Nerd Immersion

Hey! I'm Daniel and I stream Table Top Roleplaying Games. You can see the various campaigns and one-shots here and join the conversation.  Also runs a general TTRPG advice and discussion channel on Bandit's Keep Broadcast schedule (all times Eastern) Monday 7pm: Mercy of the Icons - Coriolis the Third Horizon Wednesday 7pm: A Thousand Thousand Islands - Dungeon Crawl Classics Saturday 7pm: Hyperborian Tales - Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea Links youtube.com - Youtube channel discord.gg - Discord server patreon.com - Patreon page

Its gonna be May. /images/general-media/1778679800_avRWtoFC.gifThis is gonna ruin the tour... Well, it already is May - and its time for this month’s overview of what we have done during the last month. We would like to keep you updated as to how the platform is evolving and growing - especially since many of our updates might be something you have not noticed (you can read the last month's update log here). Birthday.. Of sorts It was the end of April of last year when we released the current version of Groupfinder. Partly. Most of you might not be aware that Groupfinder was first launched in 2021. We first created the platform for the Estonian TTRPG community to help our local players find groups and players more easily. And it was well-received and used, prompting us to keep working on it, improving and tweaking. /images/general-media/1778679949_qEWkiP3e.jpgHow far we've come since 2021.  Many years later, we decided to step it up a notch and redesign the entire platform and open it up to the world. More than half a year later, Groupfinder (now called Groupfinder, not Grupileidja) was finally released. It took us a few months before we were ready for the global audience. In september, we had our ducks in a row and we started spreading the word about the platform. Users from all over the world slowly started discovering the site and signing up. Gaining initial traction was a difficult task - users would not bother to use Groupfinder, because there weren’t users on the platform. A vicious circle that eventually was resolved thanks to our early pioneers, willing to give us a shot and posted their profiles and groups here. And now, a year later, we can see the platform has almost 6000 registered users with over 1500 active profiles and almost 700 active groups.    Players and systems During the last month, we improved player post creation - choosing the game system is now more visual and clearer. In addition - the process has been integrated with the Library. If a system exists there, it will be more visually distinct. As well as linked to the corresponding Library entry page. Hopefully more players will discover alternative systems to try out. /images/general-media/1778680166_bQADP9rj.pngChoosing the correct systems has never been easier. On Groupfinder The player profile page itself has also been updated and refreshed in multiple ways, making your profile a better calling card for you. Panel is Dashboard We used to call the homepage, the Panel. But we realized, that it didn’t make that much sense to most users. So it is now Dashboard. Not a huge change - but a change nonetheless. The dashboard also received multiple updates and tweaks to make things less cluttered and messy. Library is getting stocked During the month, the library has received multiple new entries. By multiple - I believe we can say well over a hundred new entries have been added. There are multiple new tools, video creators and podcasts/actual play entries for you to discover. Waiting for your next session? Perfect time to start enjoying an actual play series to keep the hype going and perhaps be inspired by the way other groups play. Article series “Covering the basics” We also started with an introductory blog series called “Covering the basics”. Something to guide new players taking their first steps in the hobby. Currently there is one for “Making a character” and one for “How to start as a Dungeon Master”.    And while not part of the series, you might want to take a look at the “Safety tools” article. Something to consider when starting a group with people you’ve never played with before. Tweaks & fixes We've kept a watchful eye on various bugs and problems that needed addressing. The mobile notifications were overly aggressive and at times got a bit spammy - we've told the messenger to calm down.  In messenger you can now react to messages, making it easier for you to agree upon a certain ruling or arrangement. Or, if you like, you can send an image of surprised Pikachu. Sending images in messenger is now possible. Sending a message to someone, but they just won't respond? Hover over their timezone on their profile and see what time it is for them. Maybe they are sleeping. Maybe you should also be? May-be that is all Thanks for reading this month’s update. We will keep on working on things in the background. You can join the Groupfinder discord server if you want to share some thoughts or problems with the platform.   And as always - if you have found Groupfinder useful in any way - be sure to share it with others. Either via a social media post, or just tell your friends about it. You sharing Groupfinder helps us grow. And with more users - more groups. Till next time.

