Game Host Guide

Running a session with Rucky

Everything you need to run a game day — from opening the app to building lineups and recording wins.

Quick Start

5 steps to run a game

Open the app and tap today's event.
Tap Start session to open check-in.
Check players in as they arrive — check-in order sets lineup placement.
Once players are checked in, tap Build lineup. Shuffle and Captains Pick need 10+; Pick Teams works with any number.
Record the winner immediately after each game.

Full walkthrough with screenshots in the sections below.

Interactive Demo

Try hosting a session

No data saved · No notifications

Run through the full hosting flow with fake players — check-in, lineup building, recording wins, and a leaderboard. Nothing is saved.

How many players?

What a Game Host Can Do

When assigned as host, you'll see the same live session controls the organizer has — for that event only. Your group role and permissions stay the same.

Can do

Start the assigned session

Check players in and out

Build and adjust lineups

Record game results and wins

Undo incorrect game results

Reopen a closed session

Cannot do

Manage player balances or payments

Add or remove group members

Change group settings

Manage organizer permissions

Create or cancel events

Delete the group

Lineup Modes

Choose a lineup mode

All three modes require at least 10 players checked in. Players beyond 10 are placed on a third overflow team automatically.

Pick Teams

Manual

Players used: All checked-in players (1 or more)

How it works: Manually assign every checked-in player to a team. Team count scales automatically: 6–10 → 2 teams, 11–15 → 3 teams, 16–20 → 4 teams.

Best for: Full control over every roster spot

Shuffle

Auto

Players used: All checked-in players (10 minimum)

How it works: Automatically builds balanced teams across all checked-in players (~5 per team). Players not yet checked in are placed on a separate team.

Best for: Fast setup with no manual input

Captains Pick

Draft

Players used: First 10 checked in (10 minimum)

How it works: Select exactly 2 captains from the first 10 checked-in players, then snake-draft the remaining 8. Players 11 and beyond are placed on a third team automatically.

Best for: Traditional pickup draft feel

Step-by-step guide

Step 1

Start the Session

Open the app on game day and kick off check-in.

Open the app. Your event appears under Today with a highlighted card.

Tap the event

A prompt appears — tap "Start session" to open check-in for players.

Note: Only the organizer or assigned game host can start a session. If you don't see the prompt, confirm your role with the organizer.

Step 2

Check Players In

Mark players as they arrive. Check-in order sets lineup placement.

Tip: Check players in as they physically arrive — first in, first assigned to a team slot when you build lineups.

Check-in screen with all players unchecked

Check-in starts at 0/15. All players show an orange Check in button.

Tap each player as they arrive

Check-in screen with 4 players checked in

Checked-in players flip to a green "✓ Here" badge. The counter updates live.

Tip: Made a mistake? A player who was just checked in shows an Undo button briefly. Tap it to reverse the check-in.

Check-in screen at 11 of 15 with Undo visible

At 11/15 — enough to build. Once you reach 10, the lineup builder unlocks on the event page.

Step 3

Build Lineups

Once 10+ players are checked in, open the event and tap Build lineup to choose how teams are formed.

Tip: Confirm the checked-in count before building teams. You need at least 10 to unlock the builder.

Event page with Build lineup button unlocked

Once 10+ are checked in, the Lineups section appears with the "Build lineup" button active.

Tap Build lineup

Build lineup modal with three mode options

Choose a lineup mode: Pick teams, Smart balance, or Captains pick.

Pick teams

Team slots appear for all checked-in players. Tap a player to assign them.

Tap a player

A popup asks which team to assign them to. Repeat for every player.

Tip: Teams can start short — you don't need to fill every slot before saving. Use Adjust teams later to rebalance.

Shuffle

Requires 10+ players checked in. Uses all checked-in players (~5 per team).

Builds balanced teams automatically. No manual input needed.

Players not yet checked in are placed on a separate team you can adjust later.

Tap Shuffle in the lineup builder and teams are built immediately.

Captains pick

Pick captains screen with 0 of 2 selected

Only the first 10 checked-in players are eligible. Tap exactly 2 to make them captains.

Tap 2 players

Pick captains screen with both captains selected

Selected captains are highlighted as Captain 1 and Captain 2. Tap Confirm to start the draft.

Snake draft in progress with player list

Tap a player from the "To draft" list to assign them. Teams alternate picks snake-style until all 10 are assigned.

Note: Always exactly 2 captains, always from the first 10 checked-in players.Players 11 and beyond are placed on a third team automatically — you don't draft them.

Tip: Tap Save once drafting is complete — there is no auto-save during the draft.

Step 4

Adjust Teams & Record Wins

Move players between teams if needed, then record the winner after each game.

Adjusting teams

Lineup view showing two teams with action buttons

Adjust teams, Auto balance, and Delete are at the top. Each team card has a win button at the bottom.

Tap a player

Tap any player to move them to another team, swap with someone, or remove them entirely.

Adjust teams — tap any player to move, swap, or remove.

Auto balance — re-runs smart balance across all teams.

Delete — removes this lineup. Previous lineups stay in history.

Team grade badge (A, B+, C…) — a letter grade shown in the corner of each team card indicating that team's relative strength based on player game history. A team graded A is stronger than one graded B+. When grades are uneven across teams, use Auto balance to even things out.

Recording wins

Tip: Record the winner immediately after each game so the history stays accurate.

Each team card has a "[Team name] won" button. Tap the winning team.

