How playednow.com works

1The site at a glance

When you open playednow.com you land in the Community section. You don't need an account — reading always works.

The header bar

The five sections

2Ready in five minutes

Five steps, and you've done all the important things once.

1. Look around. Click through the tabs, open a card, read, go back. No account needed.
2. Share something. Bottom left, tap “+ Moments of Play”, enter the game title and some text, add a photo, send. Works without an account too — then you just leave your email address, and we review the post before it goes live.
3. Create an account. Top right on “Sign In”, then “New? Create Account”. Name, email, password — done. Member posts go live without any wait.
4. Join in. Under every post you can give a heart, write a comment or follow the author.
5. Save things and stay in the loop. Put posts, campaigns and deals on your list with “Bookmark”; the bell tells you about reactions — and, if you like, via push or email too.

3On your phone

The site adapts automatically. Posts are stacked below each other, and the tabs turn into a row you can swipe.

Everything works just like on a computer. When submitting, you can also use the camera or the microphone directly. On your phone the assistant opens as a panel from the bottom that you can swipe down to close.

4Account and sign-in

Reading, commenting and submitting work without an account. For hearts, following, bookmarks, messages and notifications you need one.

Signing in

A click on “Sign In” opens the fields right in the header bar — no page change.

Creating an account

Forgot your password?

On the sign-in page, click “Forgot your password?” and enter your email address — we'll send you a reset link. Use it to choose a new password.

Change your email address

The new address only becomes active once you enter the code from the email sent to the new address. That way we know it really belongs to you — and nothing gets lost if there was a typo.

5Community and News: reading posts

Every post is a card. Click it to open the full post.

The card shows the label (Game moment, News, Event …), image, game title, start of the text and source. At the bottom you'll see the author and time plus the number of comments and hearts. When signed in, you'll also find Follow and Bookmark there.

Every post has a post ID (the number in the address, e.g. /beitrag/560). Please include this number with any questions or removal requests.

Where posts come from

6Hearts, comments, replies, following

The comment section sits below every post and every event.

1. Give a heart. Click the heart — on the post or on a single comment. Click again to take it back. You need to be signed in for this.
2. Comment. Tap into the “Write a comment...” field — it expands. Write your text, optionally attach an image or add an emoji, then hit “Send Comment”.
3. Reply. “↩ Reply” on a comment opens the input field right below it — your reply is visibly attached to that comment.
4. Follow. The “Follow” button next to the author. With “Following” above the feed you'll only see posts from people you follow — and the bell tells you about their new posts.

7Submitting your own post

Via “+ Moments of Play” at the bottom left, via the menu — or directly via playednow.com/?submit=1.

8Search, sorting and filters

Right above the feed: search field, sorting, the Filter button and the All posts / Following toggle.

Apply takes over your selection. Active filters show up as small chips above the feed; Reset brings everything back to the start.

9Events

Game nights, fairs and meetups — at playednow.com/termine.

Every event card shows date, place, venue and a description. Recurring events (e.g. weekly game meetups) are marked as such. A click opens the detail page with all the info, a link to the organiser and comments.

Save an event

When signed in, you can save an event on its detail page (“Save event”). You'll find your saved events via the star button at the top of the Events section.

Report an event

Missing a game night or a fair? Add it via “+ Report event” at the top of the Events section (you need to be signed in for this).

10Crowdfunding

Live board game campaigns from Kickstarter, Gamefound, Spieleschmiede and BackerKit — at playednow.com/crowdfunding.

Newly launched campaigns come first. Use the sorting to pick Trending (what's growing fastest right now), Most funded or Ending soon. Filter by Type (board games, accessories, RPG), Platform, and search by title or publisher.

Amounts in foreign currencies are also converted to euros. The figures are updated several times an hour. “View campaign” takes you straight to the platform; with Bookmark you add the campaign to the bookmarks in your profile.

11Deals

Discounted board games from various shops — at playednow.com/angebote.

Sort by Recommended, Biggest discount, Biggest saving, Lowest price or BGG rating. Filter by shop, limited-time offers, Sale / Below RRP / Best price, price limit and language edition.

“Ask a question” creates a “Question about a deal” card in the Community — others answer in the comments, and the current deal status sits right below. With Bookmark the deal lands in your bookmarks.

