Session 0 checklist: How to build a DnD group that lasts

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.

This is an example of a fully filled library entry. It is highly recommended to keep your entries at a minimum of 200 words. Although the more, the better. Use this section to give a good overview of what your project, show or channel is all about. Grab their interest, explain how your project works or who it is for. We recommend that you write the article in third person and remain as objective as possible. Some slight bias is expected, but don't overdo it.  References to other library entries should be linked using the appropriate "pill" tags and linking the text between the tags as a link. The Groupfinder team will try and help with the manual linking whenever we find and notice the opportunity. A link to other library entries, like Mothership will look like this.

You have found a D&D group, your characters are ready and the players are hyped for the start of the game. However there is a thought that keeps cropping up in the back of your head: “What if they take the story in a direction I don’t feel comfortable with?” Tabletop roleplaying games are built on imagination and improvisation. Therefore setting boundaries might feel wrong or tricky. Perhaps you or someone else has a phobia of spiders, or some situations might make you uncomfortable. This is where safety tools come to play. Before you start thinking that these are borderline “censorship” methods - they are communication shortcuts that ensure everyone in your group is having fun, even if the story gets dark or brutal. What are safety tools? Think of safety tools as subtle “safe words” in a stunt show or a timeout in sports. It doesn’t mean that the show can’t go on, instead it allows for the participants to pause, edit or skip certain bits of content that might not be something everyone is comfortable with. It avoids the need for that awkward, long speech about themes and decisions while making some people feel uncomfortable with either expressing their creativity or feeling targeted in another way. When everyone at your group knows where the “emergency brake” lever is, players usually feel more comfortable with intense roleplay situations, as everyone feels more in control of the direction the story is going. /images/general-media/1778077472_okHsoUPF.gifIf the game goes in a direction that everyone is comfortable with - rewind. The big three Lines and Veils This is a list that is collaboratively created during Session Zero. Everyone agrees upon setting limitations regarding various topics and when to let the story progress in a “skip cutscene” manner. Lines: Hard boundaries. If a “line” is drawn at harming animals, these situations do not occur in your games. Veils: A soft boundary - this is more of a “fade to black” moment, where the story overlooks specific details and situations, but still acknowledges their existence. The X-card If a situation makes you uncomfortable, signaling (either with a physical card with an X on it, or writing it in the chat) the X-card means that whatever is going on is skipped or retconned. The game continues but avoids the specific direction it is currently headed. This is a no questions asked situation. You don’t have to explain why this situation bothers you, a healthy group will respect your choice and preference and move on. Open door policy In a situation, where you do not feel comfortable, you are permitted to simply get up and leave the table to either “take five” or stay away until the current situation is resolved. Or if the theme is simply overwhelming, you can excuse yourself for the rest of the session. It is important that the group agrees beforehand to respect the open door approach and will not judge the person choosing to opt out. “This will ruin the mood!” As a DM (or a player), you might fear that using safety tools will break the immersion. In reality, the opposite is true - players knowing that they and their preferences are respected will keep everyone on the same page. When a group has no discussed boundaries beforehand, players are likely to simply “shut down” during specific situations and simply disconnect either mentally or digitally from the game at hand. Since the story involves everyone in the group, everyone should feel like they want to be part of it. Knowing beforehand which themes and topics may be an issue for your players will help everyone in the group focus more on the game, and less on worrying or playing the “guessing game”, wondering whether the topic at hand is appropriate for everyone. How to react when a tool is used If you are the DM and someone uses the X-card or reminds of a “line”, here is a professional way to handle it: Stop. Pause the narration or situation immediately. Acknowledge. Say “Thanks for letting me know.” Don’t ask “Why” or try to downplay the situation. Respect the player and their decision Adjust. Change the scene. Feel free to “rewind” the scene and take it in a different direction. Instead of spiders in the room, there are goblins, wolves, mimics, dragons (okay lets not overdo it…), or nothing at all. Check-in. A quick “Everyone good?” to check whether the situation has been resolved. And continue the game. Why do we promote using safety tools? When meeting new people for the first time, you don’t have years of history to know what their triggers or boundaries are. And circling back to the “guessing game” - you shouldn’t be expected to know these. Instead clear communication will help your group in the long run. Using safety tools should be seen as a strong green flag. It tells others that you are a thoughtful player or a DM, who cares about the people behind the characters. You will turn the group of strangers into trusted players much faster. Be a brave player Great tabletop gaming stories are ones where players take risks, are vulnerable, come up with stupid plans (that somehow work) and defeat villains. Safety tools will guide your game in a direction where you don’t step on anyone’s toes and lets you focus on the game at hand. Ready to get into a game? Post your player profile on Groupfinder, or find a group where you can gather other like-minded, respectful, players.  If you know of a DM, who is looking to level up their group management - then share this article with them and help make the tabletop community a better and more enjoyable place for everyone. If you are ready to jump into a game, head over to our directory to find a D&D group looking for players right now.

