diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/res/values/strings.xml b/xwords4/android/XWords4/res/values/strings.xml
index 984f35921..04f4626aa 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -562,6 +562,11 @@
     <string name="invite_msgf">This game is missing %1$d remote
       player[s].  Would you like to invite someone to join -- assuming
       you haven\'t already?</string>
+
+    <string name="invite_multiple">\u0020(You are expecting multiple
+      remote players.  Be sure to address your invitation to
+      that many people.)</string>
+
     <string name="invite_subject">Let\'s play Crosswords</string>
     <string name="invite_bodyf">Tap on this link to start a game:
       %1$s .</string>
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/BoardActivity.java b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/BoardActivity.java
index 1b469de19..29aab2c5e 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/BoardActivity.java
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/BoardActivity.java
@@ -270,7 +270,8 @@ public class BoardActivity extends XWActivity
                                                  int item ) {
                                 GameUtils.launchInviteActivity( BoardActivity.this,
                                                                 m_room,
-                                                                m_gi.dictLang );
+                                                                m_gi.dictLang,
+                                                                m_gi.nPlayers );
                             }
                         };
                     dialog = new AlertDialog.Builder( this )
@@ -296,7 +297,11 @@ public class BoardActivity extends XWActivity
         case DLG_INVITE:
             AlertDialog ad = (AlertDialog)dialog;
             String format = getString( R.string.invite_msgf );
-            ad.setMessage( String.format( format, m_missing) );
+            String message = String.format( format, m_missing );
+            if ( m_missing > 1 ) {
+                message += getString( R.string.invite_multiple );
+            }
+            ad.setMessage( message );
             break;
         default:
             super.onPrepareDialog( id, dialog );
@@ -706,7 +711,7 @@ public class BoardActivity extends XWActivity
 
             // Let's only invite for two-person games for now.  Simple
             // case first....
-            if ( nMissing == 1 /* && is_2_person_game() */ && !m_haveInvited ) {
+            if ( !m_haveInvited ) {
                 m_haveInvited = true;
                 m_room = room;
                 m_missing = nMissing;
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/GameUtils.java b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/GameUtils.java
index af7bdabb6..34eb8f642 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/GameUtils.java
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/GameUtils.java
@@ -356,7 +356,8 @@ public class GameUtils {
     }
 
     public static String makeNewNetGame( Context context, String room, 
-                                         int[] lang, int nPlayers )
+                                         int[] lang, int nPlayersT, 
+                                         int nPlayersH )
     {
         CommsAddrRec addr = new CommsAddrRec( context );
         addr.ip_relay_invite = room;
@@ -364,10 +365,11 @@ public class GameUtils {
         CurGameInfo gi = new CurGameInfo( context, true );
         gi.setLang( lang[0] );
         lang[0] = gi.dictLang;
+        gi.setNPlayers( nPlayersT, nPlayersH );
         gi.juggle();
         // Will need to add a setNPlayers() method to gi to make this
         // work
-        Assert.assertTrue( gi.nPlayers == nPlayers );
+        Assert.assertTrue( gi.nPlayers == nPlayersT );
         String path = saveNew( context, gi );
 
         GameLock lock = new GameLock( path, true ).lock();
@@ -381,20 +383,21 @@ public class GameUtils {
                                          int lang, int nPlayers )
     {
         int[] langarr = { lang };
-        return makeNewNetGame( context, room, langarr, nPlayers );
+        return makeNewNetGame( context, room, langarr, nPlayers, 1 );
     }
 
     public static String makeNewNetGame( Context context, NetLaunchInfo info )
     {
-        return makeNewNetGame( context, info.room, info.lang, info.nPlayers );
+        return makeNewNetGame( context, info.room, info.lang, 
+                               info.nPlayers );
     }
 
     public static void launchInviteActivity( Context context, String room, 
-                                             int lang )
+                                             int lang, int nPlayers )
     {
         Random random = new Random();
         Uri gameUri = NetLaunchInfo.makeLaunchUri( context, room,
-                                                   lang, 2 );
+                                                   lang, nPlayers );
 
         if ( null != gameUri ) {
             Intent intent = new Intent( Intent.ACTION_SEND );
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NetLaunchInfo.java b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NetLaunchInfo.java
index 68f68b5a8..9fa44390b 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NetLaunchInfo.java
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NetLaunchInfo.java
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ public class NetLaunchInfo {
             room = data.getQueryParameter( "room" );
             String langStr = data.getQueryParameter( "lang" );
             lang = Integer.decode( langStr );
-            nPlayers = 2; // Should this be a param?
+            String np = data.getQueryParameter( "np" );
+            nPlayers = Integer.decode( np );
             m_valid = true;
         } catch ( Exception e ) {
             Utils.logf( "unable to parse \"%s\"", data.toString() );
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NewGameActivity.java b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NewGameActivity.java
index bec39eca3..0b7b1a8b9 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NewGameActivity.java
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/NewGameActivity.java
@@ -91,11 +91,12 @@ public class NewGameActivity extends XWActivity {
         String room = null;
         String path;
         int[] lang = {0};
+        final int nPlayers = 2; // hard-coded for no-configure case
 
         if ( networked ) {
             Random random = new Random();
             room = String.format( "%X", random.nextInt() ).substring( 0, 4 );
-            path = GameUtils.makeNewNetGame( this, room, lang, 2 );
+            path = GameUtils.makeNewNetGame( this, room, lang, nPlayers, 1 );
         } else {
             path = GameUtils.saveNew( this, new CurGameInfo( this ) );
         }
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ public class NewGameActivity extends XWActivity {
         if ( launch ) {
             GameUtils.launchGame( this, path, networked );
             if ( networked ) {
-                GameUtils.launchInviteActivity( this, room, lang[0] );
+                GameUtils.launchInviteActivity( this, room, lang[0], nPlayers );
             }
         } else {
             GameUtils.doConfig( this, path, GameConfig.class );
diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/CurGameInfo.java b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/CurGameInfo.java
index dd111409d..368cea03e 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/CurGameInfo.java
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/jni/CurGameInfo.java
@@ -310,6 +310,19 @@ public class CurGameInfo {
         return added;
     }
 
+    public void setNPlayers( int nPlayersTotal, int nPlayersHere )
+    {
+        assert( nPlayersTotal < MAX_NUM_PLAYERS );
+        assert( nPlayersHere < nPlayersTotal );
+
+        nPlayers = nPlayersTotal;
+
+        for ( int ii = 0; ii < nPlayersTotal; ++ii ) {
+            players[ii].isLocal = ii < nPlayersHere;
+            assert( !players[ii].isRobot() );
+        }
+    }
+
     public void setFirstLocalName( String name ) {
         for ( int ii = 0; ii < nPlayers; ++ii ) {
             if ( players[ii].isLocal ) {
diff --git a/xwords4/android/scripts/redir.php b/xwords4/android/scripts/redir.php
index 4179c9510..05a6c401d 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/scripts/redir.php
+++ b/xwords4/android/scripts/redir.php
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ $scheme = "newxwgame";
 $host = "10.0.2.2";
 $lang = $_REQUEST["lang"];
 $room = $_REQUEST["room"];
+$np = $_REQUEST["np"];
 
 print <<<EOF
 
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ print <<<EOF
 <head>
 <title>Crosswords SMS redirect</title>
 <meta http-equiv="REFRESH"
-    content="0;url=$scheme://$host?room=$room&lang=$lang">
+    content="0;url=$scheme://$host?room=$room&lang=$lang&np=$np">
 </head>
     <body>
     <p>redirecting to Crosswords....</p>