There have been an abundance of posts on the Looking for Players & Groups board regarding Discord servers. Many are campaign or group specific, while many are community oriented. We can all understand the reasons why this platform is used to assist running our games, but what draws these communities to form?
I have joined quite a few of these over the past year to observe, learn, and even take part in their offerings and have found that these communities house an abundance of new players who have yet to join their first game session. My theory is that an individual develops an interest in D&D and may not want to approach their circle of friends with a game proposal. These new players may feel intimidated in joining a game (online, local game store, convention, etc) with veteran players in fear of not knowing enough or messing something up. Without a welcoming game environment available, they may not be inclined to enjoy or act upon their interest in D&D, leaving them on the sidelines. An alternate method to get around this is to branch out to these Discord communities and try to make friends/ween their way into a starter game.
SO - I'm posting a poll to gain better insight into this ordeal. I have met a lot of members here on D&D Beyond who have never joined in on a game, but relayed that they would have really liked to. As a community, I believe it would be beneficial to realize the composition of this group and help welcome them into our ranks - growing and strengthening our genre. There are so many new faces each and every day, some who may only need a little pull to get involved. Please choose from the options you feel pertain to you when searching for a D&D Discord community. Share your thoughts in the comments below and/or any stories you may have regarding your experiences or those witnessed of others.
Please, do not post or advertise Discord invite links within this thread. Feel free to message me privately with any questions/comments you do not wish to publicly post.
As a creator of one of these communities I 100% share your sentiment. While we do everything we can to include as many new members as possible, there are a huge number of people that are not involved in games. In our specific situation, I see a few things that cause it.
1. Players join communities typically, not DMs. I see one in maybe 30 members that join post a game to be played. There is no real incentive for DMs to join these communities and reaching out to them is difficult because it's like selling flood insurance in Nevada.
2. A huge number of people join and end up muting because discord send pings left and right whenever people talk, or they are just lurking, I posted a new game in my community recently (300 members) and got 10 applications, most of which were regulars. A lot of this can be chocked up to timezones and availability too and when you only have so many DMs that can only run so many games of so many people you end up with several people left out.
What we do to try and grow on the DM front so that we can include more people, grow and have a more active community is we hold weekly DM classes and have a DM advice channel. We currently also have a DM training game in the works to try to to convert some of our players interested in DMing into DMs.
The D&D community as a whole has a surplus of players and a serious shortage of DMs. I think the best way to improve e our communities is to teach and encourage those that are storytellers but intimidated by the idea of running a game to run a game.
As a player currently living in the middle of nowhere, my best option is to find players online or drive 100+ miles. I wouldn't mind DMing, but would prefer being a pc as I only have a phone to communicate with for the next couple months. This is why I'm often looking for a group to play with via discord.
I never played D&D before, i only watched campaigns on youtube or twitch, i would love to try it for the first time, but i don't even know how to create a character properly but still i would love to have this experience and everywhere i see D&D the community always seems happy to welcome new players like myself.
As someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, it's not very easy to find players living close enough in order for weekly./bi-weekly meetings to remain possible. Using the internet, I still hope to find a group and join a campaign, so I hope that once the server's up and running, I might meet some fellow Europeans. If I can play some online campaigns, I might find more confidence to introduce some of my friends to the game so I can enjoy the best of both worlds, but the idea of introducing others to a game I've never really played before myself sounds rather...intimidating, if not a little dangerous.
I am new to 5e but used to play and run 2e for a few years. I would absolutely love to DM some one shots online for new players but need a new PC/ mic/cam. I am playing locally and learning as much as I can before I try to run a game. I have already built 5 dungeons using 5e monsters/ skills/ & npc creation, etc., and my brain is working overtime. Creating playgrounds for players to romp around on and create a story together is what drives me to this game. Much joy in seeing others have fun and all I have to do is open the door and give them a nudge to go on an adventure with me. Can't wait.
I am interested in being a DM i just want to get more experience first before i jump into that. So i thought starting as a player and going from there.
Likewise with you Kris I'm a beginner looking for some assistance and a possible group to play with and gain game experience with since not many people local to me play D&D
I’m just feeling my way around. Haven’t played D&D since the 80’s so just refamiliarizing myself again. ✌🏼 Going from paper and pencil with school friends close by to all the technology options now comes with a learning curve, so here I am.
