# Discord game night bot: schedule sessions, run polls, post patch notes

> A Python Discord bot that schedules game nights with time zone aware RSVPs, runs map and mode polls, and posts patch notes for the games your server plays.

- URL: https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/discord-game-night-bot/
- Type: Bot template
- Category: Games
- By: PaperChaseWebb
- Works with: Runs on your own accounts
- Price: $29 USD
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Setup time: 30 min
- Time to result: Running in your server in about 30 minutes
- Format: Markdown (.md) file, discord-game-night-bot.md
- Version: 1.0, updated 2026-10-15
- License: Run it on as many of your own servers as you like, including for paid communities. Do not resell or republish the template.

## What you end up with

Game nights stop dying in the group chat. People RSVP in their own time zone, get reminded and see what changed in the game before they log in.

## What you get

- One .md file with the complete Python source (bot.py), ready to copy
- Slash commands /gamenight, /poll, /patches and /settings
- SQLite storage, so there is no database to set up
- Start times shown in each member's own time zone through Discord timestamps
- Reminders 24 hours and 30 minutes before a session, mentioning RSVPs only
- Patch note watcher for Steam games by app id, plus any RSS or Atom feed
- Setup steps, Dockerfile, hosting notes and an instruction block for your AI coding agent

## Who it is for

Server admins and the friend who always organizes, for groups that play together on a schedule and are tired of 'who is on tonight?' threads.

## Tools needed

- Python 3.11 or newer: runs the bot
- discord.py: Discord API library, installed from requirements.txt
- Discord Developer Portal: where you create the bot and get its token
- Steam public news feed: patch notes for games with a Steam app id, no API key needed
- You need: Admin rights on a Discord server
- You need: A computer or small server that stays on for reminders

Cost to run: Free to run on your own computer. A small always-on server costs a few dollars a month.

## How it works

1. **Create the bot.** In the Discord Developer Portal, create an application, add a bot and copy its token into .env. Expected: A bot user exists and the token is saved locally, never committed.
2. **Invite it to your server.** Use the invite link builder in the README. It requests only the applications.commands scope and the Send Messages, Embed Links and Read Message History permissions. Expected: The bot appears offline in your member list.
3. **Install and run.** Copy bot.py from the file, run pip install -r requirements.txt, then python bot.py. Expected: The bot comes online and slash commands register within a minute.
4. **Set your defaults.** Run /settings timezone and /settings channel to pick a home time zone and an announcement channel. Expected: The bot confirms both in the channel.
5. **Schedule and watch.** Run /gamenight new and /patches add with a Steam app id or an RSS URL. Expected: An RSVP card posts, and the next patch for that game appears in your channel.

## Preview: Command overview

```
/settings timezone  zone:[America/Chicago]
/settings channel   channel:[#game-night]
/gamenight new      game:[name] when:[2026-10-23 20:00] slots:[4]
/gamenight list
/gamenight cancel   id:[id]
/poll               question:[Which map?] options:[a, b, c] minutes:[120]
/patches add        source:[Steam app id or RSS URL]
/patches list | /patches remove id:[id]
```

## Free preview of discord-game-night-bot.md

````markdown
# Discord game night bot

PaperChase bot template, version 1.0. Python 3.11+, discord.py 2.x, SQLite. One file of source, plus setup steps and instructions for your AI coding agent.

## What it does

- `/gamenight new` posts an RSVP card. Start times use Discord timestamps, so every member sees the time in their own time zone.
- Members RSVP by reacting with the check mark. Reminders go out 24 hours and 30 minutes before start, mentioning only the people who reacted.
- `/poll` runs a quick vote with numbered reactions and posts the result when it closes.
- `/patches add` watches a game's public Steam news (by app id) or any RSS feed and posts new entries to your channel.
- `/settings` sets the server time zone and announcement channel.

## Files you will create

```
game-night-bot/
  bot.py              # the whole bot, below
  requirements.txt    # discord.py
  .env                # your token, never commit this
  .gitignore          # .env and gamenight.db
  Dockerfile          # optional
```

## Contents

1. Create the bot in the Discord Developer Portal
2. Install and run
3. Source: bot.py
4. Hosting options
5. Instructions for your AI coding agent
6. Troubleshooting
````

## Worth knowing

- Reminders only fire while the bot is running. Hosting on a laptop that sleeps means missed reminders.
- Steam patch notes cover games with a Steam app id. Other launchers need a public RSS feed from the developer.
- Keep the token in .env and out of git. If it leaks, reset it in the Developer Portal right away.

## Questions

**Can it run on a free host?** Any host that keeps a Python process running works. The README covers running on your own computer, in Docker and on a small virtual server.

**Does it read messages in my server?** No. It uses slash commands and button clicks, so it does not need the message content intent.

## How to buy

$29 one time at https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/discord-game-night-bot/. Stripe checkout, then an instant download page; the download link is also in your emailed receipt.

Seller: PaperChaseWebb Inc., mgmt@paperchasewebb.com