Whether you're a new player or a veteran of the game, finding a Dungeons & Dragons group can be challenging. If you've only just discovered D&D, you might be the only person you know who wants to play. But don’t despair. D&D is more popular now than it’s ever been before, and there are plenty of ways to find a gaming group. Here are three ways you can start your first D&D group:
- Ask Your Friends to Play
- Find a D&D Group Online
- Find a D&D Group at Your Local Gaming Store
- What You Need to Start Playing
Forming a D&D Group? Be Prepared to Run the Game
If you want to form a D&D group, be prepared to be the Dungeon Master (DM) — that is, the person who creates the dungeons, plays the NPCs, and otherwise sets the scene in-game and organizes the game sessions in real life. Being the DM can be a lot of work, but it’s incredibly fun, and being a DM means you’ll always be in hot demand when people want to play.
1. Ask Your friends to Play
Even if you don’t think your friends are the sort of people who would want to play D&D, consider asking! Folks who tend to take an interest in D&D typically enjoy other “geeky” activities — like reading fantasy novels, watching fantasy films and shows, writing, and playing video games. Of course, you don’t have to look any farther than Joe Manganiello or Travis Willingham to see that even folks who don’t look like a geek stereotype can love the game In fact, sports-lovers can become some of the most die-hard D&D players, once the adrenaline of fighting monsters kicks in.
It’s almost always better to start by suggesting a single one-shot game of D&D than trying to plan a whole campaign right off the bat — even if that’s what you want to do most. Let people dip their feet into the water before leaping into the deep end.
Once everyone’s all together, you might notice that people just want to socialize and be pals rather than play D&D. Don’t worry about this. They came here because you invited them to play D&D; they have school or work just like anyone else, and they have steam to blow off in casual conversation before they can buckle in to learn the ins and outs of a brand new roleplaying game. If people want to chat, don’t cut them off. Just hang out for a half-hour or so before getting everyone around the kitchen table to play.
Share Your Books With Friends
Although you can play Dungeons & Dragons for free by using the basic rules, players will discover tons of additional character options in the Player's Handbook. Similarly, DMs will find helpful tools and tips for running the game in the Dungeon Master's Guide. If you've bought any books in the D&D Beyond marketplace, you can unlock them for your friends by signing up for a Master-tier subscription. This is a great way to introduce friends to the game who might not yet be interested in purchasing any of the books.
2. Find a D&D Group Online
Whether you're seeking a group to play with online or just local groups in your area, the internet is a great place to find like-minded fans of the game. D&D Beyond offers two resources for finding groups:
- Looking for Players & Groups board in the D&D Beyond forums
- Specific channels in the D&D Beyond Discord
Joining a Play-by-Post game is a great alternative for those with a tricky schedule or who just love the written word. These types of campaigns are run entirely in the forums. The DM and the players type out everything that happens in the game and roll dice in replies. A play-by-post game can be a safe environment for you to learn the game at your own pace.
If you find and join an online D&D group, you'll want to ensure your internet connection is stable and that you've reduced background noise to minimize distractions in-game. As with games that happen in person, take plenty of notes and do your best to stay focused.
Find a Game to Play With StartPlaying
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* The above offer is managed by StartPlaying (a partner of Wizards of the Coast) and is not controlled by Wizards in any way. We cannot guarantee its availability. For details on how to redeem that offer or any other questions you may have about the StartPlaying service, please reach out to StartPlaying.
3. Find a Group at Your Local Gaming Store
When you're trying to find a D&D group, your local game store is another great place to start. Most gaming stores and hobby shops have at least one of two things: a bulletin board where groups can post flyers looking for new players or groups of people playing D&D Adventurers League. Both can land you a seat in a game. (Not sure where to find a store? The Wizards of the Coast website has a store and event locator.)
Ask the staff if their store hosts any D&D events. Some have a weekly D&D Adventurers League night, where you'll pay a small entry fee to join a group of players in a game. As people can freely jump in and out of games from one week to the next, you'll meet plenty of new and veteran players. Keep in mind, Adventurers League sessions tend to be more focused on combat and overcoming game challenges than roleplay. If you want a story-telling-focused experience, joining a group might be preferable depending on the DM.
If you're interested in joining a local D&D group, be upfront about your experience level, what you're looking for in a campaign, and what your schedule looks like. Every DM has a unique style and prefers to run their campaigns in a certain way. You'll want to ensure your playstyle aligns with theirs and their group's. Further, when getting to know new people, trust your instincts and don’t play with those who make you uncomfortable.
Don't Overlook Your Local Library or School
Your local library could be another way to find a group to play with. Ask the front desk if the library runs any games or would be open to you running a game of your own. Chances are, if there's a lack of D&D groups in your area, you can attract players by posting a notice at your library. Similarly, if you're in school, seek out any gaming clubs or start one of your own. A video game or board game club could be the perfect place for you to find other people interested in the game.
What You Need to Start Playing
If you and your friends are new to Dungeons & Dragons, you'll need to learn how to play! The basic rules of the game are free on D&D Beyond. Don't feel pressured to memorize everything, however. What's most important is that each of the players has a character to play and the Dungeon Master has an adventure to run.
