Playing over a video call
Share the big screen in your call, and everyone joins with their own phone, wherever they are.
FlickerTale is made for one room, but a video call can be that room. One person’s screen becomes the table everyone sees; each player’s phone stays their own, and so do their cards.
Setting it up
- The host opens flickertale.com on a laptop or desktop and chooses Set the table.
- In the call, the host shares that browser tab or window. Sharing one tab keeps the rest of the desktop private.
- Everyone opens flickertale.com on their phone and types the code they see on the shared screen, or points their phone’s camera at the QR code on their call screen. The host can also paste the link from Copy the link for the group chat into the call’s chat.
- When everyone is in, the host starts the game.
People in the same home as the host can play from the same shared screen, or sit in front of the host’s real one.
Tips
- Share the sound. The table has a soft soundtrack; most calls can share a tab’s sound along with the picture. Turn it on with the chip in the corner of the lobby.
- Trust your phone’s clock. A shared screen often runs a second or two behind. Every phone shows the same clock as the table, straight from the server.
- Say clues out loud, if your table likes that better. The storyteller can say the clue in the call instead of typing it.
- Keep the code in the call. Anyone who sees the code can join until the game starts; after that the table is locked and the code comes off the screen. Share the screen in your call, not on a public stream.
- Two screens for the host. If the host is playing too, their phone is their hand, as for everyone else; the laptop only shows the table.
Last changed on 29 September 2026.