How to Find a D&D Group

a man looking through binoculars

The hardest part for most roleplayers is getting together a group to start playing. Gaming groups are often small and tend to be rather private. Fortunately, there are a few ways that you can get into the gaming hobby.

Looking for Group

The easiest way to get into a D&D campaign is to ask around. Talk to your friends and see if they know anyone who games or if they’re willing to try it out with you. It wasn’t that long ago that Dungeons & Dragons was looked down upon, so many veteran gamers are a little shy. Who knows, you might already know a few roleplayers!

If your friend group is a bust, you can also check the local game shop to see if they know of any openings or if there is a way you can leave a contact email in case they find anyone else looking for a gaming group.

Join a pick-up game

If you are lucky enough to have a game shop in town, you should talk to the regulars and see if they have any open gaming nights or if there are any D&D games ran out of the shop. Some places will have groups or open sessions that allow for new players which can be a great way to try it out and meet other people.

Check online

If you don’t have access to a gaming shop or simply have had no luck with any other methods, then it’s time to hit up social media and browse through some subforums to see if you can find anyone. There are plenty of online gaming communities and while some of them are pay-to-play, there are plenty of free options as well. Roll20 is a good place to start.

Once you’ve found a group, the next step is figuring out which edition you want to play. Check out the next article to read about the different versions of D&D and to help decide which works best for you or go back to the D&D Basics to get started on building a character. If you’re already set on a character, why not check out our Character Hacks or head over to the Archives to find more articles?

Next: D&D Edition Comparison →