Just picked up D&D for the first time? Moved to a new town and haven’t found your niche of gamers to play with? There are a myriad of reasons why someone would need help finding players to roll dice with. I see this problem very often in the D&D communities, and I figured it would be a good idea to provide a guide with my own favorite ways of finding players.
Wizards of the Coast Store and Event Locator
Let’s start with the simplest solution: Wizard‘s very own store and event locator. This little app lets you enter your zip code and shows you the nearest game stores officially registered with WotC.
This is great because most hobby shops have a D&D night, and will even supply most of the necessary components to play. Just bring some dice, a pencil, some paper, and your finest nerdy graphic tee. Think of it as an opportunity to network and find groups that you can play with outside of the in-store events.
Meetup.com is a great place to recruit gamers of all platforms and leagues.
Meetup.com
When I moved 3,000 miles from California to Florida, the first place I went to look for players was Meetup.com. It requires registration, but once you’re signed up you can see all sorts of awesome groups in your area. I found half a dozen gaming groups, from board game players to Pathfinder fans.
While this site isn’t the best at finding D&D-specific groups of players, it does give you the chance to meet many different people that share your interests. Take the chance to build relationships, and you might be able to recruit people from your board game meetup who have never tried D&D before.
Facebook Groups
Dungeons & Dragons has an amazing Facebook community, particularly for 5th edition. Find some D&D or other game related groups and don’t be afraid to post your general location when searching for available players. As long as you’re friendly (and not spamming), the fine folks at the D&D fifth edition group will take care of you.
Obsidian Portal is an RPG organization tool, campaign manager, and game finder.
Obsidian Portal Games Nearby Tool
One of the most popular RPG tools on the web, Obsidian Portal also provides a handy games nearby tool. This map shows pinpoints across the country of games that are available to play. Sometimes these games will be online, but other times they will be real-life tabletop campaigns near you. As an added bonus, you can utilize the other great tools that Obsidian Portal offers. Give it a shot!
For all the redditors out there, you can use the LFG (looking for group) subreddit to find players. You’ll see DMs and players alike posting for groups both on and offline. The games range from 1st edition all the way to 5e, so there’s plenty of diversity to be found. Subscribe to the subreddit and you just might find who you’re looking for.
Additionally, you can try going to your area’s own subreddit and posting a new thread asking if anyone in your area is interested in playing a tabletop game. Just use reddit’s search and type in the name of your town, city, or greater area.
Don’t forget about convincing your current group of friends to try D&D with you!
These are just a few of the many tools online that you can use to get a game going. Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments.