Safety tools 101: Why safe players are brave players

Why your bio matters If you want to find a dungeons and dragons group, you should keep in mind, that the player to DM ratio is heavily skewed against you. Most DMs receive up to 10 applications per player seat. Having a great player profile will help you stand out and will create a good first impression. Finding a dnd group has a lot in common with online dating. Leaving a good first impression, seeming reliable, trustworthy and willing to commit - these are all important either on a dating profile or when creating a player profile. If your thinking is “If they want to know more about me, they will ask.” It is very likely that they won’t. Remember that you are fighting an uphill battle. Groups aren’t really facing a shortage of players and you need to use any tool and skill you have to display yourself as someone they want to have in their group. Ofcourse it will be a balancing act - introducing yourself in as much detail as possible, while not ending up with more paragraphs than a book. The anatomy of a player bio Preferences, playstyle, experience, logistics, reservations and much more - all of these are things that help a Dungeon Master find the right person to even start a discussion with. If your profile introduces you on a superficial level: “Hello, I am Holger and I would love to find a group to play with.” Then you aren’t really saying much (other than your name, which is a good start). /images/general-media/1774870056_ib7o9mRg.gifThis could be you. Playstyle Are you someone who enjoys roleplay above anything else? Or do your eyes light up whenever the DM tells you all to “Roll Initiative”? Perhaps you find enjoyment in both deep character interactions, social encounters but when need be, have a good understanding of how combat works and enjoy casting fireball too close to your fighter (It happens…). If you know what you’d prefer in a game, be sure to explain which core pillars of the game you enjoy - a game that is all about dungeon crawling and heavy combat situations will not be something a roleplay-focused player will find as enjoyable as one with political intrigue, social manipulation or characters with a deep and devious backstory. You can pick and add various tags to go with your post. Groups filtering players by “Roleplay focused” will find you, if your profile has that tag added to it. Adding tags in addition to describing your preferences in the bio is a powerful tool. Experience level Have you played Dungeons & Dragons before? If not - don’t feel discouraged. There are new players discovering DnD every day and a newcomer is not a rare sight. Whether you've played the D&D 2014 rules version or are a newcomer starting fresh with the 2024 revised edition, tell the reader which version you are interested in playing. It can be both, if you are not overly picky. Many Dungeon Masters, either new themselves or veterans of the hobby, happily welcome new players to their tables. If they are just starting out with DnD and bravely decided to take up the role of the DM immediately (These players are heroes), they are very likely to enjoy other players with less experience. This is not to say that veterans are not suitable for their games, if the ones with experience are capable and willing to explain, guide and correct (when needed/asked). Nobody wants a “rules lawyer” player who insists on “Um Actually…” whenever the DM calls for a Perception roll, although Investigation might’ve been more appropriate. There are also veteran DMs who enjoy hosting newcomers at their games. Making sure that they understand the basics of the game, the core elements and grow them into capable players who will understand the game and how to be a great player.   Having previous experience is not a requirement. But being honest about it is a must. You are unlikely to not get “caught” if you attempt to overplay your experience. And that will just leave a bad impression of you. Logistics and location Whether you are looking for an online game, or seeking for an in-person at-a-table group, make sure to be specific. For online games, mark down your timezone. This will help you find a game, that won’t start after midnight, or early in the morning (Unless this fits well with your schedule). Joining a group where for other players it is 6PM, but you just woke up and are still working through your bowl of cereal, might not be the best fit. /images/general-media/1774870467_hf8VVPRp.pngThere are players from all across the world (also in regions that did not fit on this map. This is not the entire world, even though some bands arranging their"World Tour" see it that way) If you are trying to join an in-person game, mark your location. This isn’t to say, that give out your home address - don’t do that. There is no reason for that and putting specific personal information out there is a bad idea in general. Pick the closest town or city to you. On Groupfinder the search isn’t restricted to specific locations, but on a radius. If a DM, looking for players is searching around their area and your town falls into their search radius - they will find you.   If you have a specific schedule or time prerefences - mark those down. If you can only play from 6PM to 11PM on Wednesdays - make sure that this is clear to understand and see. You can even double down on timezones and repeat what timezone your 6PM is in. A fun fact You are not just timezones, experiences and preferences. You are a human being with a personality and thoughts. Perhaps you have a character concept that you would love to try out. A ranger that is afraid of trees, a wizard that is illiterate or a rogue that hates doing crime. Write a short introduction of that character - this will also give the DM an understanding on how you would approach the game. If you are not someone, who creates characters to store in your drawer, then this is perfectly acceptable. Many players create a character to fit the world/game they are going to join and craft it based on the lore and history of it. In addition to a pre-created character, you can list books, shows, movies that you enjoy (that could be seen as your theme or playstyle preferences). This will describe your type of fantasy to anyone reading. Love Discworld? Write it down. Not overly excited about lovecraftian horrors - understandable. Weak versus good bio: a comparison While these should be taken with a grain of salt, here are two approaches - one illustrating a superficial approach and one that shows that you put in some effort. That effort will be seen as a “green flag”. You show yourself as someone who is actually willing to put in the work when it comes to a game or crafting a great character that enhances the game. Weak bio “I want to play a rogue or a ranger. I’m free on the weekends.” Good bio “Hello. I am a 3-year veteran looking for a bi-weekly group on either Thursdays or Fridays (available after 6PM (GMT)). If life doesn’t unexpectedly come in the way, I am reliable and can commit to consistently showing up to on the game night. I enjoy character-driven games and social intrigue. In no way against combat but I would prefer to find a game with a stronger focus on the roleplay side of things. Very okay with games where our characters can die in reasonable scenarios. I am a huge fan of The Stormlight Archive series and The Kingkiller Chronicle.” These are general examples - not something you should be imitating almost word for word. But should be taken as a directing guide when you are creating or updating your profile. /images/general-media/1774870655_Tmq1TOe5.gifYou are all set now. Ready to be invited? Stop waiting for a miracle. Create your player profile now and let Dungeon Masters find you. Don’t forget to bump your post every day. You will see the button on your profile. Clicking on the bump button will move your profile to the top, increasing the odds that your profile stands out and gets noticed.

