Looking For Group

[big teej]

greetings members of the playground. I recently moved onto/into a dorm on campus, and due to the small size of the entire student body, there is no established gaming group to be found, so I am currently working on starting one, thus far I have

MEEEEEE - the DM
possible #1 - guy who works in 'the food shack' who's interested in playing, his hours may not be conducive to playing with an all student group however.
probable #1 - guy who responded to the fliers I put up around the dorms. plans to play a ranger


anyways, on to the real point of this thread.

I am curious as to the playground's collective experience with starting a new group. how to attract players? finding a place to play? tried and true methods for getting a group going strong, etc etc. if you think you have a story or suggestion that can contribute in ANY WAY please, place it here.

thank ye for your time

ready......

GO!!!

[Fiery Diamond]

Well, I'm taking a break from college so I'm at home in a tiny town and have no way of making a group, but when I was at college, I helped found a tabletop RPG club, as well as getting two separate groups together over the course of the three years I was there.

How I did it:

1) Talk to people. Like, you see a random student whom you have not spoken to before. They look okay. It's lunchtime, so you go sit next to them and start chatting. Do this with classmates, too. And floormates/dormmates. And members of other dorms. And people that you run into while walking to class.

2) Some of these people will seem pretty interesting. Some of them might even be interested in joining a gaming group, whether or not they have played before. You only have to bring up the subject and talk about it, tell them how cool it is (but be honest about it and the time commitment required). Ask if they want to try.

3) Some people will end up becoming your friends, even if they don't join your gaming group. Some people you will never speak to again in your life. Most people will be something in between. A few will be willing to join your gaming group. Don't try to recruit more people than you think you can handle. I learned that I can't deal with more than 6 players, and that 4-6 is the optimal group size range for me.

4) Start actually organizing when and how often you'll have sessions, getting all the players' schedules so you can work around them. Weekends usually work best.

5) Be a good DM to your players; be honest about your expectations and the way you intend to run the game. Have fun.

Really, not that complicated. It just requires that you take some initiative that is a little broader than "Hey, you wanna play D&D?"


Edit: the above was for getting a group. Now, for your other questions...

Finding a place. Does your dorm have a basement? Does anyone in your group live really close to campus or is willing to carpool you to where they live? Will your school let you use unused classrooms or reserve rooms? Basically, pick one of these and run with it. The place you choose needs to be A) big enough to accommodate your game, and B) accessible to all members of your group. If you want it to be isolated from other outside noises, then you need to find a place like that.

I used a dorm basement.


Keeping a group going strong:

Eh, this is the hard part. My advice is this: never be a jerk to your players. Always attempt to help your players. Mediate any disputes, and try to head off disputes before they reach that point. Be clear about your rules and expectations for the game and for player behavior. Be a friendly person. Always try to adjust your gaming schedule in response to changes in players' academic/work/personal schedules.

Good luck.

[Jair Barik]

Well I got lucky really. At my University we have an entire games society of like minded people who get together monday and wednesday evenings (or for established games at agreed times for the group) to play MtG, WFB, WH40K, boardgames, WM, D&D, and other RPG's as well as some LAN PC games, WoW, TF2 and other such things. No YgO though and no WMD's

[Yorrin]

I was the guy that brought DnD to my campus (a small religious university). So I definitely feel your struggle. The key is first of all is to realize that you're not going to find a gaming group in the first couple of months. That's because you'll be too busy focusing on making friends and learning the ropes of your campus. Once you've got a solid group of friends going, then you start bringing up roleplaying. It will usually start with one or two friends who play a lot of videogames or read a lot of fantasy literature. Once you (collectively) start talking about it around your other friends, more people will want to join in, and you'll get a regular group going.

tl;dr- build your gaming group from your established friends.

[Kaww]

I'm fortunate to live in a city of 2M+ and I have never had a problem finding a group.

First: you should play with friends or people close enough to being friends. First try with friends then friend's friends. Recruitment is not DM's job, with me people come to me asking to play (friends recruiting new players).
The group should get along or be willing to try getting along. People with OoC hate will destroy games.

Second: finding a place to play. We prefer home variants, since people can cook while not doing anything in character. Also we go to a park by the river when the weather allows it. It is beautiful playing outside, just have to be secluded, since noise is your enemy.

