Reign for board game enthusiasts. Board game community, trades and reviews.

Reign is the WordPress theme for building a complete community site: social network, courses, member directory, marketplace and job board on one install. A board game site uses the directory, the social network and the events.

Listora is our directory plugin, free, with listings, search, maps, member submissions, reviews and a contact form. Use it for game entries and for local venues such as cafes that host game nights. BuddyNext supplies profiles with fields for the games a member owns and wants, the feed and spaces. Eventonomy lists game nights, tournaments and conventions with RSVPs and recurring weekly events.

If you are on GeoDirectory, the Reign GeoDirectory kit is the packaged route and the business directory build guide covers the structure. For trades, WP Sell Services is built for services, so a simple classifieds-style listing in Listora suits swaps better. The plugins page shows the split.

A member looks up a game before buying, reads two reviews and a member's opinion, and adds it to their wishlist. Later in the week they scan the trade space for something on their list and message a member about a swap.

Midweek, the feed carries pictures from last night's session and a debate about a rules question. On Friday they RSVP to a local game night and check who else is coming. Members who attend tend to post more afterwards.

The organiser's week is light but steady: add entries as new games arrive, answer rules questions, approve trade listings and post the game of the month prompt. The reviews and entries become the searchable asset that brings in newcomers from outside.

Trades and meetups are what turn a board game site from a reference into a community, and both can create work for you if you do not set them up carefully. The goal is a system where members sort out almost everything themselves and you only step in for the rare problem.

For trades, make the listing do the work. Ask for the game, the edition, the condition, what the owner wants in return and the region. A clear listing saves a dozen messages. Add a trade feedback post at the end of each deal, so members build a visible record, and a member with several good trades becomes someone others are happy to deal with.

Set the rules about postage and meeting in person. Postage is a place where trades go wrong, so say who pays, how items are tracked and what happens when something is lost. For in-person swaps, suggest a public place such as a game cafe, and list those cafes in the directory so members know where to go.

For game nights, use Eventonomy recurring events and keep each night's page simple: time, venue, the games on the table and how many seats are left. After the night, ask a member to post a short recap with a photo. Recaps show newcomers what to expect, and they are cheap content that keeps the feed active.

Finally, find two or three hosts who love running nights and give them a badge and a space. Hosts are the people who make the hobby feel welcoming, and recognising them in public costs you nothing.

Importing a giant game database is the main one. Five thousand empty stubs look abandoned and rank for nothing.

Taking payment for trades is the second. Disputes become yours. Keep arrangements between members and rely on trade feedback and member reputation for safety.

Third, do not duplicate a rival's review style. Write reviews with a point of view that your community recognises.