FAQs
As we change over to the new site, there will be some teething troubles. On this page we will aim to answer any questions or problems that come up.
How do I sign in?
In the top-right corner, you should see a link that says "Sign In". Click on this and it will ask you to provide your email address. Fill in your email address and click "Sign Me Up". You will then be emailed a link to confirm your email address. Click on the link, and you will be signed in to the website.
You will normally then remain "signed in" ongoing - but when you clear cookies, you will have to repeat the steps above to sign back in. You will not be signing up a second time: this is just how you sign in.
Why sign in?
We have introduced the sign-in process to create a list of "trusted" users, who can use the site to post comments and join games. Once you are known to us, we will mark you as a "trusted" user. Please be patient, this will not always be instantaneous.
How do I post?
Once you have signed in, the link in the top-right corner will change to say "Profile". Click on Profile to amend your display name and colour; you will also see a link labelled "View my posts list". Click here to see anything you have previously posted - and there is a link to "Create" a new post.
When you propose a game (see below), you can post comments to go with it in the "Opening message" field.
To respond to an existing post, or game listing, you can click on the Comments or Reply button below the existing post.
How do I use the site to sign up for a game?
Users can propose games on the Looking to play page. If you wish to join a game, click on the game in question, then click on one of the empty circles under Players. Select yourself from the list, and that place will be assigned to you. (You can also sign others up for a game by selecting their names in this way.)
How do I propose a new game?
Don't be put off by the length of this section: we have spelt everything out in painstaking detail, but it should all be intuitive! On the Looking to play page, click on "Suggest A Game". This will open a screen with sections to fill in to describe the game to other users:
Firstly, "Game Name". The site will search the list on BGG to match what you type in. Having found a match, it will populate the possible number of players and provide imagery from BGG. Please note that the BGG list will often include many expansions - so take a moment to make sure you've chosen the correct one from the list.
You can then override the minimum and maximum number of players if you want to restrict the range specified from BGG.
There are three checkboxes to use:
If you would like to play with someone who can teach you the game, check "Looking for a teacher";
If you don't have your own copy of the game, check "Looking for a copy to play";
If you wish to bring a new game to the club, perhaps not listed yet on BGG, check "Is this a play test".
If you are proposing a game for the coming Thursday, or for the next games day, click on Next game night or Next games day. Or if for another date, you can click on Game date to populate any future date. Or you can leave this blank if you just want to express an interest in playing a game in the future without committing to a specific date. There are subsections for the next Thursday and next games day respectively on the Looking to play listing; everything else will be listed at the bottom under In queue.
If you wish to request a specific table, please select it in the Table drop-down - or leave it as "No Preference" and we will populate it for you.
Finally, you can add some text to introduce your game in the Opening message field.
Click on Save and the game will be added to the list.
How do I allocate a place to a guest?
If you wish to bring a "guest", ie. someone who is not a listed user on the site, we suggest you restrict the maximum number of players and add a comment that one of the places is assigned to them.
How do I remove a game that I posted?
In the event that your game hasn't attracted any interest, so you want to join a different game this week instead: currently there is no way to remove a game from the Looking to play page - this is in development. In the meantime, we suggest you clear the game date (click on "click here to schedule a date", then press Clear): this will allow you to put your name down against a different game for this week. Please also add a comment to your original game asking for it to be removed, so the site admins can do that for you.
Troubleshooting
Here is a summary of issues we are aware of, and how to resolve them if possible.
The link to confirm my email address doesn't work
A few users have experienced this, particularly from carefully-regulated "work" networks. We think we know what the cause is - for now, if you are stuck with this issue, please email the club at npbgclub@gmail.com and let us know.
The link to confirm my email address opens in the wrong browser
Clicking on the link will naturally open the site in your default browser. If you want to open it in a different browser, you can right-click on the link, select "copy link address", then paste into the address bar of your preferred browser.
I get an error message on the Looking to play page
This may happen if you navigate to that page while not signed in. You should be able to resolve that error by following the Sign In process as outlined above. If the error persists, please post on the site or email npbgclub@gmail.com.
Links to specific pages on the old site don't work
Pages like Games This Week and About The Club, which have essentially been replicated on the new site, will not necessarily have web addresses that precisely match their predecessors'. If you have saved any such links as favourites, you will have to update them with the new addresses, which you can navigate to via hyperlinks from the Home page, whose address remains the same. The Noticeboard page has not been replicated on the new site, as it has been replaced by the Posts section as described above.