Possibly Odd question, but where do you look for online groups?

[Odessa333]

Topic of sorts. I've been online gaming with roll20 for years now, but I've had no luck with the platform lately. With the pandemic and surge of online games, over half the games on roll20 are now pay to play and I don't have the cash for that. After weeks of searching I found a group, and it predictably it fell apart before the first session. I'm tired of 'LFG' and would like to play, you know? I'm a tad dejected with this last game falling apart and I just don't know what to try anymore. I know posting here is a longshot, but I'm getting desperate. Any ideas/suggestions would be welcome. Thank you for your time.

[Guy Lombard-O]

Topic of sorts. I've been online gaming with roll20 for years now, but I've had no luck with the platform lately. With the pandemic and surge of online games, over half the games on roll20 are now pay to play and I don't have the cash for that. After weeks of searching I found a group, and it predictably it fell apart before the first session. I'm tired of 'LFG' and would like to play, you know? I'm a tad dejected with this last game falling apart and I just don't know what to try anymore. I know posting here is a longshot, but I'm getting desperate. Any ideas/suggestions would be welcome. Thank you for your time.

Admittedly, it's a bit desperate.

But, you could try DMing a game yourself?

[Odessa333]

Well, that's a rant of a different color lol. Long story short, I have a group that I DM, I had to take some off to move in a hurry, and I have not been able to get the group back together. We were supposed to meet today, and out of 8 possible players, only 2 showed up. It's practically dead and I don't know how to fix that problem.

[Sigreid]

Last time I did it it was through a RPG newsgroup. Now I'd suppose there's a subreddit for it.

[Captain Panda]

There's a few grim realities of D&D online these days that one has to sort of accept:

1. On sites like roll20, or using a D&D discord to find a group, or on DND Beyond, you can apply to a bunch of groups and not be let in to any that interest you because there are always more DMs available than players.

2. Even if you find a group that lets you in, DMs can be flakes and not show up. Campaign over if that happens.

3. Even if you find a group that lets you in, and the DM shows up, oftentimes there is still no first session because half or more of the players don't show up. Campaign (probably) over if that happens.

4. Even if you find a group, the DM shows, enough players show to run, and the first session runs, the nature of online recruitment means that the group might just not click. It could be because there's a clash in what people in the group want, or the DM might be running a game that's not at all what you're interested in. Or the group might be a bunch of people that the DM did not vet thoroughly enough and does not like, and they aren't behaving like the group he or she wanted to run for, and the campaign abruptly ends*.

That's a lot of hurdles to get past, and those hurdles are after the hurdle of finding a group that fits your schedule.

*I've had this one happen to me before, once. The DM wanted a heavy roleplaying campaign, but of those who showed up I was the only one speaking in character. The others were of the murderhobo variety and I could tell immediately she was not into it. The campaign was cancelled immediately after session one.

[kingcheesepants]

Check out a westmarches style game. That's one where it's a big group of people and multiple DMs who all share the same world. It doesn't always do the more creative downtime and RP stuff that you might want in a DnD game but still with enough players and DMs you can get games fairly regularly and play with lots of people. I would recommend a server that I'm in https://disboard.org/server/663292841182625803 very friendly overall though some people are a bit intimidated by the regulations (which are necessary to keep a group that big functioning fairly)

[NecessaryWeevil]

I've had decent luck with Meetup.com in the past. In theory that's for in-person get-togethers, but with our new COVID reality, who knows?
Your Facebook community is another possibility. I stumbled into an online game when someone else mentioned playing D&D on a FB page for clergy that I frequent. You might have similar communities where you could find like-minded people - best of all, you're more likely to be compatible with them.

[Guy Lombard-O]

Well, that's a rant of a different color lol. Long story short, I have a group that I DM, I had to take some off to move in a hurry, and I have not been able to get the group back together. We were supposed to meet today, and out of 8 possible players, only 2 showed up. It's practically dead and I don't know how to fix that problem.

Since you're willing to DM, you honestly shouldn't have any problem filling out the ranks of players for a game. Even simply posting the game on Roll20 should result in a flood of players eager to give the campaign a go.

The more difficult part on your end should be vetting the applicants, and getting the right pulls from the pool of hopefuls. Be sure to be upfront and straightforward about the type of game you want, so that you (are more likely to) get the right kind of players. If you want a roleplay-heavy game, say it right in the recruitment post! Tell them that the races/classes/whatever will be restricted for setting purposes. Establish your intended general theme and level of seriousness of the game. Let them know that the game will proceed with (X out of Y) players present, each week as posted. You'll still get some bad apples, and a couple might make it into the actual game. Don't be afraid to kick and replace them.

But whatever happens, getting new players (of some sort) shouldn't be a problem.