Guild operations guide
How to create a fair DKP system for your guild
Design transparent DKP earning, spending, decay, caps, resets, and appeals that fit your guild’s actual goals.
- Author
- ForgeKeep product team
- Published
- Updated
Define what the points are meant to reward
Start with behavior, not arithmetic. Decide whether the system rewards attendance, difficult roles, preparation, progression attempts, long-term consistency, or some combination.
Avoid awarding points for every measurable action. A complicated formula is harder to audit and easier to game.
Publish earning and spending rules together
Members need to understand both sides of the system. State how points are earned, when they become available, which items use DKP, how ties are resolved, and when deductions occur.
Use examples with realistic balances and bids. Examples expose ambiguity before a valuable drop does.
- Earning events and approval
- Bid or priority method
- Tie-break rule
- Negative balance policy
- Officer adjustment policy
Choose decay, caps, and resets deliberately
Decay reduces hoarding but can punish members who temporarily step away. Caps narrow the gap between veterans and newcomers. Seasonal resets simplify recovery but erase long-term accumulation.
Pick the smallest intervention that addresses your guild’s actual problem, and announce changes before they take effect.
Keep a ledger and an appeal path
A member balance should be the sum of documented credits and deductions. Never make the editable total the only record.
Give members a time-limited way to challenge attendance, point, or purchase entries. Corrections should add a new reversal or adjustment rather than silently rewriting history.