Frequently asked questions

Help center for game hosts

Creating your account

How do I get started?

Get started by creating a free account here. After creating your account, you can start inviting players and setting up your game. We recommend starting out by playing a free trial game with up to 10 players, to test out all the features. This will help you be better prepared for your actual game with more players. You play a trial game by going through all of the normal setup steps in the host dashboard, the game will automatically be a trial game as long as you don't add more than 10 players.

What happens after I create my account?

After creating your account, you will be led through our intuitive setup process. The first step is to set your game rules. These can also be edited later during the game, so there is no pressure to get it right from the start! The next step

  1. Set your game rules. You will be able to edit your rules later during the game, so there is no pressure to get it right from the start! 
  2. Invite your players by providing their email addresses. Invites are free of charge.
  3. Pay for the game. Once your players have joined the game, you pay for the players who have joined. Once you have paid, no additional players can accept their invites.
  4. Start the game. When you start the game, you will be taken to the control dashboard and the players will be assigned their target automatically. The players will be notified with a push notification.
Does it cost any money to sign up?

Creating an account is completely free of charge. Trial games are also free of charge. You will only be charged for games with more than 10 players. You can read more about pricing here.

Trial games

How do I start a trial game?

You play a trial game by going through all of the normal setup steps in the host dashboard, the game will automatically be a trial game as long as you don't add more than 10 players. In other words, all games with less than 11 players are free of charge. You can play as many trial games as you want.

How do trial games work?

All games that are played with less than 11 players automatically become trial games. You will still have full access to all of the features in a normal game, but the game will be free of charge. You can play as many subsequent free trial games as you want, and you can cancel a trial game mid-game whenever you want. To get started, you just create a free account, and start adding players.

Setting up your game

How do I add players?

After creating your host account, you will be taken through our intuitive game setup process. The second step in that process is to invite your players to the game. You invite players by inputing their email addresses in an invite form. When submitting an email address, an invite email will automatically be sent to that player with instructions on how to join your game.

What happens after player invites are sent?

When you send a player invite through the host dashboard, an email will automatically be sent to the provided email address. This is how they accept the invite and join the game:

  1. The player gets an email invite
  2. The player downloads our mobile app for iOS and Android through a link in the email
  3. The player creates a player account in the app, and joins the game through the unique invite code from their email invite
  4. The player waits in the game lobby until the game host starts the game
  5. When the game starts, the player will see their assigned target in the app

You will only be charged for a player after they've joined the game. Players who don't accept their invite, will not join the game and you will not be charged for those invites.

Is there any limitation to the game rules?

No, the content of your rules is completely up to you as the game host. The players will see whatever rules you set from the host dashboard. You also have the flexibility to edit the rules during the course of the game.

Disclaimer: we do not take any legal responsibility for the rules you write, nor the consequences of those rules

Controlling the game

How much control do I have over the game?

The game host has full control over the game. You can shuffle targets, communicate with players, edit players' scores and eliminate and revive players at your will. You can also end the game manually at any point.

Can I edit the game rules after the game has started?

Yes, you will always be able to edit your game rules, even during active gameplay. We do however recommend you don't change them to often, as this can lead to confusion among the players.

Can I invite players when the game has started?

No, players have to be invited before the game starts.

Is it possible to assign multiple targets to a player?

Yes, you can choose how many targets the players will have from the host dashboard. Players can even have up to 10 targets each. All players will have the same amount of targets, so you can't give any particular player more or less targets that the others.

Having multiple targets per player is a popular feature that we highly recommend you try out if you want to spice up the game.

When will the game end?

The game ends automatically when only two players remain. The player out of the two finalists who has the most points, will be declared as the winner.

What happens if I choose to end the game early?

If you end the game manually in the middle of gameplay, the player that has not yet been eliminated and has the most points will be declared as the winner.

Players

What happens if a player breaks the rules?

It is up to the game host to reinforce their own game rules. You will have the ability to manually terminate any player at any point through the host dashboard. You will also be able to revive that same player at any point after that. We recommend disqualifying any player who breaks the rules.

Can the host terminate players?

Yes, the game host can manually terminate or revive any player at any point through the host dashboard.

Can I see the targets of each player?

No, you will have to ask any player individually if they wish to share their current target with you.

Two players have each other as target, is this a problem?

No, this is part of the game. If two players have each other as target, whoever catches the other one first gets the  points just like with any other target. After catching your target your will be assigned a new one. Targets are randomized based on our algoritms and on rare occasions two players get each other.

Pricing

How much does it cost?

You will be able to access the full power of Catcher Games for only $1.50 per player. Read more about pricing here.

Is there a free trial?

You can play as many free trial games as you want. Any game with less than 11 players is always automatically free of charge. You will still have full access to all features in your trial games.

Who pays, the host or the players?

The game host pays a fee per player in the game. The host will be charged for all players at the same time. Most commonly, the host will collect a separate fee directly from the players in order to finance the game and a cash price for the winner. Catcher Games does currently not offer any feature to do this in our app.

When will I be charged?

The game host can choose to pay for the game whenever they want. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • You can not start the game until after payment
  • You will only be charged for players who have actually joined the game through their invite. Unaccepted invites will not count
  • Players who have not accepted their invite yet will not be able to join the game after payment
  • After payment, the game does not start automatically. You will be able to start it manually whenever you want.

General

Is there a mobile app for game hosts?

There is currently no mobile app for the game host. You can start hosting a game by creating an account and signing in to our web dashboard here.

Can the host be a player in the game?

The game host can not play in their own game with their host account. They can however create a separate player account in the mobile app for players and invite themselves through that separate email address.

Can I host multiple games with the same account?

Yes, you can host as many games as you want from the same account. Keep in mind that you can only host one game at a time, so in order to start a new game you need to terminate any ongoing game. You pay separately for each game.