The Academy: learn to play
Plain-language how-to-play guides for board games and tabletop RPGs — rules, strategy, and tips.
EveryoneUpdated August 18, 2026
The Academy is Waypoint Realms's learn-to-play library. Each guide explains a game in plain language so you can sit down and play with confidence — whether it's your first board game or a new tabletop RPG.
What's in a guide
- Overview — what the game is and what makes it fun.
- How to play — setup and the core turn, step by step.
- Strategy — how to actually do well.
- Tips — quick pointers and common beginner mistakes.
- Extra sections like player count, expansions, and variants.
Finding a guide
Browse the Academy and filter by board games or tabletop RPGs, or search by name. When a game has a guide, you'll also see a Learn to play link on its catalog page and on sessions playing it.
New to the hobby?
Skim a guide before a session so you arrive ready — most are a 5-minute read, and they link straight to “find a session” for that game.
Original, not the rulebook
Guides are original summaries to get you playing — they're not a replacement for the official rulebook, which has every edge case.
Still stuck? Browse all help or contact us. To report someone or something, use the report action on the relevant profile, post, or session — it sends us the context automatically.