Finding Board Games by Player Count, Playtime, and Complexity
Having 6 people for game night? Only have an hour? Want something simple? Learn how to find the perfect board game for any situation using tableport's filters.
You've got exactly 5 people for game night. You have about 90 minutes before someone needs to leave. Half the group hasn't played many board games before. What do you play?
This is the eternal board gamer's dilemma, and it's surprisingly hard to solve by just staring at your shelf or scrolling through random lists.
The Filtering Approach
tableport's game browser lets you filter by the factors that actually matter when choosing a game:
Player Count
This is usually your biggest constraint. You have X people, and you need a game that works for X people. Our filter lets you specify exact player counts, and we'll show you games where that number falls within the supported range.
A game listed as 2-6 players will show up when you filter for 4 players. But be aware: just because a game supports a player count doesn't mean it's best at that count. We're working on adding "recommended" player count information to help with this.
Playtime
Got all evening? Go for an epic. Got an hour? Filter for games under 60 minutes. Our playtime filter helps you find games that fit your schedule.
Pro tip: Published playtimes often assume experienced players. Your first play of a 90-minute game might take 2+ hours with rules explanation and slower decision-making.
Complexity
This is probably the most underused filter. If you're playing with newcomers, filter for lighter complexity games. If your group has played hundreds of games together, you might want something heavier.
Complexity ratings come from BoardGameGeek's community-rated "weight" system, where:
- 1.0-2.0 = Light (party games, simple family games)
- 2.0-3.0 = Medium-Light (gateway games, easy strategy)
- 3.0-4.0 = Medium-Heavy (deeper strategy, more rules)
- 4.0-5.0 = Heavy (complex, longer learning curve)
Categories
Want a worker placement game? A deck builder? A party game? Filter by category to narrow down to specific mechanisms you enjoy.
Combining Filters
Combining filters is where it gets useful. Here's an example search:
- Players: 5
- Playtime: Under 90 minutes
- Complexity: 2.0-3.0
- Category: Strategy
This gives you medium-weight strategy games that work for 5 people in under 90 minutes. Much more useful than scrolling through thousands of options.
Using Your Library
Once you've added games to your personal library, you can filter your own collection the same way. This is incredibly useful when standing in front of your shelf trying to decide what to pull out.
"What do I own that works for 3 players, takes under an hour, and isn't too complex?"
Your filtered library answers that question instantly.
Beyond Basic Filters
We're working on improving game discovery. Some things on our roadmap if there is :
- "Best at" player counts from community data
- Recommendations based on your match history
- "Similar to" suggestions
- Friend recommendations based on overlapping libraries
Finding the right game isn't about finding the "best" game, it's about finding the best game for this specific situation.
The tableport Team, hello@tableport.gg