Competition seems really stiff to get into a game...

At least for D&D 5e. Does a newbie like myself have no chance? What are DMs looking for in applications?

I'm open to new players. Most importantly, I want applicants to read everything and follow my instructions for an application. This guy has tips on how to get into his game: <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3481533/how-to-w" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/3481533/how-to-w</a>... His advice looks pretty solid overall.

When I'm looking for new players the most important things in my eyes are that you write what I asked for, that you don't extremely over- or underdo your character description ("I'm a fighter who lived in a village and wants adventure now" is not enough but for a lot of people 2 A4 pages of description and history will be too much), that you come off friendly, that you're willing to compromise on things about your character to make it fit better in the world or story the DM is planning and then the rest is kind of out of your hands. From personal experience I can say that for me the most important aspect of my group was always that the people at least kind of fit together and get along. In other words unless someone is literally only trying to match characters there is also mostly a personal aspect involved and if you do everything right you're still kind of rolling the dice twice. Once on the character and if the DM likes it and thinks it will fit into the group and once on just personal compatibility. I don't know what the ratio of players to DMs is on roll20. I only played in one one-shot I searched for and otherwise only play in a campaign with friends and DM an online campaign myself so I didn't really have to go through that process but from the other side of the table I can tell you that searching for a new player also took me at least a few days, usually more like 1-2 weeks. Building a group of 4 until we played for the first time took me several weeks. To be fair I wasn't done planning and building when I started searching but still I wrote with 10-15 people (although some turned out to be unsuitable because they didn't realise they were in a timezone that woulnd't have worked out). What kind of a campaign are you searching for and what timezone are you in? I felt like there were a good amount more US games in the listings than EU, which is also a problem if you're from EU.

Thanks for the tips. I'm EST and looking for a weekly game on Saturday or Sunday. Beyond that I'm open to pretty much anything, though part of me wants to start with a Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk campaign setting since I'm at least somewhat familiar with them from CRPGs.

So quick question: is it considered bad form to apply to multiple games at once? Just from looking at current applications on various games it looks like there is definitely some lag time between applying and a DM choosing who they want for their game and I'm trying to get into one asap.

Noxos said: So quick question: is it considered bad form to apply to multiple games at once? Just from looking at current applications on various games it looks like there is definitely some lag time between applying and a DM choosing who they want for their game and I'm trying to get into one asap. No. It isn't. So long as you make a commitment to one of those games if chosen, and inform other GMs about it, if you're on a potential short list. Some people will try to get accepted to all of them, and when they have scheduling conflicts, start dropping out of the other games. Leaving GMs frustrated because they could have spent that time wasted on a player who actually was committed and wanted to play. And because communities form in Roll20, word gets passed around, and those communities begin to recognize problem-players.

Also give the other GM's the reason when you drop off their short list. Nothing is more frustrating than having a player join your game or get put on the short list to just say "I can't play". GMs put an effort into creating a game so always let the GM's know a brief why you can't join their games, even a "I got accepted into another game". GMs will be appreciative of it and people who do things like that usually get put on a short list of any new games that might be created.

The advice in this thread is good and worth listening to. However, I wanted to throw in a suggestion that has worked for me: don't apply to games with an application process. The reason I say this is because writing a lot of detail like suggested above takes a lot of time and makes the rejection that much more annoying if it happens. That can lead to you getting discouraged and possibly leaving roll20.&nbsp; Now, that suggestion isn't for everyone and I'm not implying that the games with application procedures are flawed in some way. It's just that there's an alternative that can work and not be as time intensive, not to mention potentially less frustrating.&nbsp; I don't have applications and don't have interviews for my games. I just take people as they come and if they leave, I find more. Pretty straightforward and I've been lucky in those searches&nbsp;

Don't feel like your missing out on to much I just joined a roll20 game I dropped almost immediately just because when I seen they were RPing I was like cool, I worked on my character sheet during this time, and look back at the chat box to see two players sexting whom labeled it as RP for their pathfinder characters.

Barbarian Horde said: Don't feel like your missing out on to much I just joined a roll20 game I dropped almost immediately just because when I seen they were RPing I was like cool, I worked on my character sheet during this time, and look back at the chat box to see two players sexting whom labeled it as RP for their pathfinder characters. This being the internet, of course that is out there, but that's hardly the standard roll20 game.

Agreed,. I guess what I'm getting at is getting in to a group isn't always great. &nbsp;I've seen players quit soon as game starts cause they don't like DM. &nbsp;DM quiting halfway or at the end of a session cause of players. &nbsp; It's extraordinary phenomenon. &nbsp;Hell I left a game after being told to shut up multiple time because the &nbsp;face of party wanted all the Interactions with NPCs. &nbsp;DM let it slide and after pm to correct this was disregarded

The other thing I've run into is ongoing games that don't bring new players in at a reasonable level. Being told that all players will start at level 4, and then getting in to find out that all but you are level 8+ and the encounters are built around that is not any fun (whether it's combat or social).

Twinkie said: When I'm looking for new players the most important things in my eyes are that you write what I asked for, that you don't extremely over- or underdo your character description ("I'm a fighter who lived in a village and wants adventure now" is not enough but for a lot of people 2 A4 pages of description and history will be too much), that you come off friendly, that you're willing to compromise on things about your character to make it fit better in the world or story the DM is planning and then the rest is kind of out of your hands. I absolutely agree with this. I also find that, where an application is requested, it pays to have an interesting character (and ideally of a class/role not already covered by another member of the party, if the GM has shared that information). &nbsp;That doesn't necessarily mean "choose the most unlikely combination of character traits and smush them into a garbled mess", but I have found that choosing one or two unusual traits or an unusual backstory for your particular class, and then smoothing it out to make it feel real, can intrigue and excite many GM's. &nbsp;That said, it pays not to be too attached to your initial character profile, as you want to ensure that you give the GM the explicit opportunity to request any adjustments to help your character fit better with the world in which their campaign is set. Additionally, I find that it helps to state, in a sentence or two, what you like about the proposed campaign. &nbsp;This can give the GM additional insight into your goals, likes, and dislikes as a player, and assist them with deciding whether you will fit with the campaign they are planning to run. &nbsp;It can be tempting to lapse into flattery at this point, but that's really not necessary - if you're responding to the LFG listing, it's assumed that you like it! &nbsp;Rather, be honest, as this will generally help create a better campaign both for you and for your (potential) GM.

I'm not terribly picky

What became important to me is that the players do not drop out suddenly mid campaign. Its just horrible for the entire group to fill a slot with yet another character, having the entire group adjust to another set of bio-chemistry. As an example: i run the Mummy's Mask AP here. and we have had a total of 3 dropouts on the 6th slot, which also was taken by a rogue. so a not too unimportant role in any campaign. After the 3rd dropout we decided to keep the coolest of the characters that got generated for that slot as a semi NPC and just leave the 6th player slot vacant. And do note: We are mature, communicative people, who would have been happy to discuss anything, that would have rubbed dropouts the wrong way if necessary. But apparently that is also the curse of the internet. That you got interchangable by a button press. So for my current campaign i screen carefully. Ask them to join me in a talk on skype, check if their mic is cool. how they talk, if we get along, etc. Oh and i do not list the game as per usual anymore either. Posted it in the forums instead. The listing system is highly restricted unfortunately.