The “LFG” struggle is real. How do you find a group to play with in 2026 “LFG D&D 5E”, “LFP D&D 2014/2024 5E”, “LFG Dungeons & Dragons” - it is very likely that you have seen (or even posted) such messages in various places. LFG, or Looking for Group, is the common acronym to indicate that you are looking for a table to join. The opposing acronym is LFM - Looking for Members. Posting these messages will wear you down eventually. Are there really no groups that have room for you? Is there something obvious that you are perhaps missing? Is the hobby not meant for you? It is natural to feel worn down by either rejection or just silence. You see a group that is looking for players, you reply and you get nothing back. Playing Dungeons & Dragons should feel like fun. Because it is fun. Find the right group that fits your style and you will absolutely fall in love with the game and look forward to every session. But. You have to get there first. You need to find a group of players to take you in and only then, can you take the next steps. Reddit, Discord, Facebook or a dedicated platform? When you are looking for a dnd group, you are faced with various different paths to take. They all have their cons and pros. Lets take a look at some of the more popular approaches: The subreddit spam Reddit has been a reliable all-inclusive platform for a long time now. With a massive amount of users all over the world covering various different topics, themes, questions, experiences and interests - it is safe to say, that reddit has everything. But including that everything, you might run into a lot of “noise”. Pros: A lot of users making many posts every day. Global platform connecting you to various people all across the globe. Cons: The noise. An active subreddit will see multiple posts every hour. Your post might get immediately covered by other redditors’ posts. Filtering the posts to find something relevant to you will be difficult, as it is all text-based and with no detailed search functions. Finding a group that is focused on a specific theme or topic will be a chore. The Discord discourse As a platform for messaging and being involved with various communities - there isn’t a good alternative to Discord. Different communities have various versions of #looking-for-group channels. And as clustered as Discord is, with everyone starting their own server, gathering users and growing a community, you are either locked to a few LFG channels - or you have to find a ton of various community servers to join, to share your post with as many pairs of eyes as you can. Pros: It is an instant messaging platform. You post - it gets sent. You get a reply, it happens instantly. And once you find a group to join, you don’t have to look further, as most likely further communication will continue on Discord. Cons: You need to know where to go. There isn’t a one-stop-shop server that gets your message out to everyone in the hobby-space. It also lacks a search functionality beyond basic text search. Unless the server you have found separates games by theme, type, timezone or some other parameter - you are usually stuck with a single channel to post and search. The Facebook fatigue You most likely already are on Facebook. Either you have an account that is collecting dust, or you use it for messaging. And similar to Discord, there are tons of various D&D LFG groups to find, join and post in. You just have to find the right one, get your join request approved and get posting. Pros: Once you find a group that fits your search criteria, you can post your message. And have people either leave a comment or message you directly. Keep in mind, that messages from users who you are not connected with will be filtered to a separate mailbox. Be sure to check there, if you are waiting for a reply. Cons: Just like the other methods listed above, Facebook also falls short when it comes to searchability. And compared to Reddit or Discord, the search functionality is even more limited. It was never designed for that. You also need to find an appropriate Facebook group to join. One that still has active users and has not been abandoned yet. The Groupfinder gateway And then there is Groupfinder. A dedicated platform for your LFG needs. Free to use, with users all across the world and a simple user interface to get you going. While other platforms are, at the end of the day, messaging boards - Groupfinder has been built from the ground-up to serve a specific purpose (You won’t be selling a lawnmower here any time soon). You are here to find a dungeons and dragons group. Pros: Filtering. Finding a group (or other players) is easy with various filtering options. Looking for an online dnd group? Limit your search results to a specific timezone. Whether you are on the east coast, central Europe, or even in Australia - you can manage who’s posts you are shown. /images/general-media/1774999635_UxGFgbcv.pngThe filtering system will help you narrow down your search Or if you are trying to find a local, in-person game - you can use the map filter to pick a specific location on the map, adjust the search radius and only be shown the groups that match your specified area. In addition to timezones, you can use the tags. You can only view groups who have added various predefined tags to their post. Looking for a game that is suitable for a newcomer - “Beginner friendly”. Want to play over messages - “Play by post”. Interested in games that have a spooky theme - “Horror”. Take a look at the various tags that you can use to filter the posts. Are you looking for a game that follows the 2014 ruleset? Pick “Dungeons & Dragons 5E”. Or are you ready to switch over to the newer rules? - “Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)”. Even if you are looking for games for another game system, like Daggerheart, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Mothership or Savage Worlds - use the game system filter. (Read more about the popularity of alternative TTRPG systems in this article) Not currently looking to join a paid game? Understandable - you can use the “Paid game” switch to filter out all the games run by professional GMs. Cons: The platform is still growing and more people are still discovering it. How to increase the odds of your post succeeding? While there isn’t a specific and guaranteed approach that is bound to get you into a group within 5 minutes of posting. You can still follow a few suggestions to increase the odds. Who are you and what do you want?  