on the canvas. Timer: counts up, or down from a Start time in MM:SS when Countdown is on.
- What you can do: Leave Anyone can play at any time off to lock the table during a turn: when the current name matches a seated player, only they can move things, and others see "It's Maya's turn. You can play once they pass."
- Good to know: A name on the tracker that matches no seat does not lock the table; the properties say so.
Draw and point
Under Pointer tools, everyone has Move and select (V), Draw (P) and Erase drawings (E).
Helpful details
- Key areas: Draw in Black, Red, Blue or Green with a Thin, Medium or Thick line. Clear mine wipes your own strokes.
- What you can do: Members also get Clear all to wipe everyone's drawings.
- Good to know: A table holds 1500 drawings. Past that it says "This table cannot hold any more drawings. Erase some to keep drawing."
Watch who is connected
Every player's cursor shows with their name. The status reads Live, with "4 online", or Reconnecting….
Helpful details
- Key areas: While reconnecting, the table pauses "so nothing you do gets lost".
- What you can do: Keep playing once it reads Live again; moves made while paused are not lost.
- Good to know: Changes save on their own. If a save fails, the room tries again with your next change.
Tips & common questions
A player's link stopped working. Why? You pressed New code, or turned sharing off. Send the current link from the Share dialog.
Can guests join from a phone? Yes, through the same link or code. A larger screen is easier for a busy table.
How do I stop someone from moving pieces out of turn? Add a Turn tracker, use the seats, and keep Anyone can play at any time off.
Can I kick a guest? Turn sharing off, or press New code. Everyone who joined with the old code loses access; share the new one with the players you keep.