THOUGHTS ON DISCOVERY

FairFate is a level 99 Robotic Supreme Overlord Wizard that can easily retrieve information or warp in items.

One of the biggest challenges in the TTRPG space is discovery. With so many amazing games out there, it can be tough for players to find their next favorite, and even tougher for creators to get their work in front of the right people. I wanted to build a search system that tackles this problem head-on. This isn’t just about providing a search bar: it’s about providing a powerful, intuitive search experience that feels fast and responsive, designed to help players find exactly what they’re looking for, and to connect the right games with the right audience.

HOW SEARCH WORKS

The main search page allows users to apply filters. On mobile, all the filters or ‘facets’ are neatly tucked into a drawer.

When you perform a search, our central SearchService handles the request, queries the database, and sends the results back to the interface. The UI updates reactively using Nanostores to keep things feeling snappy and responsive.

KEY FEATURES

The system has:

• Dynamic Faceted Filters: This is the core of the system. You can filter by a wide range of criteria with dynamic counts, and the results update in real-time. We support filtering by:

  • Genres, such as Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror.
  • Game Systems, including D&D 5e, Pathfinder, and others.
  • Formats, like PDF, Print, and VTT modules.
  • Price Range, with special handling for Free and Pay-What-You-Want games.
  • Languages, Game Types, and Tags are also supported.

• Smart Autocomplete: As you type in the search bar, you’ll get instant suggestions for not just game titles, but also categories, creators, and tags, to help you find things you’re interested in faster.

• Sorting and Navigation: You can sort results by relevance, price, popularity, or newest additions.

• Thematic Sorting: Feeling blue? Life’s got you down? Here are some game suggestions that’ll make you feel better. This is so much better than sorting by highest reviews or alphabetical order.