The help library

Setting up a game

The big screen, the phones, the code and the first round, step by step.

The big screen

The big screen is the table: everyone looks at it, nobody touches it much. Any screen with a modern web browser will do: a TV’s own browser, a laptop (on the coffee table, or plugged into the TV), a tablet. A laptop plugged into the TV with a cable is the steadiest of all; a TV’s built-in browser is often slow.

On that screen, open flickertale.com and choose Set the table. It becomes the table and shows:

• the site’s address and a five-letter code to type on a phone;
• a QR code for phone cameras;
• Copy the link for the group chat, a link to send to anyone who has not arrived yet;
• the seats, filling up as people sit down.

The screen that set the table is the host. It starts the game, changes the rules, and pauses or ends a game from its corner.

The phones

Everyone opens flickertale.com on their phone and types the code, or scans the QR code with the camera. Then:

1. Type the name the table should call you. Leave it empty and you are named after your companion.
2. Choose a companion, the little creature that stands for you on the big screen, and a colour. Each seat has its own.
3. Tap Take my seat.

Your phone remembers the name and companion for next time. It also remembers your seat in this game, so a reload puts you straight back.

Before you start

• The rules. Tap Change the rules on the big screen to choose a way to play (Classic, Quick, Party or Relaxed) or to change the clocks, the points and how the game ends. The rules reference lists every rule.
• Sound. The big screen is silent until you turn the sound on with the chip in the corner.
• A seat short? Tap Add a house player among the seats. See house players.

When everyone is in, the host starts the game. From then on, anyone new who arrives can watch, and take a seat when the next round begins.

At the end

The big screen crowns the winner and tells a few tales of the night. Play again, same table deals a new game to the same people, and every phone keeps its seat and companion. New players sets a fresh table with a new code.

Last changed on 29 September 2026.