Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, [Contact](/contact) is open.
- How many people can play?
- Two to ten. Each gets a leaf of a different shape (The ten leaves).
- Is it free? Do I need an account?
- It is free, and there is no account and no app. Open it in a browser and play.
- Are the names I type stored?
- They are never sent to our servers. The last set is kept inside your own browser so it is there next time, and clearing your site data removes it.
- Can I get the same result again?
- Yes. Copy the URL on the result screen; opening it replays the same race to the same ranking, any time (Showing a race to someone).
- Is the ranking really random?
- It is left to the river. Once the leaves are moving nobody can reach in, and we cannot set the order either — the result is unknown on this side too until it is over.
- Am I worse off near the bank?
- Where you drop a leaf barely changes its chances of coming first. If it bothers you, use the automatic placement: it shuffles who goes where, so everyone stands alike.
- What happens if I start further upstream?
- You lose ground. The extra distance is a certain delay and lowers your average finish. It is there for giving yourself a handicap.
- Why are there no names during the race?
- Nothing labelled floats on this river. Leaves are told apart by shape and colour; names and places appear once the race is over.
- Which browsers work?
- Recent Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, on phones and computers alike. On an old one the water may stay still, and the ranking comes out the same.
- It stutters on my device.
- Use 2× speed or skip. How smoothly the picture moves has no bearing on the ranking.
- How long can a name be?
- Twenty characters each, and they need not be people’s names — a nickname, an option, an object.
- Can I use it on my own?
- Two leaves is enough to float. The names need not be people’s, so you can name them after the options or the objects and let the river put those in order.
- A share link will not open.
- Check that the whole URL arrived. The links are long, and some messaging apps break them across a line or drop the end; pasted in one piece it opens.
- How long does a link last?
- There is no expiry. But lose the link and there is no way back to that race, so keep the URL for a result that matters.
- Are there ads?
- On the written pages only. The race screen carries no advertising. See the Privacy Policy for the details.