FAQ
Do I need cell signal to play?
Section titled “Do I need cell signal to play?”You need a data connection to stay in sync with the server (the engine is server-authoritative), and GPS for your position. GPS itself doesn’t need cell signal, but the live game does — play where you have a usable mobile connection.
Do players need to create an account?
Section titled “Do players need to create an account?”No. Players only need the app and a four-letter join code. Only the gamemaster signs in (in production), and only to host.
How many people can play?
Section titled “How many people can play?”Each game suggests a range (shown in the catalog and enforced by
minPlayers/maxPlayers). Most games are good from a handful up to a few dozen.
Bots can fill out a thin group.
Can we play indoors?
Section titled “Can we play indoors?”Not really. GPS is unreliable indoors and near tall buildings — WAGE is built for the outdoors: parks, fields, campuses, neighborhoods.
How accurate does it need to be?
Section titled “How accurate does it need to be?”Phone GPS is typically accurate to a handful of meters in the open. Games account for this with sensible interaction ranges (tags are usually 3–5 m). Expect some wander near trees and walls; give it open sky for best results.
Will it drain my battery?
Section titled “Will it drain my battery?”Continuous GPS is the main cost. A full charge comfortably covers a normal 15–30 minute session. Start charged for longer events.
Is WAGE free? What’s the membership about?
Section titled “Is WAGE free? What’s the membership about?”See the wage.games homepage for current details on play and membership.
Can I make my own game?
Section titled “Can I make my own game?”Yes — that’s a first-class use of WAGE. Games are hand-authored data files; there’s no game-building UI yet, but the format is documented end to end. Start with Build a game.
Do I need to be a programmer to build a game?
Section titled “Do I need to be a programmer to build a game?”No code — but you do edit a structured data file (YAML or JSON). If you can follow the tutorials and adapt an example, you can build a game.
What happens if someone’s phone dies mid-game?
Section titled “What happens if someone’s phone dies mid-game?”The game continues on the server. They can rejoin from another phone with the same code and resync. The server is the source of truth, so nothing is lost on the server side.
Can the gamemaster also play?
Section titled “Can the gamemaster also play?”The GM hosts from a browser and sees everything; they don’t have a position on the field. To both host and play, you’d run the console on one device and join as a player on a phone — but most groups have a dedicated GM.
My join code stopped working.
Section titled “My join code stopped working.”It’s almost certainly an expired session — idle sessions are reaped after about an hour. Just create a new session. See Troubleshooting.