Hello! And welcome to Roll20! - Can anyone give me any tips/helpful info on how get to find a good group? For whatever it's worth, you've already made a great first step by introducing yourself on the forum! Here, you can see people list games that are looking for players to join a game they have already established or are looking to run [LFP]; there are also posts about those who are looking for a group to connect with that matches their interests [LFG]. The former are more likely to land you in a game than the latter, but a LFG is helpful in that it groups like-minded people together, which could lead to another type of listing [LFDM], where a group has already formed and just needs someone who is willing to run them through a game together. Also, there is the "Join a Game" option under "Games" at the top of the page, where you can look through a list of games. There are multiple filters you can use to specify what sort of system you want to play or when you'd be free to play. It will lead to a page talking about the system, the time the group meets, and similar information along with a description of what the setting is, if there are homebrew rules, and sometimes a snippet about the one running it. There is typically a thread at the bottom of the page that asks for people to apply for the game where the DM/GM will ask you to talk about yourself, your experience, and any character ideas you may have. You should become familiar with both ways of looking to join games. - Is it hard to find a group of fun people to play with? Do you just move from group to group until you find people you like playing with or what? Not gonna lie: this can be quite hit and miss. I wouldn't say it's hard as much as it can take some time. There are some people I've spent time with who were super easy to connect to and have a lot of fun with. There have been some who I've wished well, but have not wanted to play with again. Just like real life, there are all sorts of people here: you will get along with some of them, but you will not get along with all of them. It's important to know what you can put up with and what you won't, and for you to be comfortable letting others know what your boundaries are and when others have crossed them. While it would be great to find a great group you click with and stick with them for years, sometimes the group forms, you play for a while, and then it disperses, and so you have to look for another one. Of course, it could also work out that a group no longer meets your needs. It's okay to leave and to look for another that will be more aligned with your expectations. Either way, while it's not always the most fun to have to reestablish ties and connections, it's a lot like real life: you don't always have control over circumstances. - Also, do you make a character ahead of time or how does that work online? In my experience, most DMs want you to create a character after joining the group for a number of different reasons, such as them wanting you to use Standard Array versus rolling or they might wish to exclude certain content, like races or classes. It's great to have ideas for what you want but to also be flexible in what you're willing to go with. It's great if you have the perfect tabaxi barbarian or half-orc wizard you created, spending hours on crafting their backstory and motivations. However, it could get a little awkward if you'd planned on having your elven cleric begin to bridge the differences between their community and the nearby gnoll encampment because of the encroaching undead hordes only to find the campaign setting is far more urban or taking place far from your home in a freezing tundra or blistering desert. Also, some parties like to rely on balance, so that everyone has something to do and no one is getting in anyone else's way. While I think the idea of playing a party full of warlocks, all with different patrons, sounds great, not everyone will be interested in such a group. Everyone wants to have their time to shine, so having multiple rolls covered tends to be what works for most people. But, hey, who knows? Maybe you'll be the fifth thief in a group of orphan halflings looking to find their big break! However it works out, I hope you find a group or two who meet your needs and that you have a lot of fantastic adventures!
