Welcome to Ludoya! This guide walks you through setting up your account and getting ready for your first game night.

Creating Your Account

You can join Ludoya with just a few clicks using one of two methods:

Email Sign-Up

  1. Visit the Ludoya homepage and click Sign Up
  2. Enter your email address and create a password
  3. Check your email for a confirmation link and click it
  4. You're ready to go!

Google Sign-In

  1. Click Sign In with Google on the sign-up page
  2. Authorize Ludoya to access your Google account
  3. You'll be logged in immediately

First-Login Setup

On your first login, you'll go through a quick setup wizard to personalize your experience:

Avatar & Username

  • Upload a profile picture or choose an avatar style
  • Pick a unique username (this is how other players will find you)
  • You can change these anytime in your settings

Terms & Conditions

  • Review and accept Ludoya's terms of service
  • These protect both you and the community

Once you're done, you'll land on your personal home dashboard.

Your Home Dashboard

Home dashboard with customizable widgets

Your dashboard is your personal command center. It displays customizable widgets showing:

  • Groups — Your gaming groups at a glance
  • Events — Game nights and events you're attending
  • Collection — Featured games from your library
  • Plays — Games you've played lately
  • Statistics — Quick wins, play counts, favorite genres
  • Marketplace — New listings and items you're watching

At the beginning it will all be empty, but you'll start adding content to it as you play.

Reordering & Toggling Widgets

Click the gear icon in the top right corner to trigger the widget editing mode. Here each widget will become:

  • Draggable move it anywhere on the dashboard
  • Toggleable if you don't use it, you can hide it

Organize your dashboard to match how you play.

Setting Your Location

Ludoya shows you events and groups near you based on your location. To set it:

  1. Navigate to Events or Groups
  2. Look for the Location Chooser at the top of the list
  3. Enter your city, neighborhood, or coordinates
  4. Set your distance filter (e.g., show events within 10 km)
  5. The list will instantly refresh to show what's nearby

Building Your Collection

Your game collection is the heart of Ludoya. Start adding your games using one of these methods:

Speed-Add from Catalog

  1. Go to Collection and click Add Game
  2. Click at "Add multiple games at once" at the top
  3. From there, you will see a filterable list of games with a checkbox next to each one
  4. Checking any game immediately adds it to your collection

Import from BoardGameGeek

  1. In Collection, click Import from BGG. You can access this from the Settings menu too.
  2. Enter your BoardGameGeek username
  3. Ludoya will import all games from your BGG collection
  4. Review and adjust ownership types if needed

Importing is a great way to get started quickly if you already catalog your games elsewhere.

Import from Board Game Arena

  1. In Settings, go to Board Game Arena Integration
  2. Enter your BGA username
  3. Ludoya will sync your account
  4. Your BGA collection appears in Ludoya

Following People & Groups

Building your network helps you discover games and events:

Finding People

  1. Use the search bar with the @ prefix (e.g., @alice)
  2. Click a profile to view their collection and reviews
  3. Click Follow to see their activity in your feed

Finding Groups

  1. Search for groups by name or topic in the search bar
  2. Browse groups in the Groups section
  3. Click a group to see its members and upcoming events
  4. Click Join to become a member

Your feed will now show reviews, plays, and events from people and groups you follow.

Personalizing Your Settings

Once you're logged in, access Settings from your profile menu to customize:

  • Language & Theme — Use the icons at the top right of the settings view to change your language or switch between light, dark, or automatic theme
  • Privacy — Control who can see your collection and activity
  • Notifications — Choose which events trigger alerts (emails, app notifications, etc.)
  • Currency — Set your preferred currency for pricing
  • Blocked Users — Manage users you've blocked

See Privacy & Visibility for detailed privacy options.

First Game Night Checklist

You're almost ready! Before your first game night, make sure you've:

  • Created your account and completed setup
  • Set your location
  • Added at least 5 games to your collection
  • Followed at least one group or game friend
  • Updated your profile picture
  • Set your notification preferences
  • Read the Events guide to find a game night near you
  • Joined an event or created your first event

What's Next?

Pick the guide that fits you

These walk you through Ludoya from a specific angle, end to end. Start with the one that best matches how you'll use the app:

  • Players — you mainly want to find game nights, log your plays, and track your gaming life
  • Collectors — you want to catalog, rate, and review your game library (and maybe sell or trade)
  • Clubs & Organizers — you run a group or club and need to schedule events, manage members, and announce to your community
  • Stores & Venues — you operate a venue (store, café, convention) and need professional event operations

Or dive into a specific topic

Welcome to the Ludoya community. Have fun!