Help & FAQ
Help & FAQ
The usual fixes are below. If yours isn't here, write to help@goodcalltrivia.com and we'll answer.
Is the Main Stage running?
Main Stage status shows here when we can reach it.
This is the public room on the home page. It is separate from your own room's code.
If something goes wrong
- A phone says "That's not tonight's room code." They typed it from memory. Read it off the host page or the TV.
- A phone is stuck in the wrong room. Tap the room name at the top of their screen, then Leave, and type tonight's code. More below.
- A phone can't reach the site. A school or work filter, or a guest WiFi, is blocking it. Switch that phone to mobile data.
- Anything else: help@goodcalltrivia.com, or reply to the email your welcome sheet came with.
The handouts, as PDFs: Welcome sheet · Run sheet · Write your questions · Players' guide
First night? Try Fade Away, Anything Goes, Standard, so everyone learns the rhythm. Bring your own questions in from the second night.
My phone is stuck in the wrong room
A phone remembers the last room it joined. If it keeps opening an old room or a room that isn't tonight's:
- Tap the room name at the top of the phone's screen. The room sheet opens.
- Tap Leave, or type tonight's code under Join another room. The code is on the TV and top-right on the host page.
- Pick a face and a name and tap I'm ready, let's go!
If it still lands in the wrong place, email help@goodcalltrivia.com with the room code you expected.
Room codes
- What is a room code?
- A four-letter code that belongs to one room. Players type it at goodcalltrivia.com, or scan the QR on the TV, and they land in that room's game.
- Where do I find it?
- Top-right on the host page, and on the TV with the QR and the join address.
- Do players need an account?
- No. They pick a face and a name. A 4-digit PIN is optional; it keeps a name and its scores from night to night. You can also play alone, or share one score as a team.
- Does the TV need a code too?
- Not a room code. The Fire TV app shows a one-time link code that you type on the host page in the TVs tab, once; after that the TV is yours. Any other TV opens goodcalltrivia.com/tv and asks for your four-letter room code, then remembers it.
- Who needs a Google account?
- Only the host page. Players and the TV just need your room code.
- Can players join from another city?
- Yes. They go to goodcalltrivia.com on a phone or PC, type your code, and their screen shows the whole game: the question, the clock, the reveal and the standings, on the same beat as everyone else. A TV is optional.
The game itself
- How many questions are there?
- About 19,000, in eighteen categories, every one with a fun fact that explains the answer. Questions & Categories →
- Can I make it easier for kids or a mixed crowd?
- Yes. Set the difficulty to Warm Up on the host page, per game; seven in ten questions then come from the two easiest levels. How hard →
- Can I slow it down so people can read?
- Raise the reading time: the question shows alone, up to 10 seconds, before the answers land and the clock starts. The clock itself is fixed in Fade Away and Clued In; in The Gambler it's yours. How fast →
- Can I turn the sound off, or just some of it?
- Yes: all TV sound at once, or each cue on its own, and the voice separately. How it sounds →
- How long is a game?
- You pick 8 to 20 questions; 12 is the default. Fifteen in Fade Away is about a quarter of an hour with the default gap; the break between games is 3 minutes by default. Length and pace →
- What's the difference between the four styles?
- Fade Away: faster answers score more. Clued In: two clues arrive, waiting costs points. The Gambler: bet chips on the category before you see the question. Globe Trotter: name the country lit on a map, scored like Fade Away. Game Styles →
- Does it repeat questions?
- Not until your room has been through the rest of what it draws from, and never the same answer twice in a game. Kept honest →
- Can I stop it starting the next game by itself?
- Yes. Turn off "The next game starts by itself" on the host page and it runs one game at a time. How fast →
- Can friends in another city play?
- Yes. They go to goodcalltrivia.com on a phone or PC and type your room code; same question, same clock, wherever they are. Joining from far away →
- How many can play in one room?
- Up to 16 names on the board, solo or teams; a team is one name and one score shared by any number of phones, so a bar of 60 plays as groups of friends. Solo or team →
- Can I rename the games?
- Yes. "Anything Goes" can be "Tuesday Special" in your room; the new name shows on the phones and the TV. How it feels →
- Can I use my own questions only, without the house ones?
- Yes. Each category you load is a game of its own on a shelf named after your room, and it stays out of Anything Goes unless you switch on Mix in. It plays once it holds 12 questions. Your Own Questions →
- What is the Main Stage?
- The public room on the home page: a game runs there all day, anyone can tap in, no code and no sign-up. Your own room is separate. Play on the Main Stage →
- Where do I sign in?
- Top-right of every page, or at goodcalltrivia.com/auth. Hosts sign in with Google; players never sign in. Host a Game Night →
Which device does what
Three kinds of device can be involved. Only the first is required.
| Device | Used for | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Your phone or laptop (the host page) | Signing in, picking a game, Start, your questions | goodcalltrivia.com/host |
| Players' phones or PCs | Answering | goodcalltrivia.com plus your room code, or scan the QR |
| A TV (optional): a Fire TV Stick, any TV with a browser, a laptop on HDMI, or a cast from a phone or laptop | The big screen: QR, questions, the board | Appstore, Good Call Trivia, or goodcalltrivia.com/tv |
TV setup, short version
Fire TV Stick: in the Appstore on the stick, search Good Call Trivia and install it (it's free). Open it, choose Play at goodcalltrivia.com, and it shows a one-time link code. On your host page, in the TVs tab, type that code and press Link. From then on the remote runs the whole night.
Any other TV with a browser, a laptop plugged into the TV, or a phone or laptop casting to it: open goodcalltrivia.com/tv and type your four-letter room code. Put It on a TV →
Still stuck?
Write to help@goodcalltrivia.com. Tell us what the phone or TV showed, and the room code if you have one.