Third: Making players want to stay together. This is only partially your function as a DM. If there is no group chemistry you can't do anything about it. As for you: surprise your players every chance you get, try to rollplay as much as possible, have a hint of mystery that makes your players talk about the game even when they are not playing or preparing for next session, etc.

That's my 0.02$

[arrowhen]

Consider expanding your search beyond the confines of your campus. The best groups I've been in have been the ones where the players spanned a whole range of ages and backgrounds.

[JeenLeen]

I'm guessing you've already looked at hobby shops or comic book stores since you said there's no group to be found, but if you haven't, those are good locations, I hear.

What the folk above say sounds good. You could also look if there's any CCG groups, like Yu-gi-oh or Magic: The Gathering, or an anime club; folk in those might also play D&D or be interested in playing. I'd go to a few meetings to get to know the folk before asking, but you could probably ask right off if you're very eager. (Still, knowing their personality before inviting them to the game seems wise; you don't want a jerk at the gaming table.)

I'm too shy to just walk up to a group and ask, but if you become friendly with some folk, you can ask if they'd be interested. I still think there's the same danger of inviting unwanted people, but if that happens, you as DM need to firmly correct them and, if necessary, ask them to leave.

[Thrawn4]

Do it this way:
http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/1

Sorry, couldn't resist...

[big teej]

Do it this way:
http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/1

Sorry, couldn't resist...

I tried that. for some reason people just don't appreciate mindless slaughter good, honest past times.... Richard

[Telonius]

I'd suggest checking out the drama club. Talk to the techies, there's usually at least a couple gamers or former gamers there.

[big teej]

I'd suggest checking out the drama club. Talk to the techies, there's usually at least a couple gamers or former gamers there.

I feel silly..... why didn't I think of that.

as to game and card shops, the nearest one is 45 minutes down the highway, and they don't do Dnd

[arrowhen]

Also remember that while gaming is a lot of fun, you shouldn't let it distract you from essential college activities like binge drinking, regrettable sex, and studying.

[big teej]

Also remember that while gaming is a lot of fun, you shouldn't let it distract you from essential college activities like binge drinking, regrettable sex, and studying.

don't drink
1) too young
2) don't like the taste

waiting for marriage

never needed to study...



ergo, DnD may take up all my free time*




*free time exclueds but is not limited too: Class, Excercise, Church,

[Fiery Diamond]

don't drink
1) too young
2) don't like the taste

waiting for marriage

never needed to study...



ergo, DnD may take up all my free time*




*free time exclueds but is not limited too: Class, Excercise, Church,

Hey, you sound like a younger me! (I'm 21 now, but I still don't drink)

Trust me, you will need to study eventually. Maybe not as much as your peers, maybe not even anywhere close to as much as your peers if you are highly intelligent and pick up on material easily, but you will need to study. I found that out the hard way (I was valedictorian of my high school class and never studied in high school, so I can relate).

[big teej]

Oh I'm sure at some point I'll need to study, I just don't see it being this semester, all of my classes are very reading heavy, and I absorb...... alot from what I read.

sociology - I love this class, and it interests me, thus far I.....


well, before I go into that, what, in your opinion, counts as studying?

some of my peers consider what I do "studying" but I do not.
I.E. many of my peers equate 'reading homework' with 'no homework' and I have always done the readings... partly because I'm excessively lawful like that, and partly because I love to read.

if that counts as studying, then fine, you've got me. I study

if not.... well, then I get to go back into my list of classes and why I won't need to study this semester -knocks on wood-

/ramble

[big teej]

well, after posting fliers up all over school and asking around campus, I now have a group of 8 players + me as a DM, our first session will be this sunday

so far we have
MEEEEE, mister DM
teacher #1 - plans to play a dwarf fighter
teacher #2 - can't decide what he wants to play
student A - Human Ranger
Studnet B - Human Druid
Student C - half elf ranger
student DEF are undecided
students B - F are girls, which I found slightly intriguing

should be loads a fun

anybody have any tips on managing a large group? (please don't suggest breaking up the group, I"m already considering that if sunday doesn't work out very well

[Knaight]

My current face to face group I found by sheer, dumb, luck. I was chatting with a friend of a friend, at a party for our mutual friend. He made a D&D joke, I understood it, conversation turned to D&D, and I ended up GMing a game for him and the people he gamed with. But I wouldn't want to rely on that method.