Board Game Arena

I often start a game, then post the link on a chatroom, but people can only join if they're my friends first. That, or I have to leave the table open for the public to join. May there be an option to restrict a new game to people with the link, please?

I second this suggestion!

As a walkaround, you may ask in the chat who wants to join and then invite them personally. But of course restrict the game to people with the link would be much more user friendly.

what kind of chatroom?

How is it any different if someone you don't know clicks the link in the chat room, or just sees the table open on BGA?
In both cases they are people you don't know that play BGA.

Are you suggesting a higher class of person on chatroom versus rando on BGA?

Invite them personally seems like a good workaround for this obscure case.
Or you could create a group, restrict the table to that group and then post the link to the group to join, and then the table.