Frequently asked questions

Why is deshelved free? Are there ads?

No ads — now or ever. I built deshelved for my own game group, and opening it up to everyone else was just the natural next step. Adverts pull focus away from what the site is actually for: getting your group around a table. There's nothing being sold here and no attention to monetise — it's simply a tool I wanted to exist.

How are expansions handled in the player-count filter?

If you own an expansion that raises a game's player count, that game shows up when you filter for those higher counts — even under Recommended or Best. BoardGameGeek's community poll only covers the base game's player counts, so for the counts an expansion unlocks we treat the expansion itself as the recommendation. For example, Flamme Rouge plays 2–4 on its own, but with the Peloton expansion it appears when you filter for 6 players.

What about my privacy?

There are no third-party trackers or advertising networks anywhere on the site, and your data is never sold or shared. We store only what's needed to run the app — your display name, your email (used for login only), and the BoardGameGeek data you choose to sync. By default your BGG password isn't stored — you enter it only when syncing play history, used once and discarded. You can optionally choose to save it (encrypted) so you don't have to re-enter it when your session expires, and you can remove it any time in Settings. Guests don't need an account at all.

Do my guests need an account?

No. Hosts need a free account to create events and sync a collection, but guests just open the link, pick their name, and vote — no sign-up, no email, nothing to install.

Can guests bring their own games?

Yes. A signed-in guest can suggest games from their own collection, not just the host's — handy when someone's bringing a game the host doesn't own. Suggested games show who's bringing them and go to the host for approval.

How does it help us actually pick a night?

As well as voting on games, everyone can mark which dates they're free. deshelved highlights the dates the most people can make (and quietly excludes clashes with your other events), so the host can lock in a night that works for the group.

Will it remember who I play with?

If you sync your BGG play history, deshelved builds your Crew — the people you play with most — so you can add them to events in a click, and it shows how many times you've played each game before.

Can I add an event to my calendar?

Once a date is set, both the event editor and the guest view show an Add to calendar link. It downloads a standard calendar file that opens straight into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, or whatever you use — on phone or desktop.

What is the cheat sheet?

Once you attach a rulebook PDF to a game in your collection, deshelved reads the rules and generates a short quick-reference card — setup, turn order, key rules, end game, and quick tips. It's designed to keep the game moving without needing to dig into the full rulebook mid-session. You can edit and save the cheat sheet if anything needs correcting.

Can I ask questions about the rules?

Yes. Once a rulebook PDF is attached, a 💬 icon appears in the top-right of the card back. Tap it to open the rulebook chat. Type any rules question and the AI answers using only the content of the attached PDF — it won't guess or fill gaps with general knowledge. If the answer isn't in the rulebook it will say so. You can also ask it to add something to the cheat sheet; it will verify the information against the PDF before saving. Chat history is not kept between sessions.

What does Find PDF do?

Tapping Find PDF on a game card's back face runs a web search for a publisher-hosted rulebook PDF and downloads it automatically if one is found. It works best for popular titles with freely available digital rulebooks. There is a monthly search limit; if that's reached for the month, the button will say nothing was found — you can still upload a PDF manually.

Why was my PDF rejected?

Only text-based PDFs are accepted. Scanned rulebooks saved as images inside a PDF — common with older games — cannot be read, so the cheat sheet cannot be generated from them. If your PDF is rejected, try finding the publisher's official digital edition, which is almost always text-based.

Other help articles: Hosting an event · Joining as a guest · Why sign up? · Voting & results · Availability & dates · BoardGameGeek sync · Your collection · Play log · Passwords & security · Mobile apps