This might sound like a line from a cheesy detective movie - but it holds some truth. Writing a compelling and descriptive profile bio will give you a massive advantage Tag appropriately. Some groups search for players via tags. If you don’t have any added to your profile, you are immediately cutting yourself out of their search results. Don’t go overboard and add all the tags. Pick only the ones that represent your preferences the best. Share your profile. All the platforms listed above are messaging boards after all. If you spot a group or players thinking about forming a party - post your profile link. Instead of sending them a wall of text, you now have a page that describes who you are, what games you are looking for, what your timezone is and displays you as someone willing to go the extra mile. Bump yourself. Bumping (Bring up my post) is how we have eliminated the constant message spam. Instead of returning every day or two to write up a new post to introduce yourself, you can take your current profile and just click the button on the right side of your cover image. That will bump your post to the top of the listings, completely refreshing it’s position. Stop wearing yourself thin Instead of spending all that time posting on various different platforms. And then doing a second lap of checking for responses - post your profile and find your dnd group.

What is a “session zero” (and why should you have one) You have decided to start playing D&D, keep in mind that Dungeons & Dragons is a social game. Sure, we have dice, miniatures, maps, terrain, rules and books. But they are all connected by social interactions and connections. And managing those social situations before they become problematic will save you a lot of headache. After all, you are looking to find a dungeons and dragons group not be defeated by the recruitment process. A session zero (named so, because the first session will most likely be the one where you all sit down and finally get the game going) is a validation checkpoint. A change for all the players to discuss what they expect from the game and the group. Voicing any concerns or topics that should be addressed beforehand, not when they have already become issues. During the session zero, players (including the DM, they are a player as well) will be given a general pitch of the game, the theme, the style and the direction the DM is expecting you to go. This most likely will not be a two-hour lore-dump session, where you make notes and try to remember all the important bits. It should resemble an elevator pitch. Short, straight to the point, without too much flavouring and getting bogged down in details. This is a chance for the players to understand and align their expectations regarding the game. Going into the first session with Boblin the Goblin, aiming to be the funniest character known to man and then realizing that the DM has prepared a serious, down to earth, adventure focusing on social intrigue and moral choices… Well Boblin might’ve not been the best character for that. /images/general-media/1774882359_X6rlHtg9.jpgRead the room. Create a character that fits the atmosphere of the game. And if you were hoping for constant laughs, you will find that the game and your expectations were severely mis-aligned. Session zero will try to manage expectations and set themes. Aligning players, aligning characters Understanding the world, the themes and topics is useful for the players to understand whether the game they are about to commit to is really for them. Whether it will be something they will look forward to prior to every session, or will it eventually become something that “you are not feeling”. Perhaps the tone can be adjusted - from gothic horror with no room for laughs to something that is still eerie, but the players can find humor in appropriate places. This is the time to discuss these questions. The time to adjust the game is now, as it will be rather difficult to do a complete shift when you are ten sessions deep. This is also the point where players can discuss their characters. Whether they have anything complete prepared by then or just a fragment of a concept. Your characters shall be adventuring together - try and figure out how that plays into the world you were presented with. Can you find some common background pieces with another player to somehow connect your characters? Or perhaps come up with a reasonable theme that would bring all your characters together. If your plan was to play an edgy loner, who doesn’t like people and works alone. Discuss this with others, as this might become an issue later, when the other characters can’t figure out a way to establish any reasonable connection with your edgelord. Be flexible, adjust concepts, ideas, goals and character details. A social contract Nobody likes contracts. Unless you are a warlock, then you live for contracts. But a social contract is more for managing expectations. How often will you play? Figure out whether your group can agree on a fixed schedule that everyone can book in advance. Every second Thursday evening? Booked now. Ofcourse this is subject to change as life happens.   