12The board game assistant

The chat bubble at the bottom right opens an assistant for board game questions.

Type your question and press Send. Enter sends, Shift + Enter starts a new line. The assistant knows the posts on the site, events, new releases and crowdfunding campaigns, and links to matching posts.

Fullscreen on a computer

Handy for long answers with lots of links. On your phone the assistant already uses almost the whole screen; to close it, swipe down or tap ✕.

Questions about SPIEL Essen 2026

For SPIEL Essen 2026 the assistant knows more than 900 exhibitors and around 1,300 new releases with hall and booth, plus the programme, entrances, ticket sales and the sold-out reports that the editorial team and community submit live from the show floor. “What's new in Hall 4?” works just as well.

Feedback for the team

If your message starts with “Feedback:”, “Bug:”, “Error:” or “Suggestion:”, it won't get an answer — it goes straight to the team instead. The fastest way to tell us about a bug or a wish.

13Notifications

Signed-in users see a bell in the header bar with all reactions.

You're notified about:

• New posts from people you follow
• Hearts on your posts and comments
• Comments on your posts
• Replies to your comments
• New messages in the user chat

Each type has its own icon, plus a time such as “5 min ago”. An entry only disappears once you click it.

Sound

When the number on the bell goes up or a new message arrives while the site is open, you'll hear a short chime. The switch for it sits in the bell panel (speaker icon) and in the settings; it applies per device. Browsers only play the sound after your first click on the page.

Push on phone and desktop

Tap “Allow push” in the notification settings. Then you'll get a notification straight to your phone or desktop — even when the site isn't open. You can undo it any time with “Disable push”.

Email notifications

Prefer an email? Under Email notifications, choose exactly what for — new messages, comments, replies, hearts or new posts from people you follow. The emails come in your chosen language.

14Messages (user chat)

Private conversations with other members — at playednow.com/nachrichten.

You start a conversation from a member's profile via “Message”. In the input field you can attach an image (paper clip) and add emojis. Unread messages show up as a number next to your name in the header bar and in the bell.

With Block in the thread you stop any further messages from that person. Images in messages are private and only visible to the two people in the chat.

15Profile and bookmarks

You reach your profile via your name in the header bar → My profile.

You'll find Bookmark on every post card, every campaign and every deal. Saved events have their own list in the Events section.

With Edit profile you change your name, profile picture and bio. Under Settings → “My data” you can download all data stored about you as a file.

16Menu, language and removal requests

The menu

Changing the language

Your choice is saved and still applies on your next visit. When signed in, you can also set the language in your profile — then notifications and emails come in that language. Alternatively via the address: playednow.com/?lang=en

Request post removal

For legal reasons (e.g. personal rights, false information or copyright) there's the Request post removal form in the menu. Briefly describe what it's about — we check it, hide the post for the time being and get back to you. The author is notified so they can give their side. Your own posts you simply delete in your profile under “Posts”.

17Questions and answers

Do I need an account?

Not for reading, commenting and submitting. For hearts, following, bookmarks, messages and notifications, yes.

Why don't I see my post straight away?

Posts without an account are reviewed before they go live; once approved, you'll get an email. Member posts appear right away.

Can I have a post removed?

Your own posts you delete in your profile under “Posts”. For other people's posts, use Request post removal in the menu and include the post ID.

What does playednow.com cost?

Nothing. The site is funded by the tiles marked ANZEIGE and by affiliate links in the Deals section.

What are affiliate links?

Links to shops where playednow.com gets a small commission if you buy there. The price stays the same for you.

My language setting doesn't stick

The setting is stored in a cookie. If your browser deletes cookies, the site switches back to German. Just pick your language again via the flag icon — or set it in your profile while signed in.

Is the SPIEL Essen coverage complete?

Yes — the assistant knows more than 900 exhibitors and around 1,300 new releases at SPIEL 2026 with hall and booth, plus the programme and ticket sales. On top of that come the fair reports and sold-out notes from the community — live from the show floor.

How do I report a bug or make a suggestion?

Start a message to the assistant with “Feedback:” or “Bug:” — it goes straight to the team. Or send an email to the address in the Imprint.