How to find players for a tabletop RPG?
The hardest part of tabletop role-playing is neither the rules nor the scenario: it is getting four people free on the same evening. Plenty of tables never happen for lack of players, while people are looking for one everywhere.
There are specific places where players gather, and a way to write an ad people actually want to answer. Here are the leads that work, around a table and online.
Start with the people you know.
Before looking for strangers, go through your friends, your colleagues and your family. One table out of two starts that way. Do not ask whether someone wants to try role-playing some day: offer a specific evening, with a date, a setting and a stated running time.
A first group of three is enough to get going. You will fill the seats later, and a table that already plays attracts new players far more easily than a plan still on paper.
Where to look for players.
The notice board in a game shop is still the best place to find a table near you. The staff usually know which groups are looking for someone.
Clubs and game libraries run open evenings, often with beginner sessions. You get to play once before committing to a campaign.
A convention lets you try four games in a weekend and leave with contacts. Beginner tables are free most of the time.
Community servers have recruitment channels where tables post their slot. Expect a few days between your message and the first session.
Regional groups on social media work well to find a table in your own city. Always mention your area.
Listing sites sort games by system, time slot and experience level. It is the fastest route if you are happy to play remotely.
Writing an ad people answer.
Give the system, the setting and the tone of the campaign. A player who hates horror would rather know before answering.
A precise slot removes half the pointless replies. Every other Tuesday, 8pm to 11pm, beats a vague whenever suits you.
Online or around a table, say it upfront, along with the city or the tool you use. Nobody wants to find out at the last minute that it means a two hour drive.
One or two seats, no more. An ad looking for five players suggests a group that does not exist yet.
Saying that beginners are welcome doubles the number of replies. Add that character creation will happen together.
A handle, an address or a server: one clear way to reach you. Answer within two days, or applicants will look elsewhere.
Looking for players online.
Around a table, your search stops at people able to travel to your place on a Tuesday evening. Online, it covers an entire language, and late slots become workable since nobody has a journey home to plan.
It is also the answer when your group already exists but has scattered. A virtual tabletop brings your former players back together for an evening, without anyone boarding a train.
Gathering your table with Tomeus.
Once you have found your players, they still have to play together. Tomeus is a virtual tabletop: you create the game, import a backdrop, pick a track and send the link. Your players join in one click, with nothing to install and nothing to configure.
Character sheets, audio and video, chat, dice and a music catalogue all fit in a single window. One link pasted into your ad is enough to turn an answer into a first session.
Go further with tabletop RPGs.
How to Play a Tabletop RPG: the Beginner's Guide
How a session unfolds, what the game master does, dice, character sheets and how to play a tabletop RPG online. A complete guide for beginners.
How to Prepare a Tabletop RPG Campaign
Setting, central stake, factions, NPCs and per-session prep: the method to build a tabletop RPG campaign without writing everything in advance.
The Best Tabletop RPGs for Beginners
Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, Alien, Monster of the Week: six easy tabletop RPGs for a first session, and how to pick the right one.
How to Create a Tabletop RPG Character
Concept, class, ability scores, skills, backstory and bonds: the full method to create a tabletop RPG character who will carry a whole campaign.
Discover Pathfinder.
How to Start Playing Pathfinder
Free rules, three actions per turn, ancestry, class and feats: the complete guide to start playing Pathfinder and run your first session in one evening.
The Basic Rules of Pathfinder
The d20 and the four degrees of success, the six ability scores, proficiency, the three actions, hit points and the dying condition: the rules of Pathfinder.
The Lore of Pathfinder
Golarion and the Inner Sea, the Age of Lost Omens, the ancestries, the gods and the great threats: the lore of Pathfinder explained, and how to use it at your table.
The Classes of Pathfinder
The sixteen classes of the two core books, the subclasses, the class feats and multiclassing through archetypes: the classes of Pathfinder explained.
Frequently asked questions.
Can you find players as a complete beginner?
Yes, and it is the most common case. State in your ad that the table welcomes beginners: you will get more answers, not fewer. A starter set and three hours are enough for a first session.
How many players should you recruit?
Three to five players on top of the game master. Plan for one more than your target, someone almost always drops out before the first session. Past six, everyone waits too long for their turn to speak.
What if nobody wants to be the game master?
Take the seat yourself with a starter scenario. Those are written for exactly that, run a few pages long and walk the game master through scene after scene. It is also the best way to set the pace and frequency that suit you.