Use the free character builder to easily make a character. The free introductory adventure Intro to Stormwreck Isle, which leads into Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, is great for new Dungeon Masters and players.
James Haeck (@jamesjhaeck) is the former lead writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, and the Critical Role Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, a member of the Guild Adepts, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and other RPG companies. He lives in Seattle with his fiancée, Hannah, and their animal companions Mei and Marzipan.
So I agree that asking people you know makes it the easiest to start a group. I have only ever played D&D as a DM, I had become very interested in the game ahead of the release of 5e. My best friend was up for trying, and I asked two co-workers that I got along with very well. One of them brought their wife along and my group was born. I added two other co-workers that I had spent many an hour talking video games with as well.
James is absolutely right, your friends that are into video games (especially RPGs), fantasy [novels or movies] or just like to ham it up... those are the people to ask. And from my personal experience, don't stick to rules like glue... use what works and make up the rest.
I assume there should be a "them" after "both of". (Also this should be a period or semicolon instead of a comma, as these are two independent clauses. :P)
Good overview! I will point out re: method 1, keep in mind the five Geek Social Fallacies (especially #5): http://www.plausiblydeniable.com/opinion/gsf.html
Personally, all but one of my games have been online. I've had decent luck with many of them, but a lot have just petered out after a few sessions too. It definitely takes a lot of patience to find the right game and group for you. I found my first few campaigns through https://www.reddit.com/r/lfg/ - and the next few campaigns through the people I met in those first few.
30 minutes is definitely worth a game, moreover, in a store where D&D is not currently running, you'll probably find about 20 people going to that same-store looking for a D&D group. Find out if that store has a bulletin board or something like that and make up a page, stating the time you are planning to run a session and...oh yeah that does mean you would be the GM most likely, so be prepared. And don't fret over being a DM if you've never done it before. The hardest thing about being a first-time DM is saying to yourself, "I'm going to DM this!" In a year, you'll look back on your old self and say, "What was I even worried about?" Actually no, you'll be too busy fleshing out your next week's campaign, painting miniatures, designing your diorama, splashing in PC backstories into the realm, reconfiguring your DM screen for the 79th time because you still can't get everything to fit, re-reading the NPC character's info, planning the next arc, scheduling your next session around another holiday and so forth. Trust me...the 30 minutes of peace you get from driving to the store will be complete bliss.
So I don't know if this would be necessarily kosher to post on Dnd Beyond but I would check a website called Roll20. Might be what you are looking for.
I know this is a little off topic, but I was looking at another article & happened upon your web site. I was 16 - 17 years old when my friends & I found D&D. I am now 56 & remember it fondly. We had no one to ask or even teach us in the small town we lived in, but we were passionate. I ended up taking the role of DM & loved it. Later in collage I was given the chance to DM others that were from larger cities & was told I was among the best they had played with. I have not played in years, but your article has me thinking I might have to find a group. If I could find one in 1982 in a small town of 10 thousand I should have no problem. Thanks! Ron
Another method is Meetup.
I found my home game group through Meetup, and I see people finding groups all the time through it. It's also a good place to find public RPG one shot games (and sometimes public continuing adventures).
Met my group through church and family. My Brother-in-Law goes to a church in the next town over and found out several people were there trying to get a game going and told me.
this past Christmas I mentioned D&D to my cousins and learned that a number of them play or had played. Most of them are about 5-15 years older than I am so these weren’t cousins I played with as a kid and I had no idea they were even interested because no one in the family talked about it at gatherings.
my good fellow, try r/lfg for method 3. I posted a while back and 7 differents DMs got back to me in like the first 24 hours, let alone the tsunami of players
Method 4, Seek a professional GM.
Hi!
....or you can also try awesome Solo Books on DMS Guild :]
you could buy Solo Books on DMS Guild. They are very fun and awesome :)
Also, what are you looking for in a group? Are you looking for a game that’s more role play heavy? Are you heavy into the mechanics and numbers? Do you just want to fight? Do you want a game that’s heavy into magic? You should keep this in mind when looking for a group as well.
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nice!!
I'm not going to lie, I have a very complicated view of Pay-to-Play DM's. The idea of charging people for their company to do a social/ entertainment activity is, well, hard to get my head around fully.
However, I think there is something to consider about the Pay to Play model: Money puts Skin in the game. If you're the DM you have more of an obligation to prepare, show up ready to go on time (or even a touch early) and keep the game going. As the player, you've put up $5/10 for this game session. You've made your own investment as have your friends/ other players. You're going to be on time, attentive, etc. It's not for everyone, mind and not every DM is going to make you feel like "yes, this was well spent money", but given the time constraints we feel as we get older, it seems to be one way things are going.
Meetup is my go to for finding a new group.
Deleted to repost correctly
Have you tried Facebook? I found a d&d page for my state. Also reddit had a subreddit for my city. Then I also used the Neighborhood app to find players who live very near me.
Facebook was the first place I tried online actually. There are no pages for my area, only one for the nearest city. Got the same thing with Meetup.com.
I really feel for people who can't find groups. I run three games and play in three others. Maybe you can't find a game because I have them all.