Nudge field guide
How to Start and Manage a Nudge Game
A step-by-step guide to creating a Nudge game, sharing an invite, managing turns, reminders, inactive matches, and rematches.
Nudge games begin with a web link rather than a friend code or app download. The host chooses a game, configures its table, and sends the resulting invitation through a group chat. The link brings each recipient to the correct room.
The steps are intentionally short, but a few choices—player count, poker format, notification permission, and game cleanup—have a large effect on the experience. This guide follows a match from creation through rematch.
Choose an account type
A connected account is the best choice for regular play because it keeps a profile, statistics, cosmetics, and notification preferences tied to the same identity. Email/password and Google sign-in are both available. A guest account is useful for joining quickly, but it is temporary and does not offer the same long-term record.
Use one identity consistently. Creating multiple guest sessions on different devices can make the same person look like different players and split their game history.
Create the right table
From Home, select Trivia Battle, 8-Ball Pool, Crazy 8, Chess, Checkers, Battleship, or Texas Hold’em. Pool, chess, checkers, and Battleship are two-player games. Crazy 8 and poker allow the host to choose a larger table. Poker also asks whether the match ends with one player standing or after a fixed number of hands, and what happens when a stack reaches zero.
Do not reserve ten seats simply because the control allows it. A table should match the people who already intend to play; fewer participants usually means faster turns and a higher chance of reaching the ending.
Share and verify the invitation
Send the generated link through the group’s usual messaging app. Ask the first recipient to confirm that the preview names the expected game and that the room opens. Link previews are descriptive, but the game itself still verifies capacity and availability when the player arrives.
A room may be unavailable if it has been cancelled, completed and removed, or filled before another recipient joins. When that happens, return Home and create a fresh room instead of repeatedly forwarding the expired link.
Understand the Home game lists
Active contains current invitations and matches. Inactive separates games that have been quiet long enough to need attention. History holds completed games. Status labels indicate whether the table is waiting for players, expecting your action, or waiting for an opponent.
Refresh can request the latest state immediately, while realtime updates and background polling normally keep the list current. If a device was offline, reopening Home is the simplest way to reconcile its view with the server.
Notifications, cleanup, and rematches
Connected users can enable browser notifications. Permission belongs to the browser and device, so enabling it on a laptop does not automatically enable it on a phone. If notifications are declined, turns remain available from Home and the shared chat can still carry reminders.
Hosts can cancel a waiting room. Players can move stale matches out of their active workflow, and completed opponents can propose a rematch. Treat cleanup as organization rather than punishment: it keeps the next important turn visible.
- Enable notifications only on devices where turn alerts are useful.
- Use History to confirm a result before beginning a rematch.
- Decline a rematch when the group needs a break instead of leaving the invitation pending.
Frequently asked questions
Can a guest create a game?
Yes, a guest can play quickly, but a connected account is better for durable history and notification features.
Why does a game say it is unavailable?
The room may be full, cancelled, completed and removed, or no longer visible to that player.
Will closing the browser end the game?
No. Confirmed moves are stored on the server and the room can be opened again from its link or Home.