Newbie - overwhelmed

Hi, I am looking to join a group who don’t mind having a complete newbie. I have looked on the free games but all of the questions/the ‘application’ process is really daunting to me 🫣 it looks like there are loads of people wanting to join games but not that many games available. Am I looking in the wrong place? Can anyone assist?  Thank you :)

hi- have you tried looking in DnD Beyond, Reddit LFG or Momsbook? Plenty of places to go to find a game. The only issue is that D&D 5E has an acute shortage of DM's.

Hi Hannah, I am so sorry, that you are having a hard time finding someone to join. Unfortunately I don't have an English speaking group going at the moment and am not planning to start one in the near future. If you have some friends who want t get started with a short adventure and some tips on how you can GM for yourselves, send me a message here or on discord (dnik21). Everybody can GM! I am on European time though, so might be difficult to organise. Best wishes, Dominik

Yes, it can be overwhelming! It is even harder to learn a new roll playing system and virtual table top like Roll20 at the same time. Hannah, it would be helpful to use tags in your post and look for tags that interest you: [D&D 5E], [D&D 3.5], [PF], ets. You can also edit your profile to list RPG systems that interest you. Without saying anything, people will assume you mean D&D 5E. I would also suggest avoiding games and systems that are extra deadly or go for gritty realism to start out. ... You probably have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm saying ask the GM questions before starting and avoid campaigns where players make new characters every other session due to death. ... Some plays like those games, but not me. I am running a D&D 3.5 edition game and playing in a D&D 3.5 game on alternating weeks, at the moment.

You are correct, Hannah, there are a lot of Applications for not-enough Games and DM's on offer.  Just keep trying. I recommend Roll20, I don't think you need the external sites like DND Beyond etc.  I say just keep trying, and include what you wrote above in your Applications ("I'm new, i want to play..")

Hannah said: Hi, I am looking to join a group who don’t mind having a complete newbie. I have looked on the free games but all of the questions/the ‘application’ process is really daunting to me 﫣 it looks like there are loads of people wanting to join games but not that many games available. Am I looking in the wrong place? Can anyone assist?&nbsp; Thank you :) Unsure what your schedule is but I am actively seeking players, if the game fits for you then please drop a app. <a href="https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/388838/the-helm-and-chart" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/388838/the-helm-and-chart</a>

Hi, Hannah, Sounds like you're using the right space (one of them, the other being here) to find a game on Roll20. If your goal is to find a game not on Roll20, this might not be the best place. Even then, as others have said, there are more players than there are games with space. But, you can maximize your effort. First make sure you're using the Advanced Search on the search page. There you can limit your search to days, games welcoming new players, etc. If you post on these forums, put your availability in the thread title. Something like "New Player Seeks Games M/W/F Evenings Eastern" or something. Tim GM's words on tags is very relevant here. Next, applications. Some I've seen get really specific. When I have an opening, I try to be really general in the application process. Either way, I think it's important to provide all requested information. My last opening had several replies, but only one even tried to provide requested information. That one got my questions, the other players questions, and ultimately the invite. Lastly, as others have said, patience might be needed. I assume, like me, most GMs are employed, have schedules, and other demands on their time. I often take two or three days during the week to reply to queries, and THAT may only be to ask a few questions (which is a good thing, IMO; if a GM asks questions, it means they were interested enough to ask questions). Best of luck. It's a fun hobby. Hope you see you part of it.

Players have a bit of a road to walk finding games, the truth of the matter is there are fewer willing to take a mantle of GM than people looking to be players, as such players often need to be more proactive to find a game.&nbsp; Keep hunting here or other sites, if you find other players, try and strap together a party, even if none of you are seeking a GM, it's a lot easier to sell a party to a GM if they have their ducks in a row, know a rough time and game they'd like.&nbsp; Speaking from experience, any GM will be much more likely to run a game for a group if they don't need to worry about juggling times of a party, it removes&nbsp; a great deal of the 'work' element of running a game off their plate. As others mentioned, some people are just a bit slow responding to messages, it might take a week for them to get back to you here on Roll20, if you're looking to join, I'd suggest trying to check your messages often, at least once a day and reply proptly, as when things do move, they can move fast. If you're just looking to talk shop, feel free to drop a message, otherwise, just keep poking at people looking to form a group, or a GM looking to run something.

FWIW, I no longer require player applications for my games because, in my experience, it does not add any value and may deter a future great player. I have had people fill-out applications with amazing responses but when the game actually started they soon left -- or never started -- for various reasons, ghosted me (without offering any reasons) and, in one example, I kicked them due to table behavior and player conflicts. I have also had some players that barely met my initial "requirements and expectations" but, to my surprise, several sessions later they became my favorite players that were contributing the most to the game. None of this helps the OP and their very real concerns but, hopefully, some Game Masters will re-evaluate the purpose -- and effectiveness -- of their game's player application process.

DiceWrangler said: FWIW, I no longer require player applications for my games because, in my experience, it does not add any value and may deter a future great player. I have had people fill-out applications with amazing responses but when the game actually started they soon left -- or never started -- for various reasons, ghosted me (without offering any reasons) and, in one example, I kicked them due to table behavior and player conflicts. I have also had some players that barely met my initial "requirements and expectations" but, to my surprise, several sessions later they became my favorite players that were contributing the most to the game. None of this helps the OP and their very real concerns but, hopefully, some Game Masters will re-evaluate the purpose -- and effectiveness -- of their game's player application process. I've had similar experiences. I have a long post to explain the premise, a couple of house rules, and I ask for a paragraph about a character idea. Enough to build on. In the past, I've accepted people who have then done things like quit when they rolled ability scores (optional in my game), didn't get an 18, and I would let them reroll; or make a character and then no show the first session. Behavior issues, inclusion issues, and so on. So I'd say I'm ready to consider a new style for the next opening. How is your way working? With respect to getting new people and also the headache the process causes, but also in terms of long term success

Marshall W. said: Players have a bit of a road to walk finding games, the truth of the matter is there are fewer willing to take a mantle of GM than people looking to be players, as such players often need to be more proactive to find a game.&nbsp; ... Truer words have never been spoken! I'll add to that burnout. Unfortunately, it happens to GMs. DiceWrangler &amp; Teller, I here you. Their is a term for those people, "randoes." You know random people that show up and want to play, but only play short term or one session. I've seen countless of those people, with in-person games and on Roll20. ... All randoes are not all bad. Unfortunately, some people want to avoid conflict to the point that they will not even say anything.

Hi Hannah!&nbsp; I am currently putting a group together for Curse of Strahd.&nbsp; I would be willing to bring you along for the ride if you would like.&nbsp; I'm a new player friendly DM, but I do have some very small hardware requirements for my game.&nbsp; (And I do mean small... things as simple as a decent mic).&nbsp;&nbsp; Feel free to message me if you are interested.&nbsp; The game will be Thursdays at 7:30pm PST.&nbsp;&nbsp;