Jigsaw puzzles on Discord, with one link
Discord already does the talking. What it does not have is a jigsaw that a dozen people can work on at once. Pieceware is that jigsaw: a shared board in the browser where everyone sees each other's cursors, pieces snap together for all players at the same moment, and nobody needs an account. You post a link in a channel, people click it, and the voice chat carries on as before.
To be clear about what it is not: there is no Pieceware bot to invite and no Discord Activity to launch. It is a website with a link, which also means it works the same for the friend who is not on your server.
Setting it up in a server
- Make a lobby. On the home page pick a picture from the catalog or upload one (the server's banner art works nicely), pick a size from 24 to 1500 pieces and press Create lobby.
- Paste the link in a channel. The room address,
pieceware.app/play/followed by eight characters, is the invitation. Discord shows a preview with the picture and the piece count, so people know what they are clicking. - Join voice and solve. Everyone opens the link in their own browser and gets the live board. No screen sharing needed; there is also a small text chat in the room for anyone not on voice.
Rooms are private in the sense that they are not listed anywhere: only people who have the link can find them. If you post it in a public channel, anyone who can read that channel can join, so pick the channel accordingly.
A weekly server puzzle night
The format that tends to stick: same evening every week, one organiser posts the lobby link ten minutes before start along with a ping for the role that opted in, and the puzzle runs in a voice channel. Split the picture out loud ("sky people, left half; boat people, right"), then everybody converges on the stubborn bit at the end.
- Rotate the picker. Let a different member choose or upload the picture each week.
- Bigger turnout, more rooms. Post one link per voice channel and race: same picture, same piece count, first board finished wins.
- Mind the 12 hours. A room stays for 12 hours after the last player leaves: an unfinished puzzle abandoned at midnight is still there at breakfast, but it will not wait a week for the next puzzle night. Pick a size the group can finish in one sitting.
- First night: classic pieces, rotation off. Save twisted pieces and rotation for when the regulars want it harder.
Piece count per group
For a puzzle night of about an hour, with classic pieces and rotation off:
| Players in the room | Pieces |
|---|---|
| 2 | 300–500 |
| 3–4 | 500 |
| 5–6 | 500–750 |
| 7–10 | 750–1000 |
| More than 10 | Several rooms of 5–10, or one 1500 piece room for a long night |
Anyone playing on a phone is happier at 100–300 pieces. Time estimates per size are in the size guide.
When nobody wants to organise
The global puzzle
The global puzzle is one room the whole site shares, always open. It is a random catalog picture at about 300 pieces; when it is solved, or after 15 minutes, a new one starts. Post the link once, pin it, and anyone bored in voice can drop in. Other visitors to the site will be there too.
The daily puzzle
The daily puzzle is one 100-piece picture a day, the same for everybody, solved alone
and timed by the server. A new one starts at midnight UTC. It is not co-op, but it suits a #daily-puzzle
channel: everyone plays when they like and posts their time, and the fastest make the day's leaderboard.
Same wifi, same house, same dorm
Each internet connection can have 6 puzzle connections open at once, across the whole site. Every open room tab counts, including the global puzzle and the daily. That is plenty for most households, but a group of flatmates who each keep two tabs open will hit it, and the seventh sees "Too many connections from your network". Close tabs you are not using, or have someone join on mobile data. People on different connections do not affect each other; the room itself takes up to 50.
Post one of these tonight
One click makes a 500 piece lobby; then copy the link from the toolbar and paste it in your channel.
Questions
Is Pieceware a Discord bot or a Discord Activity?
Neither. It is a website. You post a room link in a channel and everyone opens it in their browser, next to Discord. Nothing to add to the server, no permissions to grant.
Do server members need an account?
No. Not a Pieceware account, and nothing linked to Discord either. Opening the link and typing a display name is the whole sign-up.
How many people from one server can play the same puzzle?
Up to 50 in one room. For a busy puzzle night, three to eight per room is more fun; post one link per voice channel.
Why does it say "Too many connections from your network"?
Each internet connection can hold 6 puzzle connections at once, across the whole site. People on the same home or dorm wifi share that allowance, and so do extra tabs. Close spare tabs, or let one person join from mobile data.
How long does a room last?
The room stays for 12 hours after the last player leaves. If someone drops back in before then, the clock starts again from when they leave. The link in your channel works as long as the room does.
Can a whole server do the same puzzle without organising anything?
Two ways. The global puzzle is always running and anyone can join it. The daily puzzle is the same 100-piece picture for everyone, solved alone and timed, so the server can compare times in a channel.