I used to play D&D when I was at highschool but left it over the years, recently I found out some youtube videos of critical rol, and others, and made me want to start again, becouse of my job and location I find it hard to find local sessions so I wanted to try online ones.
Also I always played really house ruled so im not sure I know the proper way anymore ^^
I've played D&D in high school and haven't played in years. I've decided to get back into it because I really do miss playing and having fun. I also really liked playing and want to get back into it, so that's why i am here.
I am a long time player and DM (25+ years), I have been playing 53 for about 1.5 years now and feel comfortable in being a DM but not do not know how to set something up so players can see maps online, I have rptools and learning that but have not got anything down as of yet, I would love to play in a one shot just to get my feet wet on playing online.
How do participate in the DM training? I have played a couple of times, and would still enjoy the opportunity to do that, but I also am interested in learning how to DM well for a group I think could be formed.
likewise being a experience player play d&d for a month as a player and been dming a couple of games before and looking of anyone to help me create a d&d group on discord or roll 20 as well
As A dm, and actually starting up on here as a player I defiantly felt the way your saying. Another main reason I use it is because well I live in such a small town. And dnd is defiantly not what most people are interested. I believe something beneficial for you guys to do is to have I would say. A few select DMS that are chosen or have gained so many likes on there threads a chance to host one shots for these new players perhaps once a week. Or even make a more young and friendly section for dnd beyond. I have noticed after looking and looking. that the number of young teens is outrageous. And from having interview before selecting my players just to make sure i get the best fit for the campaign I have found that a lot of them do indeed have no Idea what to really do. And are looking for that first real game. The best thing to do I would say is make something were once a week select dms get to host a one shot for new player that have been drawn or something so they have a chance to experience dnd! thanks and hoped it helped man.
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There have been an abundance of posts on the Looking for Players & Groups board regarding Discord servers. Many are campaign or group specific, while many are community oriented. We can all understand the reasons why this platform is used to assist running our games, but what draws these communities to form?
I have joined quite a few of these over the past year to observe, learn, and even take part in their offerings and have found that these communities house an abundance of new players who have yet to join their first game session. My theory is that an individual develops an interest in D&D and may not want to approach their circle of friends with a game proposal. These new players may feel intimidated in joining a game (online, local game store, convention, etc) with veteran players in fear of not knowing enough or messing something up. Without a welcoming game environment available, they may not be inclined to enjoy or act upon their interest in D&D, leaving them on the sidelines. An alternate method to get around this is to branch out to these Discord communities and try to make friends/ween their way into a starter game.
SO - I'm posting a poll to gain better insight into this ordeal. I have met a lot of members here on D&D Beyond who have never joined in on a game, but relayed that they would have really liked to. As a community, I believe it would be beneficial to realize the composition of this group and help welcome them into our ranks - growing and strengthening our genre. There are so many new faces each and every day, some who may only need a little pull to get involved. Please choose from the options you feel pertain to you when searching for a D&D Discord community. Share your thoughts in the comments below and/or any stories you may have regarding your experiences or those witnessed of others.
Please, do not post or advertise Discord invite links within this thread. Feel free to message me privately with any questions/comments you do not wish to publicly post.
NOTE: Please see D&D Beyond's DISCORD SERVER! https://ddb.ac/discord
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Send me a message with any questions or concerns
As a creator of one of these communities I 100% share your sentiment. While we do everything we can to include as many new members as possible, there are a huge number of people that are not involved in games. In our specific situation, I see a few things that cause it.
1. Players join communities typically, not DMs. I see one in maybe 30 members that join post a game to be played. There is no real incentive for DMs to join these communities and reaching out to them is difficult because it's like selling flood insurance in Nevada.
2. A huge number of people join and end up muting because discord send pings left and right whenever people talk, or they are just lurking, I posted a new game in my community recently (300 members) and got 10 applications, most of which were regulars. A lot of this can be chocked up to timezones and availability too and when you only have so many DMs that can only run so many games of so many people you end up with several people left out.
What we do to try and grow on the DM front so that we can include more people, grow and have a more active community is we hold weekly DM classes and have a DM advice channel. We currently also have a DM training game in the works to try to to convert some of our players interested in DMing into DMs.
