Anyone know Discord? Want to use it for an espionage game I'm running

[ZoyzaSorris]

Not sure whether this is for here or PC Gone Mad but basically I'm hoping someone here is familiar with Discord because a) Im not and b) I'd like to try and use it to run a remote gaming event for an organisation I'm involved in. Now this isn't a computer gaming event as such, but an old-fashioned pen and paper type strategy / wargame / espionage game that could be done in person but will be facilitated virtually under the current conditions that you may be aware of.

I essentially just need to be able to distribute game background materials and run the game mechanics (turns, decisions on outcomes etc) virtually and it seemed like Discord may be more fully kitted out for this than your bog standard Zoom or Teams or whatever.

Also I'd be interested to try and write some bots to customise its workings to the game's needs.

One particular mechanic I'd like to implement is where each player can 'eavesdrop' on the private chat between a predetermined two of the other players (this is a geopolitically-orientated scenario) as they negotiate but without them knowing about it - is this sort of thing possible do you think?

Also any general pointers would be extremely welcome.

If noone here has a clue then no bothers :)

[evilcommiedictator]

Discord is pretty easy to use, either on web or with clients on phone/computer, setup an instance, give it a name, and send the links out to your friends.

Think of Discord like a lightweight messageboard/forum - you can have a number of channels, it will keep chatlogs, and you can have voicechat and screen sharing if you so wish.

[ZoyzaSorris]

Thanks! I'm a bit more familiar with it now and it's perfect for online virtual videoconferencing games like this. Being able to write custom bots is a real winner that I'm just starting to get my head around.