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Host guide

How the host runs the battle

What you need, how to set up in five steps, and every control you have during the game.

What you need

  1. 1

    A host deviceRequired

    Best on a bigger screen — a laptop or tablet gives the host controls room to breathe. A phone is possible too: the host screen turns sideways and fits.

  2. 2

    One phone per teamRequired

    It is the team’s buzzer, answer pad and power-up button. A second phone waits until you reset that team’s device. (In The Hammer, teams can also answer out loud.)

  3. 3

    A big screenOptional

    Not needed to play — every mode runs on your screen and the team phones. For the best experience, use one: a TV or projector puts the questions, pictures, board and scores in front of everyone.

  4. 4

    InternetRequired

    Every device — host, team phones and the big screen — on a steady connection.

  5. 5

    SoundOptional

    Short game sounds — the buzz, correct, wrong and the reveal — play from the host device. Nice to have; switch them off any time in Host tools.

Set up in five steps

About five minutes before you start.

  1. 1

    Create the battle

    Tap “Start a battle”, name your teams and pick your modes and categories.

  2. 2

    Put it on the big screen (optional)

    Before the battle starts, press “Display” on your host screen (or “Copy display link”) and open it in the TV’s browser, then switch the browser to full screen. The size control sits in the display’s corner.

  3. 3

    Bring the teams in

    Each team opens the join page on its phone and types the join code — or scans the QR. You can also share the link on WhatsApp, or give each team its own device link and QR from its card.

  4. 4

    Check the Ready card

    Before you start, the Ready check shows who is connected and lets you test the sound. First time? Take the tour — replay it any time from the “?” button.

  5. 5

    Press start

    The first question appears on your screen, on every team phone and on the big screen.

During the game, you are in charge

The same question on three screens:

Big screen
Your host screen
Team phone
  1. 1

    The clock is yours

    Pause, resume or reset the timer whenever the room needs a moment.

  2. 2

    You are the judge

    Mark answers Correct or Wrong, choose who answered, and nudge any team ±5 points from its card.

  3. 3

    Keep it moving

    Skip a question, reveal the answer, or jump to the next mode.

  4. 4

    Power-ups and the wheel

    Teams fire power-ups from their phone. When a team asks to spin the wheel, you accept or decline — it spins on the big screen.

  5. 5

    Bad question? Flag it

    One tap sends it to our review team. Skip it and carry on.

  6. 6

    Host tools

    Sound on or off, the question language (Arabic or English), battle info, and ending the battle.

Power-ups on the team phone
The wheel on the big screen

Tips for a smooth game

  1. 1Seat each team together around its phone, facing the big screen if you have one.
  2. 2Open the big screen before everyone arrives and check its size.
  3. 3First time hosting? Start with a short battle — a couple of modes is plenty to learn the controls and get everyone hooked.
  4. 4Pick categories your players love — every question comes from them.
  5. 5Playing with kids? Read the questions out loud.
  6. 6Turn off auto-lock on the team phones during the battle, so the buzzer is always one tap away.

Questions and quick fixes

Can we play without a big screen?

Yes. No mode needs it: the questions show on your screen and on every team phone. For the best experience, though, use one — pictures, the Hammer board and the scores are much better on a big screen.

Can I host from my phone?

It is possible — the host screen turns sideways on a phone and scales to fit. For the best experience use a bigger screen (a tablet or laptop): the host has many controls and they need room.

Do we need sound?

No. The game sounds (buzz, correct, wrong, reveal) add fun but the game plays fine without them. Test them from the Ready check, or turn them off in Host tools.

A phone lost its connection

Keep the page open — it reconnects on its own (“Connection lost — reconnecting…”). If it does not, reopen the same link.

A team switched to another phone

The new phone waits until you tap “Reset device” on that team’s card. One phone per team keeps the buzzer fair.

The big screen looks too big or too small

Use the size control in the display’s corner, change the display zoom from your host screen, or press + / − on a keyboard (0 resets).

The TV browser will not open the link

Connect a laptop to the TV with HDMI and open the display link there, or cast a browser tab.

A question looks wrong

Skip it, fix the points from the team cards if needed, and flag it so we can correct it.

Ready to host?

Set up once and the game runs itself — you keep the fun going.

Start a battle