Connect to the private network
Install Tailscale for Windows and sign in with your own account. Accept the device-share invitation from your host, then leave Tailscale connected.
Get Tailscale ↗FOUR SEATS. YOUR DECKS.
Gather your
table.
A private Commander playtesting table for friends.
Start with two people and let the AI fill the other seats.
Your seat is waiting.
Follow these steps in order. Your host supplies access and a seat token.
Download Commander Lab
The game download comes from the host’s workstation. Tailscale must be connected, sharing accepted, and the host online.
Windows download being prepared
A fresh build is being validated. Please wait for the download to become available.
Extract, then open
Right-click the downloaded ZIP and choose Extract All. Keep its folders together. Open CommanderLab.exe from the extracted folder, not from inside the ZIP.
This early build is unsigned. If Windows SmartScreen appears, verify you downloaded the file linked here before choosing More info → Run anyway. Do not disable Windows security.
Join your host
Choose Join Game on the opening screen. Enter the game address, seat number and private seat token your host sends you. Click Join, then Ready.
Game addressProvided by your host · port 28765
Seat1 for the first guest
Seat tokenAsk your host privately
Once both humans are ready, follow the opening-hand and mulligan prompts. The AI fills the remaining two seats.
Bring everyone together.
The current supported setup uses the Ubuntu workstation as host, with a Windows friend and two bots.
Share the host computer
In Tailscale’s Machines page, share the Ubuntu host device with your friend. They accept with their own Tailscale account. Share device access, never your account password.
Device-sharing guide ↗Start a two-human table
Open the current Ubuntu build and select Multiplayer → Host a table from the game’s menu/settings. On the configured workstation, leave the bind address at 127.0.0.1. Set Humans to 2 and click Host once.
You join seat 0. Your friend joins seat 1. Seats 2 and 3 are AI. Keep the host application running and the computer awake.
Send the invitation details
Send your friend the host’s Tailscale address with :28765, seat 1, and the freshly generated Seat 1 token. Keep seat 0’s token to yourself. Every newly hosted table has new tokens.
Gameplay uses port 28765. Artwork and updates are a separate service; their address does not belong in Join Game.
Ready up together
Wait for your friend to connect, then both click Ready. Bots do not need a Ready click. Complete the opening choices and use Return to table to close the lobby.
The current Host flow uses the default decks assigned by seat. Picking a custom solo deck does not change a multiplayer seat’s deck.
Hosting from a different computer?
This guide covers the configured Ubuntu host. A new host also needs private Tailscale forwarding and matching game/content versions. Installing the Windows client alone does not recreate that server setup.
A QUICK HAND
If something gets in the way.
The download does not open
Check Tailscale is connected, the host’s device-share invitation is accepted, and the host workstation is awake. This is a private download, not a public mirror. Ask the host if the download service is running.
I cannot join, or it says connection lost
Confirm the host has started a table, your game versions match, and you used the current token for your assigned seat. Use the host’s Tailscale address, not 127.0.0.1. Do not click Host on the guest computer.
We are waiting in the lobby
Set Humans to 2 for two people plus two bots. Both humans must join and click Ready. Setting Humans to 4 waits for four people.
I disconnected during the game
Reconnect through Multiplayer using the same address, seat and token while the original host remains open. Do not start another table. Reconnect promptly: the host has a reconnect timer.
Do I need all the enhanced artwork?
No. The full enhanced-art collection is optional and separate from the game download. You can test a connection without it; missing images fall back to text cards. Ask your host for the configured artwork service.