Tap winning team → select opponent

Who did they play modal with opponent selection

Select the team they played against, then tap "Record win".

Games log showing the recorded result with an Undo button

The result appears in the GAMES log. Tap "Undo" immediately if you made a mistake.

Tip: Win counts on each team badge and the group leaderboard update automatically after recording.

Need help?

Contact your organizer or sign in to check your access level.

Game Host Guide

Running a session with Rucky

Everything you need to run a game day — from opening the app to building lineups and recording wins.

Quick Start

5 steps to run a game

Open the app and tap today's event.
Tap Start session to open check-in.
Check players in as they arrive — check-in order sets lineup placement.
Once players are checked in, tap Build lineup. Shuffle and Captains Pick need 10+; Pick Teams works with any number.
Record the winner immediately after each game.

Full walkthrough with screenshots in the sections below.

Interactive Demo

Try hosting a session

No data saved · No notifications

Run through the full hosting flow with fake players — check-in, lineup building, recording wins, and a leaderboard. Nothing is saved.

How many players?

What a Game Host Can Do

When assigned as host, you'll see the same live session controls the organizer has — for that event only. Your group role and permissions stay the same.

Can do

Start the assigned session

Check players in and out

Build and adjust lineups

Record game results and wins

Undo incorrect game results

Reopen a closed session

Cannot do

Manage player balances or payments

Add or remove group members

Change group settings

Manage organizer permissions

Create or cancel events

Delete the group

Lineup Modes

Choose a lineup mode

All three modes require at least 10 players checked in. Players beyond 10 are placed on a third overflow team automatically.

Pick Teams

Manual

Players used: All checked-in players (1 or more)

How it works: Manually assign every checked-in player to a team. Team count scales automatically: 6–10 → 2 teams, 11–15 → 3 teams, 16–20 → 4 teams.

Best for: Full control over every roster spot

Shuffle

Auto

Players used: All checked-in players (10 minimum)

How it works: Automatically builds balanced teams across all checked-in players (~5 per team). Players not yet checked in are placed on a separate team.

Best for: Fast setup with no manual input

Captains Pick

Draft

Players used: First 10 checked in (10 minimum)

How it works: Select exactly 2 captains from the first 10 checked-in players, then snake-draft the remaining 8. Players 11 and beyond are placed on a third team automatically.

Best for: Traditional pickup draft feel

Step-by-step guide

Step 1

Start the Session

Open the app on game day and kick off check-in.

Open the app. Your event appears under Today with a highlighted card.

Tap the event

A prompt appears — tap "Start session" to open check-in for players.

Note: Only the organizer or assigned game host can start a session. If you don't see the prompt, confirm your role with the organizer.

Step 2

Check Players In

Mark players as they arrive. Check-in order sets lineup placement.

Tip: Check players in as they physically arrive — first in, first assigned to a team slot when you build lineups.

Check-in starts at 0/15. All players show an orange Check in button.

Tap each player as they arrive

Checked-in players flip to a green "✓ Here" badge. The counter updates live.

Tip: Made a mistake? A player who was just checked in shows an Undo button briefly. Tap it to reverse the check-in.

At 11/15 — enough to build. Once you reach 10, the lineup builder unlocks on the event page.

Step 3

Build Lineups

Once 10+ players are checked in, open the event and tap Build lineup to choose how teams are formed.

Tip: Confirm the checked-in count before building teams. You need at least 10 to unlock the builder.

Once 10+ are checked in, the Lineups section appears with the "Build lineup" button active.

Tap Build lineup

Choose a lineup mode: Pick teams, Smart balance, or Captains pick.

Pick teams

Team slots appear for all checked-in players. Tap a player to assign them.

Tap a player

A popup asks which team to assign them to. Repeat for every player.

Tip: Teams can start short — you don't need to fill every slot before saving. Use Adjust teams later to rebalance.

Shuffle

Requires 10+ players checked in. Uses all checked-in players (~5 per team).

Builds balanced teams automatically. No manual input needed.

Players not yet checked in are placed on a separate team you can adjust later.

Tap Shuffle in the lineup builder and teams are built immediately.

Captains pick

Only the first 10 checked-in players are eligible. Tap exactly 2 to make them captains.

Tap 2 players

Selected captains are highlighted as Captain 1 and Captain 2. Tap Confirm to start the draft.

Tap a player from the "To draft" list to assign them. Teams alternate picks snake-style until all 10 are assigned.

Note: Always exactly 2 captains, always from the first 10 checked-in players.Players 11 and beyond are placed on a third team automatically — you don't draft them.

Tip: Tap Save once drafting is complete — there is no auto-save during the draft.

Step 4

Adjust Teams & Record Wins

Move players between teams if needed, then record the winner after each game.

Adjusting teams

Adjust teams, Auto balance, and Delete are at the top. Each team card has a win button at the bottom.

Tap a player

Tap any player to move them to another team, swap with someone, or remove them entirely.

Adjust teams — tap any player to move, swap, or remove.

Auto balance — re-runs smart balance across all teams.

Delete — removes this lineup. Previous lineups stay in history.

Recording wins

Tip: Record the winner immediately after each game so the history stays accurate.

Each team card has a "[Team name] won" button. Tap the winning team.

Tap winning team → select opponent

Select the team they played against, then tap "Record win".

The result appears in the GAMES log. Tap "Undo" immediately if you made a mistake.

Tip: Win counts on each team badge and the group leaderboard update automatically after recording.

Need help?

Contact your organizer or sign in to check your access level.