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For Board gamersUpdated Oct 12, 20263 min read

Deal tonight's pick with the Table Oracle

Tap the people coming, count guests, pick a saved group, say how long you've got and the mood, and deal a hand of four games from everyone's shelves.

  • ~4 min
  • New to it
  • Part 1 of 2
On this page
  1. Before you start
  2. Choose who's at the table
  3. Save the group (optional)
  4. Ask, and deal
  5. If something's off

The Table Oracle answers What do we play tonight? from the shelves of the people actually coming. It deals four cards: its pick, and three more.

Before you start

  • A Waypoint account, signed in.
  • Board games on your shelf, and ideally on your friends' — the Oracle only deals games someone at the table owns (see Build your shelf).
  • At least one connection or Circle-mate. With nobody to pick, it offers Find members and Browse circles instead.

Choose who's at the table

  1. Open the Oracle

    In the Board Games Realm's rail, choose Table Oracle. It asks What do we play tonight?

  2. Tap the people coming

    Under Who's at the table, tap each person's chip — your connections and anyone who shares a Circle with you. You are always counted. With more than eight people, type in Find someone, or press + … more to see everyone.

  3. Count the guests

    In Guests without a Waypoint Realms account, enter how many are coming (up to 12). They own no shelves here, but they still take up chairs.

Check it worked

The line under the heading counts the table — for example 4 players — you + 2 on Waypoint Realms + 1 guest.

Save the group (optional)

  1. Start a group

    Under Saved groups, press + New. It's greyed out until you've tapped at least one person.

  2. Name it

    Type a Group name — for example Thursday crew — and press Save. Guests are saved with it.

  3. Use it next time

    Tap the group's chip to fill in its people and guests; One-off table clears them.

Check it worked

The new group's chip is selected. Change who's tapped afterwards and tonight's deal counts as a one-off — the saved group stays as it was.

Ask, and deal

  1. Say how long you've got

    Under How long have you got, choose 30m, 1h, 90m, 2h, 3h (the default) or All night for no limit. Teaching time counts against it.

  2. Pick a mood

    Whatever's good, Something chill, Something meaty, Party / big table or Something new. Hover a mood to see what it favours.

  3. Narrow it (optional)

    Tick Someone can teach it to drop games a newcomer would need taught and nobody at the table can teach, or New to someone to drop games everyone has played.

  4. Deal

    Press Deal the hand. It reads Reading the shelves… for a moment.

Check it worked

Four cards fan out under a line like The deal · 4 players · 3h, one of them marked ★ Oracle's pick. Each card shows players, time and weight, and one line of reasons — for example Mira wants to play it, the group rates it 4.2/5, and Kai can teach it. Under the line, from 12 games on your shelves says what was ruled out and why.

Next: from pick to game night — shortlist, skip, and make a session from the pick.

If something's off

“Nothing on your shelves fits tonight”
Every game was ruled out — the text says how many for player count, length or nobody owning it. Allow more time, untick the filters, or press Add games to your shelf. Only board games on a shelf marked as owned are dealt; roleplaying systems on a shelf aren't.
Someone I play with isn't in the list
Only connections and Circle-mates appear. Connect with them first (see Connections and the directory).
“One person in … is no longer available for a table…”
Someone in a saved group is no longer a connection or Circle-mate. The deal goes ahead without their shelf.
“You've saved all 2 of your groups.”
Free keeps two. Deal without saving, or upgrade for unlimited groups.
“That's more players than one table seats.”
A table holds 12 people, you and guests included.

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