How to Manage Players and Connections in a VirtualTabletop.io Room

Updated

Every browser tab that has the room open counts as one player connection. To manage them, open the Players panel in the room: there you can rename a player, change their color, view the game as that player, or add a local player who shares your device. Remote players join by opening the room URL you share, and each of their tabs appears in the same list.

What counts as a player connection

VirtualTabletop.io treats each browser tab with the room open as one connection of a player. That has two practical consequences:

  • If you open the same room in three tabs, you have three connections listed, even on one device.
  • If you add a player while the room is open in more than one tab, the current tab switches to that player, so each tab can act as its own player.

This is why the player list is really a list of connections, not a list of people.

The player management buttons

The Players table gives you one row of controls per player:

Button What it does When it's available
Rename (edit) Renames the player everywhere in the game Always
Visibility Views the game as this player Greyed out while that player is connected and playing
Delete Removes the player from the list Only shown while they are not connected; asks first if parts of the game still belong to them
Add (person_add) Adds a player who shares this device Always
Share Shares the room URL so other players can join Always

The visibility button is the one to remember for checking a hidden hand or a private view: it only works once the player is disconnected, because you can't peek through a connection that is actively playing.

Adding players for remote play and hotseat

The two setups use the same player list but different buttons.

Remote play

Everybody plays on their own device. Send them the room URL with the share button, and they join the table as soon as they open it. Their browser tab shows up in the player list as a connection, and they can pick their own name and color in the table.

Hotseat

Several people share one device. Add each of them with the person_add row of the table, then use the visibility button to switch this browser tab to whoever's turn it is. Only the browser tab switches over; the game itself stays untouched.

Removing a player

A player can only be removed while they are disconnected. If parts of the game still belong to them, the interface asks for confirmation before deleting. If you need to remove someone who is still connected, they have to close their tab first.

Common snags

  • A player won't appear in the list. Their tab isn't open on the room URL yet. Re-send the share link.
  • The visibility button is greyed out. That player is still connected and playing. Ask them to disconnect, then switch to their view.
  • Adding a player changed the wrong tab. With the room open in several tabs, adding a player switches the current tab to them. Do it from the tab you want to reassign.
  • A player can't be deleted. They are still connected, or the confirmation prompt is waiting for an answer.

To switch to a different game entirely, return to the main server first.