Skip to content
archipelago.

Bring your group · five steps

Switching from Colonist?
Bring the whole table.

Moving a group takes one host and one link. Here is how to set up a first Archipelago night, what comes with you and what stays on Colonist.

Archipelago is an independent game with no affiliation to Colonist or CATAN. This page describes Archipelago’s own table flow. Want the prices side by side first? See the plan and price comparison.

Start a table for your group Try the lesson first

Move your group in five steps

  1. Pick one host

    One person hosts the table. Hosting a casual game needs a free Archipelago account; nobody else needs one to sit down.

  2. Open Play and host a friend table

    Choose the friend-game hosting flow, pick the island and your appearance, then create the table. For the first night keep the standard rules so everyone learns the same game.

  3. Copy the player join link

    In the lobby, use the link button beside the table to copy the player join link. It opens this table and no other.

  4. Paste it in the group chat you already use

    Friends open the link, check the table and take a seat. Seats nobody takes stay with bots, and the host can remove a guest to reopen a seat.

  5. Check the names and start

    Look over the lobby names, then start. The first two rounds of placement run forward, then backward.

What carries across

  • Your group. One invite link in the chat you already use is the whole move.
  • The base game you know: settlements, cities, roads, trading, the robber, development cards, longest road, largest army and ten points to win.
  • Your table habits: negotiating trades, reading the board, banter.
  • A sign-in you may already have: hosts sign in with Google or Apple.

What does not

  • Your Colonist account, rating, leaderboard place, friends list and replays. Archipelago imports none of it and never asks for your Colonist login.
  • Anything bought on Colonist: memberships, expansions, maps, colours, avatars and coins.
  • Seafarers, Cities & Knights and games of five or more players. Archipelago tables seat up to four.
  • Ranked history. If you play ranked on Archipelago, your record starts here.

Questions

Does everyone in my group need an Archipelago account?
No. The host needs a free account to host a casual table. Friends join from the invite link without a subscription.
Is there a link I can send before the host has made a table?
The join link belongs to a table, so it exists once the host has created one. Until then, send this page and let the host make the table first.
Will my Colonist rating, friends list or replays move across?
No. Nothing is imported from Colonist and Archipelago never asks for your Colonist login. Your Archipelago ranking, if you play ranked, starts here.
Can we play Seafarers or Cities & Knights?
Not today. Archipelago tables seat up to four players and play the base island game. Colonist’s Store lists those expansions, and if they are your group’s game it is the better fit.
Can we try it before the group commits?
Yes. Practising against bots is free, and the interactive lesson at /learn walks a new player through a first game.