F.A.Q. • Board Game Arena

Let's bring you up to speed! Board Game Arena (BGA) is an online board games platform. With BGA, you can play online, either in real-time or turn ...  Menu Playnow News Games Community Forums   0XP  Seemyprofile  Messages  Notifications  Preferences  F.A.Q.  Logout   {NOTIFICATION_ICON} {NB_PLAYERS_CONNECTED}onlineplayers: {IN_GAME}playing• {WAITING}available Ifyouseethismessage,itmeansthatyourbrowserfailedtoloadthisfile. Youshouldtrythefollowing:checkyourconnection,disablead-blocker,clearyourbrowsercache,tryinprivatemode,tryfromanotherbrowser/computer/connection. 0 https://en.boardgamearena.com/faqF.A.Q. Home» Community» Translation Frequentlyaskedquestions Tableofcontents BoardGameArenabasics WhatisBoardGameArena? Whatdoes"real-timeplay"mean? Whatdoes"turn-basedplay"mean? WhatdoIneedtoplay? CanIplayforfree? IloveBGA!HowcanIhelp? Playing HowcanIstartanewgame? Whatifnobodyjoinsmytable? CanIjoinmultiplerealtimetablesatthesametime? Ijoinedagame.Whendoesthegamestart? HowcanIplayasologame? Whatdoesthecoloredcirclenexttoaplayer'snamemean? Whatdotheiconsnexttoaplayer'snamemean? Aplayerisnotplaying.WhatcanIdo? Howdoesthegameclockworkexactly? Howdoyoumanagerandomevents(dicethrows,cardshuffling,...)? Whatifaplayerdoessomethingwrong? Usingthe`AutomaticMode`lobby:howdothegamepreferenceswork? Howlongdoesagametablestayopenifnobodyisplayinganymore? Youraccount,reputationandranking Howdoesmyreputationscore(Karma)work? Whatisthecodeofconduct? Whatisabsolutelyforbidden? WhatguidelinesshouldIfollowwhencommunicating? Tournamentsandkarma:howdoesthiswork? HowismyELOrankingcomputed? Whyarerankingsandcompetitivemodesdisabledforsomegames? WhydidInotreceiveatopranktrophyforthisgame? HowcanIdeletemyaccount? Whyhavesomeofmyfriendsdisappeared? Premium HowdoPremiumgameswork? WhyaresomegamesPremiumandothersnot? Iwanttoplaywithsomeonefromthesameplace:shouldIbuy2Premiummemberships? Whyis"playingfromthesamelocation"restrictedtoPremiummembers? WhatisHotseatmodeandhowdoesitwork? HowisaPremiummembershipbilled? HowdoIcancelmymembership?CanIcancelmymembershipanytime? HowdoIupdatemypaymentinformation?HowdoIupdatemyCreditcardnumber? WhathappensifI'malreadyPremiumandgainafreemembership? AvailableBoardgames Whataretheavailablegames? Howdoyouchoosethegamesyoumakeavailableonline? Howaboutgameexpansions? Iamapublisher:howandwhyshouldIgetmygameonBoardGameArena? TheArena(competitivemode) WhatisArenagamemode? Howdoesitwork? WhatifIdonotcareaboutcompetitiveplay? WhataretherulesofArenaMode? Howmanyleaguesarethere? Whatisthe'Eliteleague'? Whathappensattheendoftheseason? Whatisthe'competitionconfiguration'? Whataboutturnbasedgames? WhathappenedtoArenaturnbasedgamesattheendoftheseason? WhatisaGameGuru? HowtobecomeaGameGuru? Technicalissues WhatcanIdoifIhaveanissuewiththewebsite? Whyhasn'tthisbugbeenfixedyet? IamplayingonamobiledeviceandIhavesomedifficulties:whatcanIdo? WhydoIhaveaslowconnectionorperformancetroublesonBGA? Translationsguidelines Whatcanbetranslated? Whoshouldtranslate? WhatshouldIaimforwhentranslating? Ifixedsometranslations,buttheydon'tappeartohavechangedonthesite? Howlongisitpossibletochangetranslations? Istheresomerewardfortranslating? Gametutorials Aretheretutorialstolearngamerules? HowcanIcreateatutorialforagame? WhatistheAlpha/Betastatusfortutorials? Howaretutorialsevaluated? HowcanItranslateatutorial? Howaregiftpointsawardedfortutorialmakers? WherecanIseemytutorialstatistics? WhatcanIdoifthegameadaptationdoesnotallowmetocreatetherighttutorialsteps? Legalandprivacy Whatisthelegalstatusofthiswebsite? Whatistheprivacypolicyofthiswebsite? Whatarethetermsofserviceofthiswebsite? WhataretheTermsofSalefor"Premium"memberships? PeoplebehindBoardGameArena Whoareyou? Howdoyouguysmakealiving? HowcanIcontactyou? BoardGameArenabasics WhatisBoardGameArena? What,youdon'tknowyet?Let'sbringyouuptospeed!BoardGameArena(BGA)isanonlineboardgamesplatform.WithBGA,youcanplayonline,eitherinreal-timeorturn-based,againstplayersfromaroundthewholeworld.Aselectionofvariousboardgamesandcardgamesareavailable.Inordertoplay,theonlythingyouneedisyourbrowser!Foraquickoverview,pleasecheckour'BGAintroduction'page. Whatdoes"real-timeplay"mean? Whenplayingareal-timegame,youropponentsareconnectedtothegameplatformfortheentiregame.Theycanseeyourmovesandreacttothemimmediately-asisthecaseintherealworld. Whatdoes"turn-basedplay"mean? Whenplayingaturn-basedgame,playersdonotneedtobeconnectedallthetime.Theyleaveandcomebackwhenit'stheirturntoplay.Onceallyouropponentshavecompletedtheirmovesyouarenotifiedthatitisyourturn(byemailoronyournextvisittothesite).Thenyoucanaccessthisgame,takeyourturn,andtheprocessrepeatsforthenextplayer. WhatdoIneedtoplay? Yourbrowser...andthat'sall!BoardGameArenadoesnotrequireanythingelse.Thisway,youcanplayfromanydevice,anywhere,anytime!However,weusethelatesttechnologiesavailablefortheweb.Forthisreason,youshouldplaywiththemostuptodatewebbrowserstoenjoyanoptimalBGAexperience.Forthebestgameexperience,werecommendthefollowingbrowsers:GoogleChrome10+MozillaFirefox4+Weofficiallysupportthefollowingbrowsers:GoogleChrome4+MozillaFirefox3.5+InternetExplorer11+MicrosoftEdgeSafari4+WealsosupportplayingoniPadsorsimilartablets,ormobilephones. CanIplayforfree? YoucanplayboardgamesandenjoymostofthefunctionalitiesonBoardGameArenaforfree.SomeextrafeaturesareonlyavailabletoourPremiummembers. FormoreinformationonthebenefitsofbecomingaPremiumuser,pleaserefertoour'Premiummembership'page. IloveBGA!HowcanIhelp? Thankyou!BoardGameArenaisindeedacommunitywebsitethatexistsandhasgrownthroughthecontributionsofmanypassionateplayers. Youcancontributeinseveralways,suchas:IfyouareanativespeakerinalanguageotherthanEnglish,youcanhelpustranslateBoardGameArenaintoyourlanguage.Ifyouareawebdeveloper,youcanhelpusbyimplementingnewgamesonourBGAStudiodevelopmentplatform.Ifyouhavethemeanstosupportusfinancially,pleaseconsiderbecomingaPremiummembertohelpuskeepthewebsiterunningandexpanding!FormoreinformationaboutthedifferentwaysofhelpingBGA,pleasecheckour'ContributetoBGA'page. Playing HowcanIstartanewgame? Goonthe'Playnow'section,selectyourpreferedgamemode(e.g.'Real-time'),findthegameyouwanttoplay,andthenclickonthe'Play'button.Ifyou'veselectedthe'Automaticopponents'mode,youjusthavetowaitforopponents.Otherwise,alistoftablesyoucanjoinwillbedisplayed.Chooseagametable,joinit,waitforplayerstojoin,andonceyouhaveenoughplayers,click'Startgame'.Havefun! Whatifnobodyjoinsmytable? Forthemostpopulargames,youcanfindplayersatanytimeoftheday.Forothergames,ifyoucan'tfindopponentsatthemoment,weadviseyoutocomebackatpeakhour(around22:00CEST). Tip:checkthenumberofonline/availableplayersforagamebeforelaunchingthetable. Tip:ifnobodyisavailableforareal-timegame,youcanturnyourtableintoaturn-basedtable,sothatanotherplayercanjoinevenhours/daysafteryoucreatedit. CanIjoinmultiplerealtimetablesatthesametime? Yes,youcanjoinorcreatemultiplerealtimetablesatthesametime,usingManuallobby.Itisevenrecommendedtobeatseveraltablesinordertomaximizeyourchancesoffindingopponents,insteadofwaitingatasingletable.Whenoneofyourrealtimetablestarts,youareautomaticallyremovedfromtheothertablesandyoucanfocusonyourgame.Forexample,ifyouwanttoplayCarcassonne,Keyflowerand7Wonders,wesuggestyoujoinorcreateatableforthese3games,soalltheotherplayerscanseeyouarereadytoplaythesegames.Anotherexample:ifyouwanttoplaySaboteur,werecommendyoujoinallopentables. Ijoinedagame.Whendoesthegamestart? Forreal-timegames,eachtablehasanadministratorwhoisthetablecreator.Itistheresponsibilityofthetableadministratortostartthegamewhentheyaresatisfiedwiththenumberofplayerswhohavejoinedthetable.Ifyouarethetableadministratorandcan'tlaunchthegame,mostofthetimeit'sbecausenotenoughplayershavejoinedthetableyet. Forturn-basedgames,thegamestartsassoonasthemaximumnumberofplayershasbeenreached.Thetableadministratorcanalsodecidetostartthegamemanuallyanytimeaftertheminimumnumberofplayersrequiredtoplaythisgamehavejoined. HowcanIplayasologame? ThereareanincreasingnumberofgamesavailableforsoloplayonBGA.Tofindthesegames,youcangototheGamespageandfilterby"Numberofplayers:Solo."Tostartagameforsoloplaywiththe"Manual"lobby:CreateanewtableSelect"Trainingmode"forthe"Gamemode"optionReducethenumberofplayersto1Openthetabletootherplayers(noneinthiscase,butthisisstillanecessarystep)Startthegame.Tostartagameforsoloplaywiththe"Automatic"lobby:ClickthegearicontochangetheoptionsClick"Showadvancedoptions"Set"Trainingmode"togreenthen"Normalmode"toredforthe"Gamemode"optionSet"1player"togreenthenallotheroptionstoredforthe"Playernumber"optionClick"Playnow." Whatdoesthecoloredcirclenexttoaplayer'snamemean? :Thisplayerisactive.Theycompletedanactionveryrecently.:Thisplayerisinactive.Theyareconnectedtothewebsitebuthavenotperformedanyactionrecently.:Thisplayerisoffline. Whatdotheiconsnexttoaplayer'snamemean? :Thisplayermustmakeamovenow.:Thisplayermustmakeamovenow,andhasusedupallhis/heravailablethinkingtime.Cansomeonewakethemup?;):Thisplayermustmakeamovenow,butisprobablynotawareofthisfact.Ifthesituationdoesn'tchange,itmightmeanthatthisplayerhasaconnectionissue.:Whenthe'normal'avatarofaplayerisdisplayed,itmeansthatthisplayeriswaitingfortheirturntoplay. Aplayerisnotplaying.WhatcanIdo? First,pleaserememberthatotherplayershavetherighttothinkaslongastheyneedtoabouttheirnextmove...Well,aslongasthereisstillsometimeleftontheirgameclock,thatis.Afterthat,youcanusethechattoaskthisplayertoconfirmthattheyarestillthinkingabouthowtoplay.Iftheplayerseemstobeaway,weadviseyoutowaitafewminutes:thisplayermaybeexperiencingsomenetworkproblemsorhavelefttemporarily.Iftheplayerdoesnotcomeback,andtheirclockhasbecomenegative,thenyoumaykickthisplayeroutofthegame.Theeffectsofkickingaplayeroutarethefollowing:Thisplayerwillgeta'leave'reputationpenalty(see'Reputation/Karma'formoredetails).ThisplayerwilllosethesameELOpointsasiftheyweretheloser(lastplace)ofthisgame,minusanadditional-10ELO.Whateverhappensinthegameafterwards,alltheotherplayerswillbeconsideredtiedinfirstplaceforELO,andwillreceivea%oftheELOcorrespondingtothe%ofprogressionofthegameatthemomenttheplayerwaskickedout.Example:if80%ofthegamehasbeenplayed,theremainingplayerswillreceive80%oftheELOtheywouldhavewon.Allfollowingturnsfromthisplayerwillbeskipped.Withthissystem,weensurethatevenifyouareinalosingposition,itisNEVERagoodchoiceforyoutoquitagameinprogress.Thissystemisalittlebitharsh,butunlikemanyotherservices,about99%ofgamesplayedonBGAarenotabandoned,andweareproudofthat.:) Howdoesthegameclockworkexactly? Beforeplayingeachgame,youcanseetwovaluesthatdependonthe'Speed'settings:thetimeperturnandthetotalamountoftimeperplayer.Whenitisyourturntothink,thetimeremainingonyourclockdecreases.Regularly(usuallyoneach'turn'),yourtimeallotmentisincreased.Ifyourtimergoesbelowzero,anyotherplayercankickyououtofthegame.YoushouldbecarefultoNEVERbeinthissituation.Somedetailsandspecificcases:Thereisamaximumamountoftimeforeachplayer.Ingeneral,thismaximummatchestheinitialtimeamount(ie:youcanneverhavemorethantheinitialtime).Ifyougetanegativeclockatsomepointduringagame,evenifyouarenotexpelled,youwillgeta'clock'redspotonyourreputation.Whenyouplayagameforthefirsttime,allyourtimevaluesaredoubled.Tournamentsuseacompletelydifferentsystem('fixedtimelimit'):yougetanamountoftimeatthebeginning,andthereisnoadditionaltimeduringthegame.Forturn-basedgames,'Xturns/day'means'24/X'hoursofadditionaltimepermove.Forexample,'2turns/day'means'+12hourspermove'. Howdoyoumanagerandomevents(dicethrows,cardshuffling,...)? Fordiceandequivalent'pickanumber'actions,weusethePHPfunction'random_int'.Thisfunctionhasacryptographicallysecurerandomness,meaningthatitmaybeevenbetterthanrealdice.:)Forcardshuffling,weusethePHPmethod'shuffle',basedonthe'MersenneTwister'algorithmusedbymostonlinePokerwebsites.PleasenotethattherearethousandsofgamesplayedeachdayonBGA,soarareeventwithaverylowprobabilitymaystillhappendozensoftimesperdayonBGA.Finally,forthoseofyouaskingyourselves,"Butisthatrandomnumbergeneratortrulyrandom?"Pleasecheckthispagefromrandom.orgwhichisagreatresourcetohelpyouunderstandthecomplexityofthisquestion. Whatifaplayerdoessomethingwrong? TheBoardGameArenaplatformhasbeendesignedtoencourageplayerstomaintaingoodbehavior.Thereputationsystemallowsyoutodistinguishbetweengoodandbadplayers.Then,itisuptoyoutodecidewhethertostartagamewiththemornot.Ifyouthinkaplayerbehavedbadlyduringagame,youcangivethema'redthumb'attheendofthegame.Theeffectsofaredthumbare:Thisplayerwillnotbeabletoplaywithyouanymore(exceptifyoumeetinatournament).Thisplayerwillnotbeabletosendyouprivatemessagesorwatchyourgamesasaspectator.Aredthumbmayalsocontributetoloweringthisplayer'sreputation(see'Reputation/Karma'formoredetails).Ifyouthinkaplayercommittedaseriousoffenceduringagame(forexampleinsultingsomeoneinthechat),pleasereportthemtous,usingthe'reportthisplayer'linkfromtheirprofileorbyclickingonthe'redthumb'attheendofthegame,sothatwecantakeappropriatemeasures. Usingthe`AutomaticMode`lobby:howdothegamepreferenceswork? Whenusingthelobbyin`AutomaticMode,`youcanspecifyyourpreferencesforavarietyofoptionsforagamebyclickingthecog.`I'mokaytoplaywith...`meansthatyouarewillingtoplaywiththisoptionvalue.`Iprefernottoplaywith...`meansthatwewon'tmakeyoujoinagamewiththisoptionvalue...Exceptifthisistheonlyavailablepossibilityaftersearchinganalternativeduringafewminutes.`I'mreluctanttoplaywith...`meansthatwewon'tmakeyoujoinagamewiththisoptionvalue...Exceptifthisistheonlyavailablepossibilityaftersearchinganalternativeduringalongtime.`Ineverwanttoplaywith...`meansthatwewon'tmakeyoujoinagamewiththisoptionvalueatall. Howlongdoesagametablestayopenifnobodyisplayinganymore? Whennobodyhasmadeamoveatagametableforawhile,itisclosedautomaticallytofreeupserverresources:Areal-timetableisclosedautomaticallyifmorethan4hourshaveelapsedsinceitscreationandifallplayersatthistablearenowoffline.Aturn-basedtableisclosedautomaticallyifnomovehasbeenmadein40days. Youraccount,reputationandranking Howdoesmyreputationscore(Karma)work? TheKarmascore(☯)isaquickwaytocheckifaplayerhasagoodreputationonBGA(doesnotquitgames,isfriendlyandplaysfair,...).DependingonyourKarmascore,youmayalsobeallowedornotallowedtousesomefeaturesonBGAortojoinagiventable.YourinitialKarmascoreis75☯(onamaximumof100☯).Then:Eachtimeyoufinishagame,ifyourclockhasneverbeennegativeduringthisgame,youget+1☯.Ifyouquit,orgetkickedoutofagameinprogress,youlose10☯oreven20☯ifyoualreadyquitanothergamerecently.Ifyoumissoutonaplannedtournamentgame:-4☯.Ifyoureceivetoomany'Redthumbs'fromtheotherplayerswhencomparedtotheamountof'Greenthumbs'received,yourkarmawillbereducedtoalowvalueeachtimeyoureceiveaRedThumb.Inthiscase,thebestistohaveaperfectbehaviortogetGreenthumbandrestoreyourratioandreputation. Whatisthecodeofconduct? OnBoardGameArena,youshouldnot:Runoutoftimeonthegameclock.Leaveagameinprogressonpurpose.Takeanunnecessaryandunreasonableamountoftimeattheendofgameinanobviouslosingposition.EngageinKingmaking:enablinganotherplayertowinonpurposewhilethereisabettermovetomakeforyourself.Givesomepieceofinformationaboutthecurrentgamesituationthatdisturbsthenormalgameflow.Communicatewithanotherplayeraboutthegameprivately(forexamplewithaninstantmessengingapp).Engageinprovocation/triumphalism/defeatism...anythingwhichisnotfairplay.Useanavatarthatmaybeshockingoroffensivetootherplayers(noadvertisement,nopolitics,...)Breakingtheseruleswillaffectyourreputation. Whatisabsolutelyforbidden? OnBoardGameArena,itisabsolutelyforbiddento:Insultotherplayersinanymanner.Createmultipleaccountsandplayagainstoneselftoboostone'sranking.Trolling,admin-bashing,moderator-bashing,emptycritiquesordefamation.Pleaseshareyourfrustrationswithyourtherapistratherthanimposingthemonstrangersontheinternet.Breakingtheserulescanleadtotheremovalofyouraccountand/orabanfromthewebsite. WhatguidelinesshouldIfollowwhencommunicating? Thegeneralruleyoushouldfollowistotalktopeople(intheforum,inthechat,...)asiftheywerefriendsthatyouinvitedtoplayatyourhome.Thenyou'llnaturallygivethemyourattentionandbekindtothemsothateveryonefeelswelcomeandatease.Andit'salwaysgreattoplaywithfriends!Youshouldalsobeawarethatinaninternationalcommunicationcontext,noteveryonehasthesamemasteryofthelanguagebeingused,andthatculturaldifferencescansometimesleadtomisunderstandings.Whenindoubt,pleaseconsiderthemostkindandwellintentionedmeaningasitwillbethecorrectonemostofthetime!Andfinally,donotuseBoardGameArenacommunicationresourcestoadvertiseothergamingwebsites.Ifyouwanttotalkaboutyourexperienceelsewhere,pleasejustsaysomethinglike'onanothergamingwebsite'. Tournamentsandkarma:howdoesthiswork? Thereisaminimumreputationtoreachtoplayeachtournament(defaultis65☯).Ifyourreputationdecreasebelowtheminimumrequirementofatournamentforwhichyouregistered,youmaynotbeabletoparticipate.Ifyourreputationdecreasebelowtheminimumrequirementofatournamentinprogress,youmaybeexpelledfromthetournament(butnotfromyourgamesinprogress). HowismyELOrankingcomputed? Aplayer'sELOscoreonBGAisbasedontheELOformula,whichisoneofthemostpopularwaystoevaluateaplayer'slevel.PleasecheckWikipediaifyouareinterestedinthetheory.OnBGA,yougetanELOrankingforeachdifferentgame.Whenyouhaveneverplayedagame,yourELOiszero.Whenyoufinishagame,thenumberofpointsyougain/losedependsonthelevelofyouropponents,andmorepreciselyontheELOdifferencebetweenyouandyouropponents.Theeasiestsituationisa2playergame.YouwillgainanumberofELOpointsequaltoKx(W-p(D))where:Wistheresultofthegame:1foravictory,0foradefeat,0.5foratie.DisthedifferenceofELObetweenyouandyouropponent.p(D)istheprobabilityofvictoryconsideringthepreviousdifference(seeWikipediafordetails).K,the'elasticityfactor,'hasavaluethatdependsonthenumberofgamesyouhaveplayed:60foryourfirst10games,40betweenyour11thand20thgames,20foryour21stonwards.Somemoredetailsandspecificcases:Onyourveryfirstgame,youalwayswinatleast1ELOpoint,evenifyoulosethegame.Untilyoureach100ELO(beginner),youcanneverloseELOpoints.Afterthatyoucannevergobackbelow100ELO.Whenyouplaywithmorethan1opponent,weconsiderthatyouwinagainsteachopponentwhoscoreslowerthanyouduringthisgame,andloseagainsteachopponentwhoscoreshigherthanyou.Forexample,ifyouplace2ndina4playergame,yougainELOpointsasifyouwonagainstthe3rdand4thplayers,andlostagainstthe1st.ELOrankingallowstoclassifyplayersin7distinctskillslevels:Beginner(0point),Apprentice(1-99points),Average(100-199),Good(200-299),Strong(300-499),Expert(500-699),Master(700+). Whyarerankingsandcompetitivemodesdisabledforsomegames? SomesgamesarenotsuitableforonlinecompetitiononBoardGameArena.Thiscanhappenforarangeofreasons:thegamemaybeacooperativegame,forwhichELOcanbearoughindicationofyourlevelbutshouldnotbethoughtofasacompetitiverank;thegamemayhavebeensolved;theremaybeeasilyaccessiblegameenginesorartificialintelligenceallowingplayerstocompeteattheleveloftheengineinsteadoftheirown.Inanyofthosecases,orifaspecificreasondoesnotallowforafaircompetitivebasisforagame,rankingsandcompetitivemodeswillbedisabled(withmatchingtrophies). WhydidInotreceiveatopranktrophyforthisgame? Tobeawardedthetopranktrophies,youneedtohavereachedatleast300ELO(otherwise,thefirstpeopleplayingthegamewouldjustgetthetrophiesimmediately).Also,thereneedstobeenoughactiveplayers(atleast1000/300inthelasttwomonthsforthetop20/top10),otherwisetheachievementwouldnotbesignificant. HowcanIdeletemyaccount? Takeabreath...Whywouldyouwanttodothat?We'llmissyou! Ifyouareresolved,youwillfindwhatyouneedunder'Preferences→Account→DeletemyBGAaccount'. Whyhavesomeofmyfriendsdisappeared? ArecentchangetothewayfriendsaremanagedonBoardGameArenahasmeantthatsomeoldfriendshavehadtoberemoved.Namely,anynon-mutualfriendshipsarenownolongerpermitted. Fromnowon,tomakeanewfriend,youmustfirstsendafriendrequesttoauser.Ifthatuseracceptsyourfriendrequest,youwillbecomefriends.Thisallowsyoutoseewheneachotherisonline,aswellasseeingrelevantinformationoneachother'sfeeds. Anynon-mutualfriendshipswhichexistedbeforethischangehavebeenremoved,andconvertedinto"expiredfriendrequests". Youcanfindtheseexpiredfriendrequestsbyclicking"Seemore..."onthefriendstab.Ifyoustillwanttobefriendswithanyofthoseplayers,youcanstillsendthemfriendrequests! Premium