Mini Raffle System

Mini raffles are secondary raffles that award winners with free tickets in a linked main raffle. This creates a two-tier system that increases engagement and gives more users a chance to participate.

Why Use Mini Raffles?

Lower barrier to entry - Mini raffles are often free or low cost
More engagement - More users can participate in your raffles
Free entry to main - Mini winners get free tickets in expensive main raffles
Excitement - Two-stage winning creates more anticipation

How Mini Raffles Work

You create a mini raffle linked to an existing main raffle
Users claim tickets in the mini raffle
When the mini fills, Frank selects winner(s)
Winners receive reserved tickets in the main raffle
Winners have a time window to choose their ticket numbers
If they don't choose, tickets are auto-assigned randomly

Creating a Mini Raffle

Calculate Required Slots First

Before creating a mini, check that the main raffle has enough free slots:

Required = winner_count × tickets_to_reserve
Available = total_slots - claimed_tickets - already_reserved

Example:

Main raffle has 50 slots
30 are claimed, 6 are reserved for another mini
Available: 50 - 30 - 6 = 14 slots
You can create a mini reserving up to 14 tickets

Create the Mini

/startmini item:Karambit Fade price:0 slots:20 winner_count:2 tickets_to_reserve:3 linked_main_raffle:Karambit Fade

This creates:

A free mini raffle with 20 tickets
2 winners will be selected
Each winner gets 3 tickets in the main
Total reserved: 6 tickets

Mini Winner Process

When a Mini Completes

Winner Selected - Frank randomly picks the winner(s)
Mini Archived - The mini raffle thread is closed
Tickets Reserved - Main raffle reserves tickets for the winner
Notification Sent - Winner is pinged in the main raffle thread

Winner Claiming Window

Winners get a time window to choose their ticket numbers:

Standard (2 minutes):

🎉 @Alice won 3 tickets from the mini!

⏰ Winner has 2 minutes to choose their tickets or they will be randomly allocated.
Available numbers: 1, 5, 7, 8, 12, 15

The winner types their preferred numbers in the main raffle thread:

5 12 15

If Timer Expires

If the winner doesn't claim in time, Frank randomly assigns tickets:

🎉 @Alice won the mini!
[Embed] Tickets automatically assigned as main raffle is full.

Final Mini Mode

When a main raffle enters "final mini mode," regular users can no longer claim tickets.

When It Triggers

Final mini mode activates when:

Remaining free slots = Total reserved for mini winners

Example:

Main has 50 slots, 44 are claimed
A mini reserves 6 tickets
50 - 44 - 6 = 0 available for regular users
Final mini mode triggers

What Happens

Frank posts: "💰 Raffle is now full pending final mini!"
Regular users are blocked from claiming
Only mini winners can claim their reserved tickets
All pending mini winners get 3 minutes together to claim

3-Minute Final Window

Unlike the 2-minute individual window, final mini mode gives all pending winners 3 minutes to claim simultaneously:

⏰ All outstanding mini winners have 3 minutes to choose their tickets or they will be randomly allocated.

🎟️ @Alice - 2 tickets
🎟️ @Bob - 4 tickets

Available numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

As winners claim, the timer updates:

⏰ Remaining mini winners have 2:45 to choose their tickets:

🎟️ @Bob - 4 tickets

Available numbers: 3, 4, 5, 6

Manual Intervention

Sometimes you need to manually assign tickets for a mini winner.

Using /assign with mini_win

/assign member:@Alice ticket_number:5 ticket_number2:10 ticket_number3:15 mini_win:Y

This:

Assigns the specified tickets to Alice
Marks them as mini-wins (🎁 emoji)
No payment required for these tickets
Counts as free in payment totals

When to Use Manual Assignment

Winner is AFK and timer is expiring
Need to correct a mistake
Winner is having technical issues
Testing or debugging

Cancelling a Mini Raffle

If you need to cancel a mini before it completes:

/cancelmini

Run this in the mini raffle thread. It will:

Cancel the mini raffle
Release reserved tickets back to the main raffle
Close and archive the mini thread

Best Practices

Planning

Calculate required slots before creating minis
Don't create minis when the main is nearly full
Consider the timing of multiple minis

During the Raffle

Monitor mini winner timers
Be available to manually intervene if needed
Use /assign mini_win:Y for AFK winners

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Creating a mini when main doesn't have enough slots
Linking to a closed or completed main raffle
Creating too many minis at once
Ignoring timer expiration

Mini Raffle System

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