Trently's Tabletop

Are you just getting into D&D? You most likely already know the hardest part of playing Dungeons & Dragons isn't defeating a Red Dragon or figuring out what kind of bonuses should apply when picking a lock. The actual "Big Bad Evil Guy" of any tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) is scheduling and finding a reliable group. Whether you are brand new to the hobby, having just either discovered Critical Role or finished the last season of Stranger Things, or you are well-versed in the tabletop gaming scene, you are most likely aware that finding a group or other players is not as easy as you might’ve thought initially. Even though Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever, it still can feel like you are the only one interested in trying it out. We have compiled this article to try and help you find your way to your next D&D game. Quick Steps to Find a Group: 1. Create a Groupfinder player profile. 2. Define your schedule and timezone. 3. Browse open games or wait for a DM to find you. The traditional methods: forums and LFG subreddits The internet works. It works in the sense that there are others like you looking for a game to join. But navigating through all the different mediums is going to most likely feel like a chore. Reddit (r/lfg and r/LFG_Europe) The standard answer to "where to find D&D players" has historically been Reddit. The Pros: A massive volume of players. If you post a compelling game pitch as a DM, you will get dozens of applications within hours. The Cons: Because of the sheer volume, it is incredibly easy for your post to get buried. Players often find themselves filling out dozens of Google Forms without ever hearing back. Plus, formatting restrictions make it difficult to filter for specific needs like exact timezones (a massive headache for EU/Global players), Virtual Tabletop (VTT) preferences, or safety tools. Discord LFG channels Many TTRPG YouTubers, podcasters, bloggers, game systems, and communities have their own dedicated Discord servers with LFG channels to allow players to advertise their interest. The Pros: Discord is great for instant communication. You can start a chat with potential party members quickly and in real-time to see if your personalities fit before committing to an actual game night. The Cons: Discord LFG channels are essentially endless scrolling text feeds. Searching through thousands of chat messages to find a oneshot or campaign that fits your specific schedule is exhausting. The "paid vs. free" game debate Over the last few years, there has been a massive rise in "Pro DMs" hosting games on platforms where players pay per session (often $15 to $30+). If you have the budget, paid games practically guarantee that a session will actually happen, as players are financially invested. However, for many, the soul of D&D is about gathering around a virtual table as friends playing a game for free. While we are in no way trying to negatively portray paid games, they will most likely not have that “organic” feel to it that regular games do. For many players, it might be the perfect fit. Games happen when they are scheduled, the DM is prepared for the session and will most likely have figured out all the technical aspects beforehand. The modern solution: dedicated LFG platforms If you want to stop scrolling through forums and social media posts, you need a tool actually built for the job. If you are looking to join a D&D campaign online (or even find a local game), Groupfinder is the best dedicated tool available today. Built specifically to solve the age-old problem of TTRPG matchmaking, it completely streamlines the process. Why a dedicated platform beats a forum post Timezone & schedule filtering: No more guessing timezone conversions. On Groupfinder, you can filter game and player posts by timezones. That way you will know that what you are seeing will match your preferences and your real-life schedule. Detailed player profiles: Instead of pitching yourself to new DMs, you can create your permanent player profile (How to write a great player profile that helps you find a DnD group). You can introduce yourself, mark down any specific preferences, or even describe your previous experiences if you have any. You can also list your preferred systems (D&D 5E, D&D 5.5E, or if you are open to trying out other systems, those too can be listed), and let groups search for you. Advanced game tags: You can filter groups and players by various tags. Whether it is for themes, topics, inclusivity, or experience level, such as "Beginner friendly," "Roleplay focused," or "LGBTQ+ friendly." How to make your player profile stand out Whether you are posting on a forum or filling out your profile on Groupfinder, what you write matters. DMs sift through a lot of profiles; here is how to make yours stand out: Be Honest About Your Experience: DMs do not mind beginners! For many, it might be exactly who they are looking for. New DMs are more likely to feel more comfortable playing with other newbies. Their mistakes are less obvious and you will all learn together. Define Your "Pillars of Play": Do you prefer emotional roleplay and character voices, or are you more interested in tactical, grid-based