HowdoPremiumgameswork? OnlyPremiummemberscancreatenewtablesforPremiumgames.Oncethetableiscreated,anyonecanjoin(evennon-Premiummembers).Thisway,youonlyhavetobuy1PremiummembershiptoplayPremiumgameswithyourfriends(oranyoneelse). WhyaresomegamesPremiumandothersnot? EachgamepublisherdecideswhethertheirgamesonBGAshouldbePremiumornot.PleasekeepinmindthatthevastmajorityofgamesonBGAarefreeforeveryone:) Iwanttoplaywithsomeonefromthesameplace:shouldIbuy2Premiummemberships? No:youonlyneedonePremiummembership.IfaPremiummemberisplayingatatable,allrestrictionsbasedonlocationareremovedforallotherparticipantsatthistable. Whyis"playingfromthesamelocation"restrictedtoPremiummembers? PlayingonBGAfromthesamelocationisnotsomethingcommonsinceifyouareatthesameplaceyoucanplaytherealphysicalboardgame.ItmakessensetomakeitaPremiumfeature,sothatusingBGAremainsawaytodiscoverandenjoyboardgameswiththewholeworldanddoesnotbecomeameanstoavoidbuyingtherealphysicalgame.Withthisrestriction,wealsointendtolimitthepotentialforcheaterstoplayagainstthemselvesinordertoboosttheirrankings. WhatisHotseatmodeandhowdoesitwork? UsingthePremiumfeature,Hotseatmode,youcanplaywithyourfriendsfromthesamecomputerordevice.CreateasimplegametableonBGA,clickon'Inviteafriend'button,andselect'Hotseat'foreachofyouropponents. HowisaPremiummembershipbilled? Premiummembershipisasubscription:itisbilledperiodically.Themonthlymembershipisbilledeachmonth:ifyousubscribeonMarch13th,youwillbebilledonApril13th,May13th,andsoon.Theyearlymembershipisbilledonceayear.Sinceyouarecommittedforoneyear,thereisasignificantdiscountonthismembership.Ifyouprefertomanuallypayforeachmembershipperiod,weadviseyouusethePaypalpaymentoptionaswedonotautomaticallyrenewmembershipspaidviaPaypal. HowdoIcancelmymembership?CanIcancelmymembershipanytime? YoucancancelyourPremiummembershipanytimeinthe'Account'tabofyour'Preferences'.Evenifyoucancelyourmembership,youwillremainPremiumfortheremainderoftheperiodyouhavealreadypaidfor. HowdoIupdatemypaymentinformation?HowdoIupdatemyCreditcardnumber? Theonlywaytodothisisbyresubscribingusingyournewpaymentinformation:GotothePremiumpage:https://boardgamearena.com/premiumCancelyourcurrentsubscription(theremainingmembershipwillnotbelost)Choosethemonthlyortheyearlymembershipandenteryournewpaymentinformation.Note:thepaymentonthenewCreditCardwillnotoccurbeforetheendofyourcurrentactivemembershipperiodandwillreflectthepriceofanewsubscription. WhathappensifI'malreadyPremiumandgainafreemembership? IfyougainafreemonthofPremiumbyhelpingBGAorredeemingGiftPoints,yourcurrentmembershipperiodisautomaticallyextendedbyonemonth.Forexample:ifyoushouldhavebeenbilledonApril13th,youwillbebilledonMay13thinstead.Pleasenote:ifyoureceivethefreemonthjustpriortotherenewalofyourmembership,itmaybetoolatetocancelthenextbilling.Inthiscase,wewilldelaythesubsequentbillinstead. AvailableBoardgames Whataretheavailablegames? BoardGameArenaoffersawideselectionofboardandcardgames,withastrongfocusonmodern('Europeanstyle')boardgames.Forthefulllist,pleaserefertoour'Games'page. Howdoyouchoosethegamesyoumakeavailableonline? InordertopublishagameonBGAweneed2things:Theauthorizationofthedigitalrightsownerforthegame(mostofthetime,theoriginalpublisher).Asoftwaredevelopervolunteeringthetimeandskillsneededtobuildanonlineversionofthegame.SoifyouareaskingyourselfwhyoneofyourfavouritegamesisnotyetavailableonBGA,itcouldbeforvariousreasons:Weneveraskedforanauthorizationforthisgameinthefirstplace(ofcourseifthegameispopular,thereisagoodchancethatweasked).Thepublisherdidn'treplyorrefusedtogranttheirauthorization,temporarilyordefinitively.Thepublisheraccepted,butwehaven'tfoundavolunteerdeveloperyetforthisgame,orthedevelopmentiscurrentlyongoing.Thegameadaptationisready,butwearewaitingforaspecifictimeoreventtoreleaseit.IfyoujustwanttosuggestanewgameforBGA:thebestwaytohelpustohavethisgameonBGAisnottowritetous,buttowritetothisgame'spublisher,andtellthemhowcoolBGAis,sotheycangiveuspermissiontohavethisgamehere:)Itreallyhelps,sopleasedoit!Youcansendthemthefollowinglinkthatexplainseverythingtheyneedtoknow:https://boardgamearena.com/gamepublishers Howaboutgameexpansions? Gameexpansionsfollowthesameselectionanddevelopmentprocessthangames.Therecanbevariousreasonswhyagamepublisherdoesn'twanttheexpansiononline,andsometimeswedon'tfindadeveloperwhohasthetimetodevelopit. Iamapublisher:howandwhyshouldIgetmygameonBoardGameArena? ThemaingoalofBoardGameArenaistomakeiteasyforplayerstodiscovernewgames,learntoplaythemandlovethem.WethinkthatthereareonlytwokindsofplayersonBoardGameArena:thosewhoalreadyboughtthegamestheyareplayingonline,andthosewhoplantobuythemsoon!Foramoredetailedpresentationortocontactusaboutlicensing,pleasecheckoutour'Gamepublishers'page. TheArena(competitivemode) WhatisArenagamemode? ArenaModeisthemajorcompetitivemodeforallgamesonBoardGameArena.PlayingArenaMode,youmeetopponentsinacompetitiveenvironment,andtrytobecomethenewworldchampionforeachgame! Howdoesitwork? Arenamodeisseasonsbased.Aseasonlasts3months,sothereare4Arenaseasonseachyear.Attheendofaseason,thetopplayerforeachgamewillbethenewBGAworldchampion. WhatifIdonotcareaboutcompetitiveplay? ArenaModeis100%optional.YoucanplayonBGAusing'Simplemode'andnevercareaboutit. WhataretherulesofArenaMode? Atfirst:someArenamoderulesmaychangefromoneSeasontoanother.ToaccessArenaModeforagame,youfirstneedtoreach100ELOpoints.ItgivesyouaccesstothelowerArenaleague(Bronzeleague).Youstartwith1Arenapoint('Bronze-1').WhenplayingonArenamode,youplayeachgamewithitscompetitionconfiguration(see'Whatisthecompetitionconfiguration?'questionbelow).Youcannotchooseyouropponents:amatchmakingalgorithmchoosesyouropponentsforyou.WhenyouwinagameinArenamode,yougainArenapoints.Yougain3Arenapointswhenbeatinganopponentfromthesameleague,2pointswhenbeatinganopponentfromleagueN-1,1pointforbeatinganopponentfromleagueN-2,andsoon(andthesameforhigherleagues).Whenyouloseagame,youloseArenapoints.However,youcannotgobelow0points.(Note:Ifyouplaya3+game,thenumberofArenapointsyougetisdividedbythenumberofopponents.Sobeating5opponentsfromthesameleaguebringsyou3x5/5=3points).Whenyoureach10points,youarepromotedtotheupperleague,with1point(ex:'Silver-1').Youwinthecorrespondingtrophy,andyoucannolongerberelegatedforthisseason.Yourgoalisofcoursetoreachthehighestleaguebeforetheendoftheseason:) Howmanyleaguesarethere? Itdependsonthepopularityofthegame:themorepopularagameis,themoreleaguesthereare(andthemoredifficultitistoreachthetop). Whatisthe'Eliteleague'? Themostactiveplayersforagivengame(especiallythebestones)mayreachthemostprestigiousleague:theEliteleague.InEliteleague,therulesaredifferent:eachplayerhasanEliteArenaScore(EAS),whichworksexactlylikeastandard'ELOrank'.BasedonthisEAS,yougetyourworldrankforthisgame(e.g.:45th)andyoucantrytobecometheworldchampionThisEASishiddenaslongasyouareplayinginthelowerleagues,andisrevealedwhenyouentertheEliteleague.Basically,ifyoubeatverygoodplayersduringthisseason,yourEASwillbehigh,andifyoubeatweakplayersyourEASwillbelow. Whathappensattheendoftheseason? Foreachgame,thebestplayerswillreceivetheBGAworldchampiontrophiesfortheseasondependingontheirfinalrankings.Whenanewseasonstarts,everyoneisrelegatedtoalowerleague(andEASisreset). Whatisthe'competitionconfiguration'? AllplayerswhoareplayingagameinArenamodeforagivenseasonareplayingwithexactlythesameconfiguration.Thisway,thewholeArenatournamentisconsistent.Choosingaspecificconfigurationforeachgameissometimesadifficultdecision.Thegoodnewsisthatifthecommunityasksforadifferentconfigurationforagame,wecanchangeitfromoneseasontoanother,ormakecyclesbetweensomeconfigurations(ie:configurationAduringSpringseason,thenconfigurationBduringSummerseason,andsoon...). Whataboutturnbasedgames? Arenamodeisbothforrealtimeandturnbasedgames.TheonlyconstraintforturnbasedgamesisthataturnbasedgamemuststartandendduringagivenArenaseasontobepartofthatArenaseason.IfyourturnbasedgameisnotfinishedattheendoftheSeason,theplayerwhousedthemostthinkingtimeduringthegamewilllosethegame.Foragivengame,youmustalwaysplayonthetablewhereithasbeenyourturnforthelongesttime. WhathappenedtoArenaturnbasedgamesattheendoftheseason? Itisnolongerpossibletostartnewturn-basedArenagamesinthelast5daysoftheseason.IfyourturnbasedgameisnotfinishedattheendoftheSeason,theplayerwhoconsumethemostthinkingtimeduringthegamewilllosethegameandloseArenapoints.Otherplayerswon'tgainorloseanyArenapointsforthisgame.Thegamemaycontinueafterwards,buttherewillnotbeanyfurtherconsequencesfortheArenarankings. WhatisaGameGuru? ForeachgameonBGA,themostprolificplayersinthelast30daysareeligibletobecometheGameGurus.TheGurusareselecteddaily,andwillkeeptheirstatusatleastonemonth.GameGurushavespecialpowers,likebeingabletodiscussandvoteforthenextseasonsArenaformat.TheyarealsotheonesevaluatingtheAlphatutorials.MorespecialpowerswillbeentrustedtoGameGurusinthefuture. HowtobecomeaGameGuru? Yourkarmamustbeatleast90,andyoumusthavebeenregisteredonBoardGameArenaforatleastoneyear.Theplayerswhoplayedthemost(non-training)gamesinthelast30dayswillautomaticallybecomegurus.(limitedto100players)Onceaplayerisaguruforaspecificgame,theywillkeeptheirstatusforatleast1month(unlesstheirkarmadrops).Otherconditionsmayapply. Technicalissues WhatcanIdoifIhaveanissuewiththewebsite? Mostissuesonthiswebsiteshouldbesolvedwithasimplewebpagerefresh(or'F5').Ifyouexperienceapersistentissue,thefirstthingtodoistouseourtroubleshootingtooltocheckifeverythingisfinewithyourconfiguration.Ifyouarenotcorrectlyloggedinforagame(spectatorinsteadofplayer),pleasecomebacktothemainsiteandlogoutthenloginagaintorefreshyourauthenticationcookies.Then,youcanbrowseourbugtracker:checktoseeifsomeonehasalreadyreportedthisissueandvoteforit,orcreateanewreportifthat'snotthecase.Pleasetakethetimeneededtodescribetheprobleminaclearandprecisemannersothatwecanquicklyreproduceandfixit. Whyhasn'tthisbugbeenfixedyet? Wefixalotofbugs,allthetime.Butofcourseweneedtosetpriorities:Wegivethehighestprioritytorecentfeaturesandrecentgames,becausethemostimportantbugsarereportedfast.Wegivethehighestprioritytobugsthathavecollectedthelargestnumberofvotes(greenthumbs)inourbugtrackingtool.Weusuallyfixbugsinbatchesforbetterefficiency.Soifwedecidetofixanimportantbuginagame,thereisagoodchancethatwewillfixsomeotherminorbugsatthesametime.BGAisknownforthequalityofitsadaptations.Consideringthenumberofgamesandthesizeofthecommunity,therearenotthatmanyimportantopenbugreportswithalotofupvotesinthebugtracker.PleasealsorememberthatalotofBGAadaptationsarerealizedandmaintainedbyvolunteersontheirfreetime.Findingandfixingbugsisneithereasynorreallyfun,sothebestwayyoucanhelpisbybeingniceandgivingpreciseinformationinbugreports.Itcanalsohappenthattheoriginaldeveloperstopsmaintainingthegameafterawhileforsomepersonalreason.Inthatcase,remainingbugscanstayopenalongtime,untilanotherdeveloperinterestedinthegamevolunteerstotakeover,orformorepopulargames,untilthenumberofvotesattractstheattentionofanadminonthisbug'srelevancetothecommunity. IamplayingonamobiledeviceandIhavesomedifficulties:whatcanIdo? BGAwasdesignedwithdesktopandlaptopcomputersinmind.Thenweupdatedthelayouttoaccomodatemobileusers,butwhilesomeBGAadaptationsrunperfectlyonmobile,someothersarenotdesignedwellforsmallscreensortouchscreens.Thiscancomefromthecomplexityofthegameitself(bigboard,lotsofelements)orfromthechoicesmadebythedeveloper.Thus,whenyouplayfromamobiledevice,weadviseyoutochoosegamesthatwon'tbetoodifficulttoplayonasmallscreen,andtopayextraattentiontoeachofyourmovestobesuretotriggerthecorrectaction:zoomingalotreallyhelps! WhydoIhaveaslowconnectionorperformancetroublesonBGA? Weareconstantlymonitoringourserversresponsiveness.Sometimesincidentsoccur,butmostofthetimeBGAisresponsive.Usually,lessthan2%ofgamemovestakemorethan200millisecondstoprocess,andlessthan0.2%takemorethan1second.ThemainBGAserversarelocatedinEurope(France),butwerentrelayserversallacrosstheworld(in30+locations)sothatbigfiles(essentiallyimages)areloadedquicklyevenifyouarefarfromus.Pleasebeawarethatveryoften,performancesproblemscancomefromyourinternetconnectionorfromyourcomputersystem.Weadviseyoutotrytoconnectwithadifferentbrowser/computer/internetconnectiontotroubleshoottheissues.Asaruleofthumb,ifyouarefindingthatBGAisnotresponsiveenoughforyouonagivenday,youshouldn'tstartorjoinagamesincethereisariskofyougettingovertimepenalties. Translationsguidelines Whatcanbetranslated? ThecollaborativetranslationsystemismeanttomakeitpossibletotranslateBoardGameArenaintoanylanguage,tohelpmorepeopletodiscoverandplayboardgames.Forexample,ifyouwanttoplay'Dragonheart'withyour10-year-oldnephewandhedoesn'tspeakEnglishyet,noproblem!JusthelpustranslateBoardGameArenaintoyourlanguage!Everystringoftextforthemainsiteandforthegameinterfacesare'internationalized'andcanbetranslatedbytheplayercommunity.NewsannouncementsdisplayedontheBGA'Home'and'News'pagesarecomputertranslatedfirst,thenthetranslationcanbeimprovedbythecommunity. Whoshouldtranslate? Thisisimportant:onlytranslatetextintoagivenlanguageifyouareanativespeakerofthatlanguage.Whentranslatingagame,thetranslatorshouldknowthegamethoroughlyandifpossiblehaveaboxandrulebookofthegameinthedestinationlanguagetocheckforconsistency.Translatorsshouldtakeintoaccounttheleveloflanguageandtheformal/informalpronominalrulesusualforthegamingaudienceoftheircountry.Thesource/referencelanguagefortranslationisEnglish,sincethesiteandgamesdevelopmentismadeinEnglish.Englishisnotnecessarilythemothertongueofalldevelopers,sofluent(andpreferablynative)Englishspeakerscansubmitrequestsforchangetobevalidatedbydevelopersoradministrators.ItisnecessarytobeverycarefulwhenmodifyingtheEnglishtextsasthisaffectsthetranslationsinalllanguages! WhatshouldIaimforwhentranslating? Whentranslating,pleasealwaysstayascloseaspossibletotheoriginalEnglishtextinmeaningandstyle.Translatingasoftwareinterfaceisnotaliteraryexercise:pleasedonottrytotransformBoardGameArenaintoabook.Practicality,clarityandhomogeneityarethemostimportant.Inparticular,youshouldrespectthefinalpunctuation(orlackthereof),thespecificwordscapitalizationchoicesandtheuseofdigitsinsteadofwords. Ifixedsometranslations,buttheydon'tappeartohavechangedonthesite? Translationfilesareupdatednightly,soyoujusthavetowaituntiltomorrowforyourchangestoappearonthesite. Howlongisitpossibletochangetranslations? Thefirsttranslationsmaynotbeperfect.Sotheycanbemodifieduntiltheyare'validated'.Validationoccurswhenatranslationhasnotbeenmodifiedfor30daysstraight.Itisthenconsideredstableandvalid(goldenicon)andcanonlybechangedby'seasoned'players.Computertranslatedtextisnevervalidateduntilithasbeenproofreadbyamemberofthecommunityandeither"confirmed"or"modified".Afterwardsitisconsideredtohavea"human"leveloftrustabilitylikeothertranslations,andwillfollowthesamerulesforvalidation. Istheresomerewardfortranslating? Yes!Eachvalidatedtranslationwillgetitstranslator1giftpoint.Tolearnmoreaboutgiftpoints,pleasecheckour'ContributetoBGA'page. Gametutorials Aretheretutorialstolearngamerules? Yes!Somegameshavetutorials.Seelistofgameswithatutorial HowcanIcreateatutorialforagame? Anyonecanproposeanewtutorialforagame.Thispageexplainshowtobuildatutorial