who goes first pickerWho goes first?

Settle the first turn before the game starts

Many rulebooks say the youngest player starts, or whoever most recently did something oddly specific, like eating a vegetable or riding a train. Nobody remembers, and the argument eats into game time. This page opens the picker with a Players list: type everyone at the table, press Pick, and the reel names the first player. Then play continues clockwise, as most games expect.

Does going first matter?

In some games it does. In chess, White moves first and scores slightly better over many games. In many card and board games the first player gets the first look at the market or the first pick of a starting spot. That is exactly why a neutral draw is better than a tradition that favors the same person every time. Some games compensate: later players get extra starting resources or points. Check your rules and keep those compensations.

Ways to use the picker at the table

• First player only. Leave the picker on one name.
• Full turn order. Set it to the number of players (2, 3 or 5 names) to draw a seating order, or use shuffle a list for any number.
• Rotating first player. In a game night with several games, leave Remove picked names on, so each game has a different starting player until everyone has started once.
• Team games. Put team names in the list instead of players to pick the team that starts a quiz round.

Other neutral ways to start

Highest roll on a die is the classic: try the dice roller. For two players, heads or tails or a round of rock paper scissors does the job.