Who it's for: clans, game communities and tournament servers where members come to play together. About 20 channels across eight categories, with game channels that grow only when a game earns its own space. Copy the channel list, set the roles and permissions from the tables, and follow the checklist.
Channels and categories
📌 START HERE #welcome read-only #rules read-only #verify only channel unverified members can post in #announcements read-only (Announcement channel if Community is on) #pick-roles ping roles + "which games do you play?" 💬 COMMUNITY #general #clips-and-media #looking-for-group #off-topic 🎮 GAMES one channel per game you actually support #game-one #game-two 🏆 EVENTS #event-info read-only #tournament-chat #results read-only 🔊 VOICE 🔊 Lobby 🔊 Squad 1 🔊 Squad 2 🔊 AFK 🆘 SUPPORT #open-a-ticket ticket panel (reports, appeals, help) 🛡️ STAFF private #mod-chat #mod-log bot logs #event-planning
Start with one or two game channels. Add another when a game keeps taking over #general, not before.
Roles, top to bottom
| Role | Purpose | Key permissions |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | Co-owners | Manage Server, Manage Roles, Manage Channels (avoid Administrator) |
| Moderator | Day-to-day moderation | Timeout, Kick, Ban, Manage Messages |
| Event Host | Runs tournaments and game nights | Manage Events, posts in #event-info and #results |
| Bots | Sits above every role a bot assigns | Only what each bot asks for |
| Verified | Everyone who passed verification | View and chat in Community, Games, Events, Voice |
| Game roles | e.g. Game One, Game Two — picked by members | None; used for pings and optional game channels |
| Ping roles | Events, LFG pings, Announcements | None |
| @everyone | Unverified joiners | See Start here only; post in #verify only |
Who can see and post where
| Category | @everyone | Verified | Event Host | Moderator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start here | See (post in #verify only) | See | See | See + post |
| Community | ✗ | See + post | See + post | See + post + manage |
| Games | ✗ | See + post | See + post | See + post + manage |
| Events | ✗ | See; post in #tournament-chat | See + post everywhere | See + post + manage |
| Voice | ✗ | Join + speak | Join + speak + move members | All |
| Support | ✗ | See the ticket button | See | See + handle tickets |
| Staff | ✗ | ✗ | #event-planning only | ✓ |
Onboarding questions
If you turn on Community, Discord's Onboarding can ask new members a few questions and hand out roles. For a gaming server:
- Which games do you play? Each answer gives a game role (and can show that game's channel).
- What do you want to be pinged for? Events, LFG, announcements.
- Are you here to compete? Yes gives a Tournaments ping role.
Without Community, use a role-button post in #pick-roles instead.
Bots and their jobs
| Job | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Verification and alt blocking | #verify | Stops ban evaders and raid accounts before they reach chat |
| Auto-moderation and anti-raid | Server-wide | Discord AutoMod for words and links, plus an anti-raid bot |
| Logs | #mod-log | Deleted and edited messages, joins, bans |
| Tickets | #open-a-ticket | Reports, appeals and tournament disputes in private channels |
| Role buttons | #pick-roles | Game and ping roles |
| Events | #event-info | Discord's built-in Events work well for game nights |
Rules for this layout
Use the gaming rules: they cover cheats and exploits, account selling, spoilers, LFG etiquette, voice chat and tournament disputes.
Setup checklist
- Create the categories first and set permissions on each category.
- Create channels inside them and keep them synced to their category.
- Create roles in the order above; put the Bots role above game and ping roles.
- Lock
@everyoneto Start here, with posting only in#verify. - Add verification, then moderation, logs and tickets.
- Post rules, a welcome message and an LFG how-to.
- Test from a fresh account: join, verify, pick a game, post in LFG, open a ticket.
Add later
- A forum channel for guides and builds per game, once people start sharing long posts.
- Team channels (private per team) when you run a league.
- A Stage channel for tournament casts.
Sources
Checked on 12 November 2026. Discord changes menus from time to time, so if a step looks different, the linked article is the reference.