FAQ
Questions at the door
Short answers to the things people write in about. If yours is not here, ask.
Are the table cards real reviews or summaries?
Real reviews. Each game is played for at least three weeks on a fresh free account by two of us before anything is written, and the mark is a weighted average of four criteria. The method is on the how we mark page.
Why only six games?
Because three weeks each, twice over, is the only way we know to say something true about week three. We would rather have six cards we stand behind than sixty blurbs. The list changes when a game drops below 7.0 or a new one earns a table.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Every game in the Map Room runs in a normal web browser. All six also have mobile apps that share your account.
Are the games free?
Free to register and free to play properly — that is an entry rule. Every one has a shop selling a premium currency. The fairness mark tells you how much that shop matters, and the paid week on the method page explains how we test it.
What do “A visit”, “Visits” and “Risk” mean on a card?
A visit is how long one useful check-in took us by the second week. Visits is how many a day kept the account moving. Risk is what another player can take from you — nothing, something, or everything you have built.
What happens when I press “Reserve a seat”?
It opens the game’s official website in a new tab. The link is an affiliate link: if you register, the publisher may pay us a small commission at no cost to you. Marks are locked before links are added and never change because of them.
Can a publisher pay for a table or a better mark?
No. Publishers cannot buy a table, do not see a card before it is published and have never been offered a higher mark. If that ever changed, this page would say so.
What is on the home page?
The parlour: three games you can try in your browser with virtual coins, the lounge etiquette for them and a concierge desk with support links. Everything about the strategy games lives in the Map Room.
Does the site use cookies?
Not for tracking. We set no analytics or advertising cookies. Embedded games only load after you press a key, and from then on their operator may store what it needs to run. Details on the cookies page.
Can I use the site without JavaScript?
Every page reads without it. The menu button, the contact form helper and the stage on the home page need JavaScript; each machine also has a plain “open in a new tab” link.
How do I report a mistake?
Write to us with the game and what is wrong. Corrections are made on the card and dated.