Traditional board games platform with real-time multiplayer

The Idea

Most online board games feel impersonal. I wanted to recreate the simple joy of sitting around a table with friends, even when physically apart—especially for traditional games that are hard to find online. Beyond the technical challenge of building a real-time multiplayer system, this was an experiment in using technology to foster genuine connection.

The Solution

Playboards is a real-time multiplayer gaming platform that runs turn-based games with voice chat. Each game runs as an isolated server process with instant synchronization to all players.

Illustration of liveview architecture

Liveview model. Made with excalidraw

Features

  • Real-Time Multiplayer Gaming: Turn-based games with instant move synchronization using Liveview
  • Voice Chat: P2P voice communication during gameplay
  • Process Isolation: Each game runs in its own isolated process

Tech Stack

  • Phoenix LiveView: Server-rendered real-time UI
  • Elixir/BEAM: Process-based architecture with fault tolerance
  • ETS + SQLite: In-memory storage with persistent backup
  • WebRTC: P2P voice communication
  • Phoenix PubSub: Real-time message distribution
  • Google OAuth Integration: Seamless onboarding

Games

Currently Available:

  • Tic Tac Toe with turn-based gameplay and voice chat
  • Daadi(Nine Men’s Morris)
  • Dudoku(Multiplayer Sudoku)

Planned:

  • Snakes & Ladders
  • Puli Meka(A Traditional South Indian Game)

Features Planned

  • SVG Canvas based games
  • SVG Animations

Some issues

  • The current voice implementation needs some cleanup. There are some race conditions in voice initiation.

Status & Links

Read the full architectural analysis for detailed insights into this approach.