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

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.

Works with

Dashed chip: Runs on your own accounts.

Tools needed

Cost to run: Free to run on your own computer. A small always-on server costs a few dollars a month.
Time to result: Running in your server in about 30 minutes

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

/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 the file

# 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.

Details

Version 1.0 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Markdown version of this page
License: Run it on as many of your own servers as you like, including for paid communities. Do not resell or republish the template. Download terms

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