WhatistheAlpha/Betastatusfortutorials? Whenyouproposeanewtutorialforagame,ithastheALPHAstatus.Everyonewiththetutoriallinkcanreviewit,givefeedbackandrateit.Thegamedeveloper(orBGAadmin)mayselectyourtutorialandmoveittoBETAAtutorialinBETAisproposedtoEnglishspeakingplayersontheGamePage,soitcanbetestedonrealconditions.Ifthetutorialhasgoodstats,thegamedeveloper(orBGAadmin)canmakeitOFFICIAL.TheOFFICIALtutorialisdisplayedontheGamePageandisavailableforallplayers.ThereisonlyoneOFFICIALtutorialforagivengame.TheOFFICIALtutorialisalsoavailablefortranslation. Howaretutorialsevaluated? TutorialsareevaluatedbygamedevelopersandBGAadminsbasedonstatistics(ex:ratings,...).Theymaycompareseveraltutorialsstatisticsbymakingthemavailableatthesametime:ifseveralBETAtutorials(with/withoutanOFFICIALone)areavailable,playersareredirectedrandomlytooneofthem. HowcanItranslateatutorial? Tutorialsareavailablefortranslation~24hoursaftertheyreachOFFICIALstatus.Afterwards,theymaybetranslatedlikeanyotherpartofthegame. Howaregiftpointsawardedfortutorialmakers? WhenyourtutorialbecomesOFFICIALyouget100giftpoints.Afterwards,eachmonth,youget100additionalgiftpointsaslongasyourtutorialremainstheOFFICIALone.Thereisamaximumof600pointstobeawardedforeachgame. WherecanIseemytutorialstatistics? Seelistoftutorials WhatcanIdoifthegameadaptationdoesnotallowmetocreatetherighttutorialsteps? Becauseofbugsorspecificchoicesmadebyagameadaptationdeveloper,itmaybedifficultorimpossibleto:ReplayagamewithouterrorsAskthetutorialviewertoplayamoveinsteadofusingthe"Continue"buttonSetatutorialcommentattheexactplaceyouwouldliketo.Inthatcase,itshouldbereportedasabugforthegameinourbugreportingtoolsothatthedevelopercanfixit.Whenreportingthebug,pleaseindicatetothedevelopertocheckthetutorialschecklistpagewherethemostfrequenterrorsandproblematiccasesaredescribed.Aftertheissuehasbeenfixed,youshouldbeabletocreateatutorialwithoutproblem,byusingthereplayofagameplayedafterthenewgameversionhasbeendeployed. Legalandprivacy Whatisthelegalstatusofthiswebsite? Allthegamescurrentlyavailableonthiswebsitehavebeenlicensedorotherwiseauthorizedbycopyrightholders.PleasebeawarethatgamesavailableonBGAcanberemovedatthedemandofthecopyrightholder(forexample,iftheypublishtheirownadaptationofthegame). BoardGameArenawouldliketothankallgamepublishersandgamedesignerswhoallowustohosttheirgameshere,thusmakingitpossibleforthiswebsitetoexist. Whatistheprivacypolicyofthiswebsite? Pleaserefertothe'Privacypolicy&cookies'sectionofour'Legalinformation'page. Whatarethetermsofserviceofthiswebsite? Pleaserefertothe'Termsofservice'sectionofour'Legalinformation'page. WhataretheTermsofSalefor"Premium"memberships? Pleaserefertothe'TermsofSale'sectiononour'Legalinformation'page. PeoplebehindBoardGameArena Whoareyou? ThiswebsitehasbeencreatedintheirfreetimebytwoITprofessionalspassionateaboutboardgames:GrégoryIsabelliandEmmanuelColin.BGAisacommunitywebsitethatexistsinitscurrentstatethankstothewonderfulcontributionsofpassionateplayersthroughouttheworld.Forafulllistofcontributors,pleasecheckour'Team'page.In2021,BGAjoinedtheAsmodeeGroup(readfullannouncement). Howdoyouguysmakealiving? Aftermorethan7yearsbuildingandmanagingBGAintheirfreetime,bothfoundershavebeenworkingonthewebsiteasafull-timesalariedpositionsinceearly2018.Thiswasrequiredduetothegrowingaudienceplayingonthiswebsite,andhasfinallybeenmadepossiblebythecontinuedsupportofourPremiummembersthroughtheyears.(Thankyouagain!).Actually,thereissomuchworktodotorunBGAthattwopeopleworkingfull-timeisclearlynotenough!Thisiswhyweintendtopreserveandexpandour"communitybased"approachtogiveeveryinterestedplayertheopportunitytocontributeinordertokeepthisservicerunningaswellandassmoothlyaspossible. HowcanIcontactyou? Forgeneralquestionsconcerningthewebsite,gamesorthecommunity,thebestwaytoreachoutisbypostingamessageinourforum.Thisway,anyonefromthecommunitycananswer,andeveryonebenefitsfromtheanswer.Toreportissuesorsuggestnewfeatures,pleaseuseourbugs&suggestionstracker.Pleasemakesuretocheckifthereisalreadyareportdealingwiththesubjectbeforecreatinganewreport:upvotingexistingreportsallowsustoidentifythesubjectsthatareconsideredasthemostimportantbythecommunity.Foranyothersubjectorspecificrequest,youcanreachouttousthroughourcontactpage. Top Applicationloading...... {DISPLAY_IN_OTHER_LANG} {LANG_REDIRECT_CODE} No Yes Ooops,weseemtobehavingdifficultiesreachingyoubyemail... Checkmyemailsettings   {CONFIRM_EMAIL_MESSAGE} {I_DIDNT_RECEIVE_EMAIL} {CHECK_SPAMBOX} {EMAIL_CHANGE} {EMAIL_CHANGE}     {RETRY_SENDING_EMAIL} boardgamearena.com THANKYOU:Youareoneofourmostloyalplayers!GetthebestfromBoardGameArenaforonly€2/month. Top Help WhatisBoardGameArena? Whoarewe? F.A.Q. Contactus/Support Contribute I'magamepublisher I'masoftwaredeveloper IwanttohelpBGA Reportabug GoPremium! Followus JoinusonFacebook FollowusonTwitter Notifyyourbrowser Subscribetoournewsletter BoardGameArena 357 BoardGameArena •Release221004-1000-ST •Legalinfo •TermsofUse •TermsofServices •Privacy •Cookies π 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12