The D&D community as a whole has a surplus of players and a serious shortage of DMs. I think the best way to improve e our communities is to teach and encourage those that are storytellers but intimidated by the idea of running a game to run a game.
I think you want to make a post in the LFG stuff below or look for a game that suits you advertising down there.
As a player currently living in the middle of nowhere, my best option is to find players online or drive 100+ miles. I wouldn't mind DMing, but would prefer being a pc as I only have a phone to communicate with for the next couple months. This is why I'm often looking for a group to play with via discord.
I never played D&D before, i only watched campaigns on youtube or twitch, i would love to try it for the first time, but i don't even know how to create a character properly but still i would love to have this experience and everywhere i see D&D the community always seems happy to welcome new players like myself.
No wonder why I find Bad games. Too many new players and not enough DMs.
As someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, it's not very easy to find players living close enough in order for weekly./bi-weekly meetings to remain possible. Using the internet, I still hope to find a group and join a campaign, so I hope that once the server's up and running, I might meet some fellow Europeans. If I can play some online campaigns, I might find more confidence to introduce some of my friends to the game so I can enjoy the best of both worlds, but the idea of introducing others to a game I've never really played before myself sounds rather...intimidating, if not a little dangerous.
I am new to 5e but used to play and run 2e for a few years. I would absolutely love to DM some one shots online for new players but need a new PC/ mic/cam. I am playing locally and learning as much as I can before I try to run a game. I have already built 5 dungeons using 5e monsters/ skills/ & npc creation, etc., and my brain is working overtime. Creating playgrounds for players to romp around on and create a story together is what drives me to this game. Much joy in seeing others have fun and all I have to do is open the door and give them a nudge to go on an adventure with me. Can't wait.
I’m new and i really want to play I’ve been watching videos and reading up on the game trying to learn but i best learn when i try it out,
I am interested in being a DM i just want to get more experience first before i jump into that. So i thought starting as a player and going from there.
Likewise with you Kris I'm a beginner looking for some assistance and a possible group to play with and gain game experience with since not many people local to me play D&D
Meme lord, and newbie to D&D.
I’m just feeling my way around. Haven’t played D&D since the 80’s so just refamiliarizing myself again. ✌🏼 Going from paper and pencil with school friends close by to all the technology options now comes with a learning curve, so here I am.
mystk from Vancity
old newb from the Pacific Northwest
First time doing this
I used to play D&D when I was at highschool but left it over the years, recently I found out some youtube videos of critical rol, and others, and made me want to start again, becouse of my job and location I find it hard to find local sessions so I wanted to try online ones.
Also I always played really house ruled so im not sure I know the proper way anymore ^^
I've played D&D in high school and haven't played in years. I've decided to get back into it because I really do miss playing and having fun. I also really liked playing and want to get back into it, so that's why i am here.
I am a long time player and DM (25+ years), I have been playing 53 for about 1.5 years now and feel comfortable in being a DM but not do not know how to set something up so players can see maps online, I have rptools and learning that but have not got anything down as of yet, I would love to play in a one shot just to get my feet wet on playing online.
How do participate in the DM training? I have played a couple of times, and would still enjoy the opportunity to do that, but I also am interested in learning how to DM well for a group I think could be formed.
likewise being a experience player play d&d for a month as a player and been dming a couple of games before and looking of anyone to help me create a d&d group on discord or roll 20 as well
As A dm, and actually starting up on here as a player I defiantly felt the way your saying. Another main reason I use it is because well I live in such a small town. And dnd is defiantly not what most people are interested. I believe something beneficial for you guys to do is to have I would say. A few select DMS that are chosen or have gained so many likes on there threads a chance to host one shots for these new players perhaps once a week. Or even make a more young and friendly section for dnd beyond. I have noticed after looking and looking. that the number of young teens is outrageous. And from having interview before selecting my players just to make sure i get the best fit for the campaign I have found that a lot of them do indeed have no Idea what to really do. And are looking for that first real game. The best thing to do I would say is make something were once a week select dms get to host a one shot for new player that have been drawn or something so they have a chance to experience dnd! thanks and hoped it helped man.