Key Concepts

Communities vs. Guilds

Guild Manager uses a hierarchical structure that mirrors how gaming communities actually work:

Communities

Communities are the top-level organization – think of them as your guild network or alliance.

Guilds

Guilds are game-specific groups focused on coordinated gameplay.

Choosing Your Structure

Characters & Member Profiles

Guild Manager separates members (real people) from characters (in-game avatars). This distinction is crucial for accurate tracking.

Why This Matters

• One member can have multiple characters in the same game (main + alts)
• Characters across different games
• Different roles/ranks per character

Character Management Best Practices

• Set a main character for each game you actively play
• Keep gear scores updated so leaders can build balanced parties
• Mark inactive alts to avoid being counted in roster limits
• Update availability when your schedule changes

Events & Activities

Events are the heartbeat of Guild Manager – everything from scheduled raids to impromptu dungeon runs.

Event Types

Scheduled Events:

• Raids, guild missions, world bosses
• Castle Sieges, Node Wars, territory control
• Social events, officer meetings, training sessions
• Automated timezone conversion for international guilds

Activities:

• Quick dungeon runs, PvP sessions, farming groups
• Ad-hoc parties that don't need formal scheduling
• Practice runs and theory-crafting sessions

Event Workflow

Advanced Event Features

• Waitlist management: Automatic promotion when spots open
• Attendance tracking: Historical participation rates per member
• Role requirements: Ensure balanced party composition (2 tanks, 6 DPS, 2 healers)
• Recurring events: Weekly raid nights with automated creation

Loot & Rewards System

Guild Manager provides flexible systems for distributing gear, currency, and rewards.

DKP (Dragon Kill Points)

The classic merit-based loot system:

• Earn DKP: Attend raids, complete guild quests, participate in events
• Spend DKP: Bid on gear, purchase priority for high-value items
• Decay systems: Optional periodic reduction to prevent hoarding
• Customizable values: Set different DKP rewards per event type

Real-world example: Castle Siege attendance = 100 DKP, weekly raid = 50 DKP. Legendary gear opens at 500 DKP minimum bid.

Alternative Reward Systems

• Loot Council: Officers decide gear distribution with full audit trail
• Need/Greed Rolls: Random rolls with priority for mains over alts
• Fixed Priority: Consistent rules based on attendance, rank, or progression
• Hybrid Systems: Combine DKP for weapons/armor, rolls for accessories

Auction Features

• Real-time mobile bidding: Members bid from phones during raids
• Silent auctions: Private bids with winner announcement at end
• Live auctions: Public bidding with countdown timers
• Bid history: Complete transparency with all bids logged

Discord Integration

Guild Manager becomes powerful when connected to Discord – your coordination hub.

What Gets Synced

Roles:

• Guild rank → Discord role (Raider, Member, Trial, Officer)
• Attendance status → Special roles (Active Raider, 90-day Inactive)
• Game/class → Game-specific roles for pings

Notifications:

• Event reminders to relevant channels
• Loot auction announcements
• Application submissions for officers
• Attendance milestones and warnings

Bot Commands:

• Check personal DKP, attendance, and upcoming events
• RSVP to events directly from Discord
• View guild roster and online members
• Quick lookups for gear, builds, and guides

Integration Best Practices:

• Map roles carefully: Avoid creating too many Discord roles
• Set notification preferences: Don't spam members with every update
• Use channel routing: Events to #raids, loot to #dkp, apps to #recruitment
• Enable voice tracking: Automatic attendance via voice channel presence

Subguilds & Parties

Additional organizational tools for complex communities:

Subguilds

Organize groups within your guild:

• Raid teams (Team A progression, Team B casual)
• Time zones (EU roster, NA roster, OCE roster)
• Content focus (PvE guild, PvP guild within same community)
• Progression tiers (Hardcore, semi-hardcore, casual)

Parties

Tactical groupings for specific content:

• Auto-balanced parties based on role requirements
• Saved party templates for recurring content
• Quick announcements to Discord with @mentions
• Substitution management when someone can't attend

Permissions & Access Control

Guild Manager uses role-based permissions with 40+ granular controls:

Officer Roles

• Raid Leader: Create events, manage rosters, assign parties
• Recruiter: Review applications, invite members, manage trials
• Treasurer: Manage DKP, run auctions, distribute loot
• Admin: Full access to guild settings and integrations

Member Tiers

• Guild Master: Complete control
• Officers: Assigned specific permissions
• Raiders: Can RSVP to all events, bid on loot
• Members: Basic access to events and info
• Trials: Limited access, restricted bidding

Understanding the Workflow

Here's how everything connects for a typical raid week:

• Monday: Raid Leader creates Friday night raid event
• Tuesday-Thursday: Members RSVP with their characters and preferred roles
• Thursday: Auto-reminders ping Discord, waitlist opens for stragglers
• Friday 6 PM: 1-hour warning notification
• Friday 6:45 PM: 15-minute warning, party assignments announced
• Friday 7 PM: Event starts, voice channel tracking begins
• During Raid: Loot auctions for dropped gear, real-time bidding
• After Raid: DKP automatically awarded, attendance recorded, audit log updated
• Saturday: Analytics show who attended, performance tracking updated

Next Steps

• Follow the Onboarding Guide to set up your first guild
• Explore platform features for detailed documentation