Import a game from BoardGameGeek
Fill a game's details from its BoardGameGeek entry, when you create the game or later from the Edit page.
Last reviewed October 11, 2026
If a game already has a page on BoardGameGeek (BGG), you can pull its title, player count, play time, complexity and credits into Boardssey instead of typing them. This is the fastest way to add a published game or a back catalog.
What this page helps you do
- Create a game straight from a BGG entry.
- Refresh an existing game's details from BGG.
- Know which fields the import fills and overwrites.
- Fix the errors you may see.
You'll start from the Games page in the sidebar, or from a game's Edit game page.
Before you start
- Find the game on boardgamegeek.com. You need its numeric ID or the page address, for example
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/174430/gloomhaven. - Each imported game counts toward your plan's game limit (5 on Adventurer, 20 on Pathfinder, unlimited on Oracle).
Create a game from BGG
In the sidebar, click Games, then New game. In the dialog, paste the BGG ID or URL into Import from BGG (Optional), pick a Game development status, and click Create Game.
Helpful details
- Key areas: the field sits under an OR divider, with the hint "Leave the game name empty to use BGG's title, or enter your own to override."
- What you can do: use Save & Add Another to import several games one after another without leaving the dialog.
- Good to know: a game created from BGG opens straight on its game page. The Add game details? prompt is skipped because the details are already there.
Import into an existing game
Open the game, click Edit game, then Import from BGG in the top right. The dialog Import game details from BoardGameGeek opens. Paste the ID or URL into Game ID or BoardGameGeek URL and click Import.
Helpful details
- Key areas: the dialog says "Autofill title, players, playtime, complexity, credits, and more. Overwrites existing fields." The imported values land in the form, with the message "BGG data is in the form now. Look it over, then save your game."
- What you can do: check and correct any field before you click Save game. Close the Edit page without saving to discard the import.
- Good to know: fields that BGG does not provide, such as your hooks and price, are left as they were. The BGG Link field is filled so the BGG Forums tab appears.
Errors you may see
Each message tells you what to change.
Helpful details
- Key areas: "Enter a numeric BGG game ID or a valid BoardGameGeek board game URL." means the text was not an ID or a board game page. "BoardGameGeek didn't return data for this game." means the ID exists but no board game matched; check it and try again.
- What you can do: when you see "BoardGameGeek did not return a title for this entry", type a name in Game name and try again, or use another ID.
- Good to know: "Something went wrong while contacting BoardGameGeek." means BGG was slow or unavailable. Wait a minute and retry.
Tips & common questions
Does Boardssey sign in to my BGG account? No. The import reads public data through BGG's API. Nothing is posted to BGG and there is nothing to authorize. The dialog shows "Powered by BoardGameGeek".
Will the import replace the description I wrote? Yes, if BGG has one. The import overwrites the fields it fills. On the Edit page you can fix any field before saving.
Does the import bring images? Not into Media. Add your cover in the Game cover field on the Edit page and your art in the Media tab.
Can I import a game that is not on BGG yet? No. Create it with a name and status instead, and add the BGG link once the entry exists. See Connecting BoardGameGeek.