Conan 2d20 or "Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of", is a low-magic, high-action, fantasy roleplaying game set millennia ago, in the Hyborian Age. Immersed in an exotic land, strewn with ancient ruins, Stygian jungles and frozen wastes - where the heroes are daring, the treasures fleeting and the horrors Lovecraftian. Magic is shunned (but present nonetheless) and sorcerers are vilified; their dark machinations and obscene rituals have earned them fearful reputations and, often as not, a swift burning at the stake. Description The players can create competent and cunning characters from the start (best done with the online character generator - below) and immerse themselves in the joy of battle, tactical play and clever use of the environment. Teamwork is strongly encourage via archetypal characters, powerful talents and the use of shared Momentum and Doom resources, that can be used to spectacular effect or perilous misadventure.  System Overview & Key Features Momentum and Doom points are shared resources that accumulate during action scenes and battles. They are spent to activate powerful talents and abilities, which allow the characters to perform outrageous feats and spectacular displays - or imperil them just when they thought they were safe. Displays are a methods of intimidation, varying techniques that enable a character to demoralise their foes and strike fear into the hearts of man and beast alike. Win the war before it starts! Wounds and healing mechanics that allow character to shrug off scrapes but still significantly suffer from serious injuries until healed. Skills and talents related to them that cater for most possible situations and allow for daring escapades and mighty battles. Additional links modiphius.net - Official storefront and support page for the 2d20 system catalog https://pulp-lit.com/270.htmlpulp-lit.com - Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian

GrimFolio is a canvas-based project planner. Map out your campaign as cards, rooms, encounters, NPCs, factions, locations, and plot points, then connect them with labeled paths to show how everything relates. Each card has notes, checklists, and reference images. You can see your whole story structure at once instead of losing threads across tabs and documents. /images/general-media/1780401778_IBYYgMJz.jpgEvery connection is a decision. Collaborate and work with a team. Invite editors and viewers to any project. Track every change, leave team notes, and always know what happened while you were away. Your command center. Ready when you are. When the canvas is done, Production takes over. Schedule your crew, track your budget, run your master checklist, and export everything — all from one configurable dashboard. Grim stays active, reading your full project state and flagging what's not ready before opening night. Every scare has a blueprint. Map your rooms, scares, and actor cues on a connected canvas. Grim helps you pace the experience — flagging dead zones, suggesting beats, and keeping the story arc tight from entry to finale. Build the world. Let Grim run it. NPCs, locations, factions, quest threads — mapped and connected so you can see every moving piece. GrimVision generates concept art from your card notes. Grim tracks the logic so your players can't break it. Plan the arc. Not just the chapter. Plot beats, character arcs, world lore, chapter outlines — mapped so you can see the whole story at once. GrimVision generates panels and scene concepts. Grim keeps your narrative logic consistent across every arc.

RollCall Tavern is a browser based toolset for running table top RPG's. The intent was to put everything a session needs in one place, For the DM it provides a single workbench for the campaign. The DM can take Notes, create NPCs, and generate battle and more. A story map helps organize and branch your thoughts visually. While, battle maps calculate line of sight, so walls block vision and each player sees only what their character can see. Built in combat tracker helps you run and calculate enemy damage. Rollcall Tavern also allows you to push images to the players, anytime so you can share more than just battle maps. Run your campaign the way you want it to be run. For players the experience runs on any browser. They see the current map and any material the DM pushes to them, and on their turn they attack, cast, move and end their turn from a single action bar. Player sheets and inventory tracking also help players stay organized and ready to go. Everything runs in a browser. There is nothing to install, and a session works the same way whether the group is gathered around one table or playing remotely. RollCall Tavern is free to use. The only paid component is optional AI art and text generation, which is disabled by default and can be ignored entirely. A full campaign can be run without it. All campaign data exports as JSON and accounts can be deleted at any time.