Disappointed

Why did I join Roll20? I'm sort of scratching my head at this point. Its almost impossible for those of us who are new to Roll20 to get into a game or campaign.  A huge waste of time and $$.  Just my personal opinion. 

hi I am Johnny and I am running Get Punny or DIE! , a hybrid 1st 2nd 3/3.5/5 ed game based on puns of movies books songs and cliches I agree there seems to be some snobbery but for the most part i am been getting somewhat positive feedback even from those who respectfully decline my invitation . My advice is to try the free features 1st before buying in and spending money . I personally do not charge for my games for a number of reasons . Firstly . my mission is to teach DND the way it was originally meant to be taught . I think one of the worst things Hasboro ever did was remove alignment , which pretty much brings back murder hobos , and negative racial penalties which provided balance and levels of character development . i currently have 2 players for my game that begins Jun 12th 9am [MST Denver CO] . if interested send me a msg and i will set up a google meet so we chat about what you would like to play

Honestly, this isn't a Roll20 thing, it's a D&D thing. There are SO many players and a lack of DMs, and every DM can only run for a certain amount of people. At one stage in the past, I was running 7 games a week and playing in a further 3. I literally had games that would finish at 5 my time and I'd be in another at 7 some days.  All I can say is to persevere and keep applying for games. Check this forum, the game posting stuff and don't get disheartened. If you have examples of previous applications, I'd happily take a look at them and give a few pointers. Only thing I will say on that is that what I think might not be what another DM thinks as it's all personal opinion.

My only advice is this: Remember when you where a teen in highschool and you wanted a job same with everyone else in your school? You had to hit the pavement day in and day out, putting in applications to stores/restraints same places 100's of your fellow students have already applied too.  It took you for what seemed forever to find a job even longer for finding one you liked. You find same here. You will apply to more games you can think off. But will pay off in end when you join that sweet spot group you match perfectly.

I only had one successful campaign on here and it was such a great time. This was years ago. Now people only want to play D&D and charge money to run games. It's just sad cause it isn't the same anymore. 

Chris, I have to ask you a question.  If you're only here to play games, why did you subscribe much less get a Pro subscription?  Subscription features are basically all things only GMs need.  For players, the only real "benefit" to a subscription is not having to see ads.  That aside, finding and getting accepted into games is a bit of an art and doesn't tend to happen rapidly. That said, here's my generic advice to new players looking to get started: You can find games both in the Looking for Group forum and through the "Join a Game" tab. The best advice I can give a new player here is BE PATIENT and be open to games other than 5E. 5E games are very popular. You will notice pretty much any 5E game in a good time slot will often have upwards of 50 applicants or more. All competing for 4 to 6 slots. You probably won't get accepted into the first game you apply to, nor your second, third, or eighth. Applying to games is somewhat of an art and I'll go into that a bit more below. Keep in mind, for pretty much any game, the GM will most likely NOT let you know you didn't get picked. Only the selected candidates usually get contacted by a GM. Don't take this personally. It's usually just too much work for a GM to send out 50 "Sorry" messages and they can't leave a general post in the LFG because it won't be visible as soon as the group is filled.   On the other hand, there are a number of non-5E games out there you can cut your teeth on and get into relatively easily. There are a lot of fun systems out there now that are not D&D so just explore the Join Game section if you want.   Some tips: 1. Pay attention to the game ad or listing and make sure you answer any questions the GM raises in there. If there's an application, be sure to answer all the questions. You don't need to write an essay but make sure the GM can get a feel for you as a player based on your responses. Good GMs don't take players first come, first serve and they're usually more interested in your characteristics as a player rather than your proposed character concept.   2. It's okay to apply to multiple games at once.  3. Don't get discouraged if you never hear from a GM about your application. Some people will let you know you didn't make it but most will just contact the people they are interested in selecting. 4. Pay attention to other players' applications and see what you can learn from them. If the GM has already picked some players for the game, see if you can find their applications in the listing and look for the things that seem to set them apart from the rest of the crowd. Learn from them what makes an application successful as you browse the game listings. 5. Look for GMs who seem to be picky about who they choose. This tends to make for a better game experience if you get in. 6. If you're anxious to get started ASAP, pay to play is an option. You can find those games in the game listings and here in the forum. There's usually little to no application process as long as you have the cash. In my experience, game quality is usually as good but no better really than most responsible free GMs here. The main advantage is being easy to get into one. 7. Don't give up. Don't get discouraged if your first games fall apart or aren't good. It can take a little while but eventually you will find the right games for you.  8. When using the Group Finder, don't tick off the Welcomes New Players Only box. A lot of people forget to set this when they list their game and fully 95% of GMs are open to new players as long as you're willing to make an effort to learn. Do tick off the Mature Content box. This isn't for ERP or erotic games. It typically means the game may not be suitable for young folks or people with highly sensitive ears. Adult language is expected, the game may touch on "adult" topics like drinking, drugs, etc. It's also commonly used in horror setting games because of depictions of graphic violence, etc.

