Example setups for your board games.
Four examples show different combinations of participants and results. These are suggestions, not fixed rules: CATAN can use Placements too if you agree how to rank everyone. Counting second and third place may change how you play.
CATAN
Choose Individual and Winner only. Add optional victory points if you want to keep the numbers too. For Placements, agree a full finishing-order rule first. Two-player games use the CATAN for Two rules.
Carcassonne
Choose Individual and Placements. Include end-game scoring before recording final points and positions. Enable tied placements if your rules allow shared positions.
Codenames
For four players, choose Teams, set 2 teams with 2 players per team, and use Winner only. Log the winning team after each game.
Team quiz
Choose Teams and Placements. For example, set 3 teams with 2 players per team. Add up the quiz points, then record each team’s finishing position and optional total. Agree tie-breaks or allow tied placements.
Your board game. Your rules.
These are just examples. Create a custom activity for another competitive board game, choose winners or placements, and record the scores your rules use. Add house rules to explain your agreement; Elo-X does not automatically enforce written rules or calculate every game’s score.
From setup to your results.
Follow “Friday CATAN” through setup, logging and confirmation. We’ll use a custom group with Individual and Winner only.
Set up your group.
Create “Friday CATAN” with Custom activity CATAN. Choose Individual and Winner only. Under Advanced settings, set Player limits to Min 3 / Max 4 and Scores to Optional points. After creation, name the variant 3–4 players under Manage variants and invite your friends.
Full group setup guide
Log and confirm a game.
Select Friday CATAN, add the players and record the winner. Add final victory points if you want them saved, then send the result for the required players to confirm.
How to log and confirm a game
Follow your results.
Once confirmed, the game appears in your group’s match history and updates player ratings. Follow your group leaderboard and open a player profile for more stats and match history. These custom activity results stay within your group.
Explore match history
Frequently asked questions
Should each board game have its own group?
Yes. Keep different games in separate activity groups, and use variants for formats of the same game. Your Elo-X Rating follows confirmed results and opponents, rather than adding raw points across different board games.
Should I create a variant for every player count?
Only if you want separate ratings. For CATAN’s base game, one variant with Min 3 / Max 4 is enough. To separate those competitions, create 3 players and 4 players variants with matching fixed limits. A two-player variant uses the separate CATAN for Two rules (PDF). Custom group setup.
Does Elo-X calculate my board game’s score?
Use your game’s rules to work out the result, then record the scores and finish order in Elo-X. Custom groups do not automatically calculate every game’s scoring categories. House rules in a group explain your agreement.
Can we play in teams or record tied finishes?
Yes. Choose Teams for a team game and configure the team count and players per team. For tied finishes, choose compatible tie settings for your format. Explore custom group options.
Does everyone need an Elo-X account?
Players involved in confirmed matches use their own accounts to review results. If one organiser just wants to enter guest names on one device, a score sheet may be simpler.
