Filtering new players online

 We all want to play Dnd, but finding consistent and invested players can be difficult, especially online.

In general, keep in mind:

• Someone can be a great person and a great player, but if they don’t have the time or commitment necessary for Dnd, it’s not going to work out.
• People have different playstyles. The key is finding the right players for your game. You can’t be afraid of saying “no” if you feel like someone isn’t the right fit.
• There are tons of players who want to play. It may take time, but everyone can find the right players for their game.

My go-to place for finding players is the Looking for Game subreddit (r/LFG). There are also various Discord servers such as Never Forever DM. Let me know if there are other places you’ve had success finding a group!

When looking for players, I’ve found it’s better to make my own post as opposed to responding to other people’s posts. With your own post, you can describe exactly what you’re looking for. This helps to narrow down the responses a bit.

In my post on r/LFG, I will describe:

• My play style (combat vs. role play balance, how deadly the game is, etc.)
• Type of game (homebrew vs. published adventure)
• Format of game (VTT, play by post, theater of the mind, etc.)
• The type of players I’m looking for (invested, team players)
• Character info (starting level, which source books / homebrew are allowed, etc.)
• What times I’m available

At the end of my post, I’ll ask them to message me if they feel they’d be a good fit. I’ve tried using a Google form to collect responses, but I’ve found that a ton more people will fill out a form vs. actually messaging you. It’s also easier to start a natural conversation when they’ve already messaged you.

Once some interested people have messaged me, this is my process:

1. Chat with them a bit to make sure they’re not a huge jerk.
2. Ask them to put together a character for a one-shot. They will all say they’ll do it, but this will filter out a lot of people (about half) who aren’t super invested. I never remind someone to turn in a character sheet.
3. For those that do turn in a character sheet, I’ll divide them into groups based on their availability and schedule some one-shots. These one-shots are the best way to truly gauge someone’s playstyle and if they seem like a good fit for your game. If you have multiple one-shot groups, you can always re-use the same one-shot if you want to save time on your prep.
4. Hopefully you’ve found some players you’re excited to run for. If you have enough players, get a campaign going! Otherwise make another post and keep looking for more.

If the campaign fizzles out, hopefully there are a few players you’d like to invite back to try again. Those are the players you want to cherish.

Let me know what has worked for you!

The best way to improve is to practice

Matt Colville has a great Running the Game series on Youtube where he talks about various DMing concepts. During these videos and other live streams, he’s talked about how running DnD really helps him come up with video ideas for the series.

Even people like him who have been DMing for decades still learn new things and gain new insights. It’s all part of the process. Every time I DM, I have one or two (or five) new insights about how I can run a better game.

There’s endless advice in the form of online articles, youtube channels, books, podcasts, reddit posts, etc. But nothing can beat actually sitting down and running the game yourself. When you’re learning a new instrument or a new sport, watching others and reading advice isn’t enough. You have to actually practice to get better. It’s the same way with Dnd.

Make mistakes, think about how you can improve, gather feedback from your players, be aware of your weaknesses and work to address them. That's how we grow.

If you’re looking to practice or try out DMing, there are countless players who would love a chance to play, even if it’s just a one-shot. So don’t be afraid to jump into the deep end! You’ll be much better for it.

Reusing locations

In many video games, the protagonist will return to a certain location multiple times. They usually return after acquiring new keys or abilities to unlock additional areas. Alternatively, the party may hear about a new development that prompts them to return.

In TTRPGs, we can do something similar. Here are some ideas on reusing locations:

• After a dungeon was cleared out, a Goblin tribe has moved into the area.
• A map is discovered showing additional passages not noticed before.
• The party finds a key to unlock a door they couldn’t get past before.

Reusing locations has several advantages: 

• Your prep is significantly reduced, as you can reuse the same map with slight modifications each time. Some map makers even create multiple variations of the same map.
• Since the players have been there before, they will feel more confident exploring the area.
• By showing how an area has changed over time, the world feels more real and dynamic. 
• The party is reminded of the awesome time they had visiting the location previously.

If you’re going to reuse locations, here are some additional tips:

• Make sure to change some things so that the party still has to be careful. New traps may have been laid and new creatures have moved in since the party was last there.
• Don’t overuse this technique. Most sessions should still feature new locations, and you probably shouldn’t reuse a location more than once or twice.

Let me know if you’ve ever reused locations and how it went!

GTA-style heists

In Grand Theft Auto V, the protagonists have several heists they complete over the course of the game. The heist model used in the game can easily be adapted for TTRPGs to provide some much-needed guidance and structure for how to run heists. 

Broadly speaking, there are several components a heist can have:

• There is a specific item or target the group is after.
• There is a specific location the target is kept.
• The building has various guards / traps / challenges the group must overcome (similar to a typical dungeon)
• There are several intermediate steps the group must complete before the actual heist (stealing uniforms / disguises, finding blueprints of the building, etc). 
• There are allies / accomplices who can aid the group for a fee. They could help provide intelligence, muscle, etc. The more skilled they are, the higher their fee.
• The group must escape the area once they have secured the target (possibly an opportunity for a skill challenge or progress clock)

The first three components are the most important aspects of a heist. The last three are more optional and could be included depending on what makes sense for the particular situation.

Using this type of model, a full heist may take two sessions. The first session involves all the setup: completing intermediate steps, deciding on accomplices, making plans, etc. The second session has the actual heist and subsequent getaway. 

Are there other aspects you would include in a hest? Let me know what you think!