“D&D but make it Star Wars” makes perfect sense when you consider Jedi are pretty much space paladins out to save the princess from an evil god-emperor who might be a lich. From padawan to bounty hunter who definitely shoots first, Star Wars 5e offers a great blend of familiar d20 mechanics with a galaxy full of starships, droids, and Force users.
Star Wars 5e is a fan-made mod that began as a fun project among friends, but has grown into a broad community of committed tabletop enthusiasts. Just like classic D&D, it has species, classes, and “spells” through Force powers and tech. It also lets you play in various timelines, like Old Republic when Jedi and Sith are at max strength, Clone Wars, the New Republic, and so on. But whether you’re playing as a Wookie Consular or a Twi'lek Engineer, an important step before taking that first hyperspace jump is finding the right crew. Here are the five best places to find your perfect Star Wars 5e group, ranked.
1. StartPlaying
Let’s say StartPlaying is the Coruscant of finding your quality Star Wars 5e table, with vetted, experienced GMs who have a serious passion for the craft. Since it’s specifically designed to connect players with expert game runners, this platform ensures you'll find someone who knows the lore and the mechanics inside and out. The StartPlaying verification process and review system helps match you with the perfect game master for your preferred style of play.
The intuitive interface clearly displays how many seats remain at each virtual table, when the group meets and how often, and the associated cost. It also offers helpful filters for age range, experience level, and schedules. Let the trusty droids at StartPlaying handle the awkward stuff behind the scenes so you can focus on more important things, like defeating the Empire.
Find your Star Wars 5e group today.
2. Discord
Let’s call Discord a Mos Eisley cantina, except less a hive of scum and villainy and more just a lot of SW5e aficionados. The one you’ll want is SW5e Player Search, a fun and welcoming place with an entire “Finding Games” category featuring channels for games looking for players, DMs, paid games, etc. It’s very social, and Looking For Group (LFG) posts go out most days, as well as plenty of other fun getting-to-know-you type channels and events. This is the channel endorsed by the SW5e developer community, which means you’ll encounter players across the spectrum of knowledge and experience or lack thereof. But many users, especially the mods, are always around to answer questions you might have about finding your next Star Wars adventure. You’ll also notice that some DMs here also use StartPlaying as their portal for paid games.
3. Reddit
Much like the Cloud City on planet Bespin, the reddit gaming community is lively place to find a friend, if not always the most trustworthy. Aside from the umbrella r/LFG subreddit, the go-to spot on reddit for finding a group is the dedicated Looking for Players/Game post pinned to the top of r/SW5e. With over 350 comments in the past 3 years, it’s definitely a useful resource, but not nearly as active as the discord server. Also, reddit is mostly unregulated, so you might be, well, rolling the dice a bit. Simple pro-tip: click their username and check their post history to see if they’re active in RPG communities, what they post most about, and especially the tone of their posts and comments. It’ll give you a good insight into what sort of DM or player they are. Here, like in the discord, you might also find a few StartPlaying posts in the wild.
4. Facebook
Your go-to on social media is going to be the Star Wars 5e Facebook Group, an active community with daily posts and over 3,000 members. Let’s call this the Tattooine option, because it’s the OG for finding gamer groups, and because it’s where you’ll usually find your parents. While this group posts the standard Facebook stuff like memes, news, and occasional events, you’ll also find posts looking for players or DMs for online games. The advantage here is that, rather than lurking someone’s reddit account, you can check out their full profile to see what kind of game they might run. It’s another unstructured but still viable option.
5. Forums
The many internet forums based around TTRPG groups are like the planet Dagobah: you might have to search through the mire, but here and there you’ll find a hidden gem. Because SW5e began around 2020, it never had a significant presence on internet forums like some of the older systems. Still, while they might not be the most popular form of online intraction these days, that doesn’t mean forums aren’t an option at all. Virtual TableTop (VTT) forums like D&DBeyond, Fantasy Grounds, and Roll20 for Free or Paid games are all solid choices. You’ll find some active forums for specific or alternate timelines, for example the grittier Star Wars: Chaos collaborative homebrew. Except for that last one, though, none of them are dedicated to SW5e, but you’ll still find plenty of posts about it with a bit of sifting. Just be prepared for a less user-friendly experience than you'd find on other options on this list.
Your SW5e Group Doesn’t Have to be Far, Far Away
From seedy underworlds to epic space battles, Star Wars 5e offers endless possibilities for storytelling in one of the most beloved fictional universes ever created. While there are many ways to find your ideal SW5e group, you’ll have the best odds at StartPlaying for a professional and reliable gaming experience. Of course, some would prefer you never tell them the odds. Happy gaming!
Paul is an author and forever DM with a traditionally published sci-fi novel on the way. He’s a fan of all things narrative, especially when it involves dice and a lot of math. Find him on Instagram discussing the general state of the world.
