We've all been there: a DnD group with an open spot finally accepts you! The Dungeon Master approves your character concept and asks for more detail on your backstory! The other players seem chill and collaborative! Then... it all falls apart after one amazing session due to scheduling conflicts. Or it turns out one of the other players is that guy. Or you end up feeling that the DM's gritty homebrew setting just isn’t what you wanted. Time to hit up some forums again.
In many ways, it’s never been easier to find open DnD groups. The internet connects players and DMs all over the world. LFG posts exist for specific campaign modules, niche homebrew settings, and even for different game styles like Play-by-Post. Yet with all these convenient ways to search for other players… why does it seem so hard to find a quality, long-lasting online DnD group?
That question is what StartPlaying is here to answer! We have a growing community of professional Game Masters and over 50,000 players. Each GM has their own profile page that tells you what skills they bring to the table, what types of game they specialize in running, and even what players rate them out of five stars.
Much of what inspired StartPlaying's creation is seeing where the standard methods for finding games fall short. Dedicated forum websites have long since fallen to social media or the message boards of popular virtual tabletops like Roll20 or Foundry.
Subreddits are another great way to connect with other fans of a certain game or franchise. However, they're not always the best place to find open games. Instead, game-specific subreddits are more for sharing art or discussing gameplay. There is some hope in the “looking for group” or LFG subreddits. People in those groups post informative listings for nice variety of games. You know what kind of game you're signing up for and the intended schedule right away. The main challenge, and one that also challenges forum posts, is that you often don’t know who you’re playing with until it's too late.
With StartPlaying, a GM profile clearly displays what previous players enjoyed about their games. The five-star system is a straightforward, universally understood method of leaving a review. But users can go deeper by giving a GM descriptors like Storyteller or Word Builder. They can also freely write about their experience to give future players a very detailed sense about how the GM welcomes new players and manages their table.
GM profiles is something that StartPlaying provides that random forum posts can't quite duplicate. Our professional GMs charge for their services, but in return you get well-crafted sessions with elements like personalized story arcs, cinematic music/visuals, and expertly-paced combat. Your fellow players also tend to be more invested and show up on time since they're paying too. In fact, many StartPlaying GMs have formed their own communities of returning players who stick together through many campaigns.
It sounds like a dream; how does one find these fabled friendly and punctual DnD communities? Try using StartPlaying’s search tool! On any given day, there are 10,000 games being listed. These listings have an art thumbnail, title, GM rating, and other crucial information given upfront, almost like a YouTube preview. If you click on one, you'll get a more detailed breakdown that goes into things like how much combat or roleplay is expected, safety tools in use, and anything else the GM wants to communicate.
If what you’re reading doesn’t match what you’re looking for, you can type in specific search words for things like desired character level or game platform. You could even get as specific as looking for a particular campaign like Vecna: Eve of Ruin. The filters narrow it down even further with options such as day of the week, time of day, session duration, price, or age range. Should you encounter any issues, feel free to reach out to our dedicated customer experience team.
And now you know how to use StartPlaying to find the right DnD group for you! Have a blast, and be sure to let your GM know how it went with a review!
