Your first game
Connect to your server and join a shared table.
Join a room
- Open your group's Open Tabletop server in a browser.
- Sign in to your account, or use quick join to create a player account.
- Enter the room code from the host.
- If the room requires approval, wait for a GM to admit you.
Use the same account when returning to a game. Saved hands and turns belong to accounts, not seats.
Host a room
Room creation requires an approved host account or a site administrator. Setting a password alone does not grant host access. Request host access and ask your server administrator to approve it.
Create a room from the lobby and share its code from Room info. The code display is available to GMs, owners, and site administrators. The room owner can change its name and require approval for new players. The in-table Room info > Members section manages admission and room roles.
Set up the table
GMs can choose a built-in game setup or load a saved scene. The built-in setups include Chess, Checkers, Go, Dominoes, Wordy McWordface, Mahjong, and Poker Night. These place game objects and may deal starting hands; players still follow the rules themselves. Set up replaces the current game, including pieces, hands, and turn state. Use a new room if you want to keep an existing game.
Open Library and choose Games & Scenes > Games to find a built-in setup, then choose Set up. For individual pieces, Helpers and GMs use the Library category tabs. Ordinary players use pieces already on the table and their personal Table Actions > Dice Box. Filters > Built-In shows bundled assets; Filters > Custom shows saved assets. Site administrators create assets through GM Controls > Add to Library. On a narrow screen, use Menu > Open > Library or Menu > Room > Add to Library.
Play and save
Drag a piece to move it. Drag empty table space to orbit the camera. Right-click a piece, or long-press it on touch, for its actions. Cards have their own take and flip gestures; see the controls guide.
Before ending a session, a GM can use GM Controls > Save Table. The room also saves when the last player leaves. Read Saving and resuming for the difference between a game snapshot and a reusable scene.
Sources checked: README.md, public/landing.js, public/table/table-shell.js. Reviewed September 29, 2026 against the working source. Published releases may differ; check the changelog for your version.