Who these guides are for
Running competition in a community is mostly unglamorous work: deciding a format, getting people to turn up on time, settling arguments about results, and doing it all again next week. These guides collect what tends to work. They are written for volunteers, not professional tournament staff, and they assume you have an evening, a Discord server and a group of players rather than a production team.
Every guide uses the Clutchat bot for its examples and names the exact commands to run, but the advice underneath (when to open check-in, how to seed, how to stay neutral in a dispute) applies whatever tools you use.
How to use them
If you are new to Clutchat, start with setting up Clutchat in your server, then read the sixteen-team bracket guide before your first event. The check-in, seeding and dispute guides go deeper into the three places tournaments most often go wrong. Clan leaders looking for a regular activity should read the weekly scrims guide. For a summary of every tool, see the features overview; for short answers, the FAQ.
All guides
How to run a 16-team bracket in Discord
For organizers
From the announcement post to the grand final: how to size, schedule and run a sixteen-team bracket without a spreadsheet.
Check-in that stops no-shows stalling round one
For organizers
Most brackets lose their first hour to teams that registered and never arrived. A check-in window fixes that — if you set it up properly.
Handling match disputes fairly
For organizers
Two teams, two different scores. What to ask for, who should decide, and how to keep a dispute from freezing the whole bracket.
Seeding a bracket by rating
For organizers
Random draws put your two best teams in round one. How to seed with the ratings you already have, and when not to bother.
Running weekly scrims for your clan
For clan leaders
A standing practice night is the cheapest way to keep a clan active. How to schedule it, fill it and make the results mean something.
Setting up Clutchat in your Discord server
For server admins
Add the bot, run /setup, choose your channels and roles, and have a first event ready before your members ask what the new bot does.