I have a question about the current state of a created game.

Let's say you have a template with exactly 10 slots, and you'd like them all filled. You don't want the game to begin before they are all filled.

This means you cannot invite more than 10 players. But if any of them Decline while all the other seats are filled, the game will start without all 10 slots in play. (For example, if 9 players accept, but the 10th declines, the game automatically begins with only 9 players.)

Is there a good way around this? What can be done?

Create a random slot #11 and invite RaffleBot to it;
Once all your normal slots are filled force the game to start which automatically kicks out RaffleBot (and all other players who didnt accept the invite).

^ This guy's a genius

Ah, that's interesting. I was going to try creating the game with the Rafflebot, and replacing them with myself before starting. Let me fool around with this.

Quick update:

You cannot invite more players than slots, and creating a new slot is fairly hefty a procedure. It would also, I think, result in the game starting with an empty slot (on the map, if they are random, you'd often end up with a different distribution than you would normally expect).

I'm experimenting with just making it into a team game (with single player teams) and adding Rafflebot to one team.

But I will try my original idea as well. There is a downside to that one, as it doesn't show up in current games, but it does avoid having to make a "single-player" team game.

Edited 2026-09-02 23:29:04

Oh, I thought you would be using custom scenario games anyways, in which case it wouldn't have been much impact to assign a random neutral territory to slot #11.
But sounds like you're having other slots than the ones I was thinking of...

No, that's right, but I have a setup where players are randomized to slots (so we don't know who starts where). If I add another slot, then one of the "desired" starting locations could be empty, instead. (Unless I misunderstand your idea here.)

For example, imagine you have a game where players start in Paris, London, and Berlin, but at random. If I add a fourth slot, then it's possible that, say, Berlin will be unoccupied when the game starts.

Ok, making it a team game and including the Rafflebot on one "team" seems to work fine (the game boots Rafflebot and starts when you want it to, or you can delete Rafflebot manually, of course), that's a decent option (although it does require setting up the game as a team game when you otherwise wouldn't). I'll test the swap next!

One of these days, RaffleBot might accept your invite!

That would be a veritable nightmare!

and become raffleboot

Ok, the “swap” works as well. You do not include YOURSELF in the game, putting in Rafflebot instead.

Then swap out Rafflebot and put yourself in when you’re ready to start.

The downside is that the game doesn’t show up in current games, so you have to check on it manually - a bit of a pain but ultimately manageable.