How do I control the imported user role when using CiviCRM WordPress Member Sync?
How do I control the user role that the CiviCRM users are synced as WordPress users? I'm using the "Role" Synchronization Method. Is this controlled by Association Rules?


Yes, exactly. Association Rules are the "glue" between CiviCRM Memberships and WordPress Roles (or Capabilities).


  I need to add a rule for each CiviCRM membership level?


Yes. FYI, if you have a large number of Membership Types, have a look at the newest feature in CiviCRM WordPress Member Sync, which allows you to do "bulk creation" of Association Rules.


  Will the "New User Default Role" in WordPress>General Settings override synced users Association Rules?


No. It comes into play when syncing to Capabilities, since WordPress users must have a role of some kind. When syncing to Roles, the selected role is granted instead.


  Do I need to use https://wordpress.org/plugins/groups/ ?


No, but CiviCRM WordPress Member Sync has deeper integration with the Groups plugin than with the Members plugin.

The integration with Members consists solely of granting WordPress users the restrict_content capability, which is what Members uses to determine access to, well, restricted content. The capability is removed when the Membership expires.

The integration with Groups is more sophisticated, in that Group membership can be independent of the user's role or capability. Capabilities can be assigned to groups in much the same way that roles are collections of capabilities. Membership Types can be added to (or removed from) groups depending on the status of the membership.

So... if you have removed the WordPress admin users and want to recreate them with a different role, make sure you have edited your Association Rules so that the Contacts with the appropriate Membership Type sync to your desired current and expiry roles.

FWIW, by default CiviCRM WordPress Member Sync will not sync users with the admin role in WordPress. This can be modified with a filter, but since you're avoiding granting WordPress users admin rights, you shouldn't be caught by this.