Host a wiki race at school

Choose a format

Before the event

1. Test on the school network

   Use the devices, browsers, and Wi-Fi that participants will use. Create a room, join from another device, complete the countdown, follow several links, and reach the results screen. A hosted room allows up to 50 active players. Test with your planned group before announcing the final format.

2. Prepare and test your routes

   Choose articles suited to your students. Play each route in advance to check that the target can be reached. Keep a spare route for a playoff or a technical restart. Use a separate pair for practice.

3. Agree on names

   Give each participant a distinct event nickname, such as Racer07. Keep any link between that nickname and your class list in your own school records. Students do not need to enter a full name or create an account in WikiWars.

   Ask players to check their displayed name before joining. Signed-in players use their account name; they can sign out before joining if the event requires an assigned nickname.

4. Publish the event rules

   State the format, deadline or time limit, allowed attempts, advancement rule, and what happens if a connection fails. These are rules you manage for the event. Share the game rules with participants before practice.

Start a live round

1. Select Host a race and choose the articles, finish rule, and time limit. You can return to your recent rooms from this page. Sign in before leaving the guest session if you need access on another device.
2. Copy the Player join link and share it with that heat’s participants. Keep your host screen for your own controls.
3. Check player names against your event list. Remove absent players, then select Close entry when the group is complete. If you remove the wrong person, restore them before the start and ask them to get ready again.
4. Read the rules aloud and ask players to select I’m ready. The race waits for you, even when everyone is ready.
5. Select Start race to begin the countdown. Follow player progress on your host screen, or select Display scoreboard for a shared screen.
6. After the round, copy, print, or download the results. Prepare the next round on the host screen. Players select Join next round from their results; their names carry over and everyone gets ready again.

Record scores and settle ties

Let everyone finish: A player’s time stops when they reach the target. Other players can continue until they finish or the time limit expires. Finished players wait without seeing other players’ routes.

First finisher wins: The first player to reach the target wins and ends the round for everyone. Players who have not reached the target are marked as unfinished.

Use End round to stop a running round and keep its completed results. Before play starts, cancellation stops the countdown without a winner. The server must receive and accept a move before the deadline for it to count.

Use Copy results, Print results, or the CSV download to keep a record. Results include the room code, route, time, and finish rule so that repeated rounds can be identified.

Challenge: Compare completed runs by moves first, then elapsed time. Ask each participant to show their final result; the shared standings may show only the top runs.

If moves and time are equal, the Challenge list uses nickname order. For a scored event, announce your own rule for equal scores, such as a shared place or a fresh playoff route. Times that look equal on screen can differ at finer precision.

Keep an event results sheet for scores across heats. Each hosted race has its own results; tournament totals and advancement are managed by the organizer. Decide before play how you will handle unfinished runs or technical failures, and apply the same rule to everyone.

A suggested 45-minute session

This is a planning example. Adjust the time and number of rounds after your test run. Set each round’s time limit in the game; the schedule below is only a guide for the whole event.