Is it a 100% attendance game? If someone can’t attend, will the session be cancelled or will they be somehow “dragged along” without any narrative focus on them for the session. Is there a narrative way to exclude characters from certain moments, if the player is unable to participate? Agreeing on these will help you avoid situations, where some players might feel left out and might decide to start ghosting the sessions, until they are eventually removed from the roster. /images/general-media/1774882564_47pDcYw0.webpIf you have trouble setting some systems up, ask others to help you What systems and platforms will you be using if this is an online game? What video or voice platform will you be using, is everyone okay with the choice or does someone need help setting something up? Whether combat happens on a VTT or some other platform, can everyone manage that? Check in with others and figure out that the technical aspects won’t become too much of a burden to manage. Boundaries. A vital part of session zero. Even if you think these are not necessary - It is still strongly recommended. Using various safety tools can make sure that various themes or topics that the game might tackle are accepted by everyone. Especially if you haven’t played with all of the members of the group before. You can find various different tools to help set the right boundaries and make sure everyone feels comfortable with the game. Take a look at “Lines and Veils”, “X-Card” or “Monte Cook Games RPG Consent Checklist”. Vibes. How are the vibes Keep track of the vibes during session zero. Do you notice anything that might be considered a “red flag”? Is the humor off, does everyone feel like they get enough respect and attention from the others? All of these are important to keep in mind. While some things can be discussed and corrected, if needed. People are different and while they might be great people to be friends with, it doesn’t mean that they would be great people to play D&D with. If there are issues that you feel should be discussed, turn towards your DM and talk things out. Perhaps you were not the only one who noticed it. Or maybe it was a case of miscommunication. Clearing the air before the game actually begins is important. Otherwise the problems will start festering and your enjoyment of the game will decrease over time. “No D&D is better than bad D&D?” - No. Not at all. With Groupfinder you can  find a dnd group that fits your preferences. Maybe it will take a few tries and session zeroes, but once you find your group, you will know these are your people. And you will enjoy the games a lot more. Why bother with all of this? It might feel like all of this is too much trouble just to get the game going. But statistics have shown, that groups who go through a "session zero" before their actual game are  significantly less likely to ghost or fall apart after a few sessions. Spending a few hours talking about expectations might save you hours of frustration later on.

Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 is a 2003 revision of D&D 3rd Edition, the ruleset Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams designed for Wizards of the Coast in 2000 as the first all-new D&D edition since the company acquired the property from TSR. Rather than a new edition in its own right, 3.5 arrived as a focused patch just three years later - smoothing out rules ambiguities, rebalancing spells and monsters, and expanding the core books.  Though the revision was controversial at the time, with even 3.0 co-designer Monte Cook publicly criticizing its pace and motives. It runs on the d20 System, the Open Game License-based engine 3rd Edition introduced that let third-party publishers legally produce D&D-compatible material for the first time, kicking off the d20 boom of the early 2000s and, eventually, Paizo's Pathfinder.

When Sky and Sea Were Not Named (WSSWNN for short) is a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. To play, you'll need a set of gaming dice, your imagination, and a few friends. One player, the Guide, narrates the story and sets up challenges for the rest of the group. The other players take on the roles of heroes who set forth upon doomed floating islands, rescue people from their fates, and rebuild civilization. A game of When Sky and Sea Were Not Named might be limited to a single island that players explore in a few hours. Or it can be a sprawling adventure spread out over months of play, with heroes steadily gaining more powerful abilities and technology. Beyond action scenes and combat, WSSWNN is about your heroic characters and their journeys together. You can learn new lore from other characters—perhaps allies you've rescued, or even foes you've graced with mercy. You can invoke your hero's ideals in dramatic moments, potentially turning failure or struggle into success.

Tales Unrolled is a new actual play series helmed by Luis Carazo, Christian Navarro, Jack Cummins and the team at Sonoro. The series will be available both as an audio-only podcast and as a video series on YouTube. It is set in a world inspired by the rich mythologies, aesthetics, history, and cultures of our collective upbringings. Our world is unique, but our stories are universal, and we welcome both new and old fans of actual play to our proverbial table. Links youtube.com  - Youtube channel spotify.com  - Spotify feed patreon.com  - Patreon page