Onboarding game
An icebreaker for new starters that old hands enjoy too.
Crowdboard puts a game-show board on the office TV. Two teams guess the most popular answers to survey questions, and everyone buzzes in from their own phone. It runs in a web browser, so a new starter can join on their first morning with nothing to install.
Free for up to 6 phones. No card needed.
Why it works in a first week
A fair game on day one
Survey questions ask what most people said, not what insiders know, so someone in their first week has as good a chance as someone who’s been there ten years.
New starters against old hands
The ready-made New starters' week game puts New Starters against Old Hands: 3 rounds and a Lightning Round, about 15 minutes.
Learn the company as you play
Add a round about your own company: where the offices are, what the teams do, what everyone calls the meeting rooms. Or type a topic such as “our company’s history” and Claude drafts it for you to check.
Hear from the new people
Ask the room “Name something that surprised you in your first week”. Everyone answers on their phone, and the most common answers become the next round.
Remote starters too
Share the board in your video call, and people starting from home buzz in from their own phones, which show the board as well.
Ready for the next intake
Save the game and play it again with every new group. On Team, every host in the company shares the same games.
Ready in three steps
A first game takes a few minutes to set up. Sign in on the host’s laptop, and the rest happens in the browser.
- 1
Pick the game
On the host deck, choose New starters' week, or open the game you wrote about your company.
- 2
Put the board on the TV
Open the board in the TV’s web browser, or on a laptop plugged into it. It follows the host deck and shows each answer only when someone finds it.
- 3
Let the phones buzz
New starters and old hands scan the code on the board, type a name and pick a team. No app, and no accounts for players.
Questions to ask new starters
Ask one in the game with Ask the room, or in a survey the week before. There are no answers here on purpose: the room’s own answers make the board.
- Name something you had to ask about in your first week.
- Name a word or abbreviation nobody explained to you.
- Name something that makes a first day better.
- Name the first thing you set up on your first day.
- Name a place at work that’s hard to find.
- Name something you wish you’d known before you started.
Tips from the host’s side
Play it in the first week
Everyone types their name to join, so the game doubles as introductions while the names are still new.
Get a manager to play
A department head buzzing in late, and getting it wrong, does more for a new starter’s nerves than any welcome pack.
Explain the answers
When “a word nobody explained” comes up on the board, explain it. That’s onboarding done.
Give the remote a newcomer
Hand a new starter the host remote on their phone for the last round. It’s a quick way to make someone feel part of things.
Questions hosts ask
How long does it take?
The ready-made game is 3 rounds and a Lightning Round, about 15 minutes. A round of your own adds about four minutes.
How many people can play?
Any number of people can watch and shout answers. Up to 6 phones can buzz in on Free, 20 on Pro and 40 on Team.
What do we need?
A laptop for the host, and a TV or projector for the board, each with a web browser. Players use their own phones.
Do new starters need an account?
No. Only the host signs in. Players scan the code, type a name and play.
Can we write questions about our company?
Yes. Free keeps 3 saved games, and Pro and Team keep as many as you like, so the same game is ready for every intake.
Does it work for a remote intake?
Yes. Share the board in Zoom, Teams or Meet. See team games over a video call.
Their first week, sorted.
Start a free game now, or see it all on one screen first.