Locks and draws: timing your activity like a pro

Every Kismet activity runs on two timestamps: the lock (submissions seal) and the draw (fate picks). Getting them right is the difference between a flat coin flip and an event the crew talks about. A field guide:

The same-night special

Lock: +30–45 min · Draw: +1 min after lock

For “we’re deciding dinner right now.” Short enough that nobody drifts, instant enough that the answer arrives while shoes are still on. The draw landing a minute after the seal gives the countdown one last collective breath.

The slow burn

Lock: tonight · Draw: tomorrow at noon

For weekend plans made midweek. Everyone submits by bedtime; fate speaks over lunch. The overnight gap is deliberately theatrical — the sealed state is the suspense, and the app’s countdown makes it visible.

The trip simmer

Lock: Sunday night · Draw: Friday 6pm

For destination draws. A long sealed window lets the whole squad daydream about every possibility — five days where anywhere could be it. When Friday’s reveal lands, the winner meets a crew already emotionally packed.

Rules the timestamps enforce (so you don’t have to)

• The lock is a wall. After it: no new joins, no edits, no exceptions. The server enforces it; the owner can’t bend it.
• Sealing early is allowed; unsealing late is not. Everyone’s in and antsy? The owner can seal now. But once the scheduled lock passes, the seal is final — an early seal can only be reopened while the schedule is still in the future.
• The draw waits for no one. It fires on the server at the appointed second, whether the crew is watching or asleep. Late arrivals get the full reveal when they show up.

One heuristic to rule them

Set the lock for when the last realistic submission arrives, and the draw for when the most people can watch together. Suspense is a group sport — aim the reveal at the room.