Hey Christopher, I have a 5th ed game for you if you're interested. I run a few, including a Saturday and Friday game that I am looking for players in. Give me a ring on Discord. notbillgates#6934

I can only really repeat what others have said.  There are far more players than gms, if you really want to get a game then consider running one, if you run it at a time when a lot of people are available to play and it's free expect to be inundated with players wanting a spot.  I joined one game intending to play D&D 5th a bit before I gmed it as, while I had played or  run most other editions, I had never moved on to 5th.  I found a group of 5 and joined only to find all wanted to play but none were willing to gm, so I volunteered as long as they didn't mind me having to pick up the rules as I went along.  They were more than happy to play and accept my fumbling the rules and having to make decissions on the spot and check it later, they were just happy to find someone willing to dm at all. If you only intend to play then you would be fine with the free account, plus has some nice features but pro is really only needed if you intend to gm. When you apply for a game read what information the gm has made availabe, or at least all the relevant parts.  I have a homebrew setting game that allowed a very limited number of races, human, dwarf, dragonborn, shifter, goliath and vryloka, when someone applied with a halfling character concept there was no way they were getting a place, my first test, do people actually bother to read about the game they are applying to join. Don't write off pay to play if you can afford to pay a little towareds it.  There are some gms that do ask for fairly high amount to join their games, but the pay to play option also includes all those that only ask for tips.  I have a few games now listed as pay to play, but I only ask for tips and in arrears, normally at the end of a scenaro or month depending on the game, and in the end it is entirely up to the players how much they think the game was worth.  I have put quite a bit of my own money into books, compendiums and assets such as map tiles and tokens so i don't feel its unfair to ask players to help out a bit with paying for everything. Tiime zones can also play havok with finding a game, i have one that will be starting soon you would be welcome to join, but as it starts at 10.00am BST (British Summer Time) I know it isn't a suitable slot fot many, i have however managed to get a party together even for that time slot, I'm also surprised at how many American players i have happy to start at 8.00am their time to get into on of my afternoon (my tiem) games.

What games do you wish to play?

This seems fairly out of place for the LFG section and coulda been dropped somewhere else but I'm going to chime in: Finding games IN GENERAL is hard. It isn't just Roll20. Roll20 has one of the easier ways to find games between the actual game posting and forum LFGs. It took me months to find any of the games I've been part of and I'm blessed I have a DM and group I mesh with well. But I'm also hunting for more games to fill my week and I know its gonna be a hurdle to the point I'm considering DMing myself to help other people play. NO ONE wants to be the DM, they want to be the players and tell their stories. It'll always be like that, and everyone will struggle.

Ok so I would like to ask OP few questions: First you state that it is almost impossible to get to game as new member? What are you talking about? There are games that welcome new players, teach them rules and actually engage them in games. There are Pick up games that you only need to click on and you are in(And yes there is plenty of those).  One shots for new players. Few a week. Are you not just a bit lazy? I just for fun went through first 2 pages on LFG forums(Aka place you posted this) and found no less than 5 games that would take you in. Or even better? Make topic yourself. Write down what you are looking for and believe me there are DMs that will answer(Well not me. As I am not touching 5E, but if you want to try something new, I recently started Dune setting with new rules). It feels more as if you just wanted to complain without actually trying to find a game(But feel free to prove me wrong :) ) That is what I am trying to say: Look around, search games. I will not believe that you will not find game that suits you.

are you a DM/GM ? We are looking to play an E5 D&D campaign   1st level    there are 3 of us ; 2 older players who have played under different systems going back to the original. and one 40 ish player who has never played.  to complicate matters even more; our noob has children. so  2 hour sessions at the longest hopefully starting after 8pm eastern time zone and we are also poor and share a rule book  (so free please) if you're planning a campaign and want to add some Canadian flavour (maple syrup, back bacon and fiddleheads)  PLEASE contact me