What can I submit to the library? What does it cost me? How to stand out among all the other entries? Feature your project Submitting your project My project is already on the platform, can I change it? If you are a creator in the tabletop gaming space, then the Library is the perfect place to showcase what you have created. Whether you are part of a bigger team, or even a solo-creator, all projects are more than welcome to introduce themselves.  What can I submit to the library? Nearly anything and everything, as long as it is related to the tabletop gaming hobby space is welcome. Game systems If you have a tabletop game system that is missing from the library - we would love to learn more about it and introduce it to other players. Tools & Platforms Have you created a new generator of some kind? A map builder? Encounter calculator? Loot creator, tool for managing your worldbuilding? Or something else? Perfect place to showcase your creation. Youtube and Twitch channels If you are a video creator or a streamer and your channel is about tabletop gaming - then this is the place where to introduce yourself and find new followers. Blogs Do you have blog where you cover tabletop games, news or just write about the hobby itself? Perfect, we'd love to help spread the word Podcasts Whether you topic is a specific tabletop system, is a more general discussion of the field, or an actual play game - this is where you can gather more listeners. Regardless of the game system your podcast uses, as long as it is tabletop-gaming related. Artist Whether you create maps, character artwork or general illustrations for the tabletop gamers and projects. Show off your work and find those who could commission you. Communities Either you have created a local community for tabletop enthusiasts, or are a digital hub, like a Discord community - this is where you can recruit new members. Events Are you hosting a local event or convention? Tell the community about it and reach people who might be looking to attend. If your project does not fall in the categories listed above, do feel free to get in touch with us, we might find a suitable category (or create one) for your specific thing. What does it cost me? We are not paywalling anyone or anything, no matter how big (or non-existent) your budget is. Spreading the word and submitting to the library is free. Whether your creation costs money to use or is free to access, the library is the place for your project. Neither does it cost anyone anything to browse the library. How to stand out among all the other entries? As the library grows, so do the amount of other projects, but worthwhile and useful submissions deserve to be discovered. The best way to ensure that your project stands out, is to gather recommendations.  /images/general-media/1774004489_HpUsMncM.pngThink of recommendations as endorsements, likes, upvotes or anything else in the similar manner. By default the listings are ordered by the number of recommendations each project has. Every user on the platform can recommend your product and increase it's visibility. It also displays trust and usefulness among the community members. Spread your library page and have your devoted fans recommend your project. You can grab our Groupfinder Library badge set and display it on your website to direct users to your entry page. Download the assets /images/general-media/1774700596_OhgxSrZ3.png Feature your project You can also help support Groupfinder by getting it featured. That will move it to the top of the listings and will make sure that your project is going to get noticed. This is a paid feature, which helps us maintain and keep the entire platform up and running. If this sounds interesting to you, feel free to reach out to us (via library@groupfinder.eu) and we can discuss it further. Featured projects will also have the opportunity to decorate their library entry page even more. Adding additional banners for an upcoming or running crowdfunding campaign, specific limited-time deals or anything else. Submitting your project To submit your project to the library, we will need the following: A static cover image for the project (800x450px in size. Use this layout guide to get the best result) An appropriate description/text (written preferably in a third-person format). The longer and more in-depth, the better. Up to two images of the project, either screenshots of the project itself or illustrations to go alongside the text. Articles and/or Youtube videos that are best suited to be displayed on the entry page. (up to 6 in total). Any links that might also be relevant to the project. If you are an artist, be sure to include a method for contacting you (e-mail address). Send your submissions to us via library@groupfinder.eu We reserve the right to accept or decline submissions we see as not suitable for the library for various reasons. My project is already on the platform, can I change it? If you find your project already on the platform, then either we have discovered it ourselves and decided to add it, or it has been suggested to us by someone else. If you would like to add or change something in the entry, reach out to us and we would love to work with you