Spare Chair GamesRelease 1
Free to play. Still improving.
Spare Chair Games is for adult, in-person hidden-role game nights. Mafia is our first game to test with invited groups. Games, timing, balance, and availability are still being tested. Check the home page to see whether this environment is open for new rooms. Nothing is for sale.
Room conduct
Use a display name appropriate for the people in your room. The host controls the room from the host remote and should end a session if somebody is disruptive.
No account or purchase
No account, subscription, purchase, prize, or paid feature is part of Release 1. Joining a room from a phone is free.
Availability
Keep the room open during play. A server restart ends the active game. Where room recovery is enabled, the group returns to the lobby and starts a new game; active progress does not resume. Otherwise the room is lost. Inactive rooms eventually expire.
Questions people actually ask
What do I need to play?
Each human player needs a connected phone browser, including the host if they want to play. The Mafia phone-play prototype puts public events in The table and private choices in My role & actions. A TV or laptop is optional for Mafia; other games may still need a shared screen. The hosted site needs internet. Guests need no account or download.
How do my friends join?
The host shares a four-letter room code. Friends open this site on their phones, type the code and a name, and take a seat. Joining is free.
Why can't I start a room?
Availability depends on the environment and its approved playtest settings. The home page tells you when new rooms are unavailable. If you already have a room code, you can still try joining that room. A game being in development does not mean it is open to play.
Does it cost anything?
No. Release 1 is free to play, with no prices set and nothing for sale. If that ever changes, it will be said here plainly first.
How many people can play?
Mafia seats 6 to 15 players. The Ninth Lantern seats 5 to 10 and remains in internal testing. In a Party Room, computer players can fill empty seats, but at least one human must play. Computer seats are labeled; they do not need phones. We are testing with adult groups of 5 to 10 people, and listed game lengths are estimates until measured with real groups.
What happens if someone's phone dies mid-game?
Reopen the same room in the same browser on the same device. Your saved seat can reconnect while that room still exists. The code alone cannot recover your private role on a different device or after browser storage is cleared. A disconnected host may pass control to another seated player; the shared screen stays public.
Who is this for?
Adult groups playing together in person. Expect hidden roles, bluffing, and accusations. Agree on a comfortable tone before starting, and let anyone opt out.