combat? Be detailed about what you like and dislike about the game. List Your dealbreakers: If you are not comfortable with certain topics, mark them down. Being open about those will give the reader a good overview of whether you would fit their group or not. The age-old saying “No D&D is better than bad D&D” holds true. Red flags to watch out for Once you find a group that seems to be a good fit on paper, you still need to ensure whether the game style and dynamic between players is for you. If the game has a “Session zero”, you can get a better understanding of who the people involved are, what they are looking for, and whether your preferences align. Watch out for these red flags: The "Main character syndrome": If a player is constantly talking over others during introductions or insists their homebrew character concept overrides the DM's worldbuilding, it is a sign of bad table etiquette to come. This might be something that, when addressed, can be resolved - but don’t let those instances go by without taking note. Poor Communication: If the group doesn’t seem to be able to respond to important messages within a reasonable time, it might indicate that the group members are not that interested or have the time required to manage an ongoing game. Prioritizing safety: The "Session 0" essentials Finding a group is only half the battle; ensuring the group is a safe and comfortable environment for everyone is what makes a campaign last. Modern TTRPG matchmaking relies heavily on **Safety Tools** to set boundaries before the first die is rolled. Commonly used safety tools If you are joining a new group, look for these terms in the game description. If they aren't there, don't be afraid to ask the DM which ones they use: Lines and Veils: "Lines" are hard limits (topics that will never be in the game). "Veils" are topics that can happen but "fade to black" without graphic detail. The X-Card: A tool that allows any player (or the DM) to edit out content in real-time if it becomes uncomfortable. Monte Cook Games RPG Consent Checklist: A physical or digital form where players check off their comfort levels with various horror or social themes. Why this matters for online play When playing with strangers online, communication can sometimes be misinterpreted. Using these tools isn't about being "sensitive"—it's about professionalism and clear communication. Groups that use safety tools have a significantly lower "ghosting" rate because expectations are set early. On Groupfinder, we encourage all DMs to list their preferred safety tools in their group descriptions. This helps players find the right "vibe" and ensures a long-lasting adventure. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Can I play D&D online for free? Yes. The basic rules for Dungeons & Dragons are available for free online (view the Basic Rules here). You do not need any books to get your first few sessions going. You can use free Virtual Tabletops like Roll20 or Owlbear Rodeo, talk over Discord, and find your group for free using Groupfinder. Will I need a webcam to play D&D? Not necessarily! While some groups prefer playing with cameras on to read facial expressions during roleplay, many groups play "audio-only" using just a microphone. What if I haven’t played D&D or any other TTRPG before? Not to worry - everyone has to start somewhere, just like you. If you have found a beginner-friendly group, feel free to ask any question, no matter how simple it might seem. You can also find a multitude of resources online. But be aware that you will never know everything about the game. That is not how it goes - knowing where to find information is how you get by. Stop searching and find your group Finding an online D&D group might seem like a daunting task. But in reality, you just need to put yourself out there and start your search. It might take weeks before you get contacted by a group. Remember to keep your post “bumped”. That will move your profile in front of all the other listings, refreshing it to the top. You can bump your post every day. Your profile also doesn’t have to be perfect from the start. Whenever you think of something to add, just return and edit your post. Feel free to share your profile link in other channels, you no longer have to spam individual messages - you now have a player profile that introduces you and your preferences. Create your free player profile on Groupfinder today, browse open games, and let the perfect campaign find you.

Overview Obsidian is a free, locally-stored Markdown note-taking application that the TTRPG community has widely adopted as a campaign wiki, session planner, and lore database. Originally designed as a personal knowledge management tool, it stores everything as plain text files on your own machine with no subscription required. Description Unlike purpose-built platforms such as World Anvil, Obsidian was not designed with TTRPGs in mind, which means it arrives without templates, stat block support, or any TTRPG-specific structure out of the box. GMs who want those features need to install and configure community plugins themselves, which carries a steeper setup cost than dedicated alternatives. For those comfortable with that process, however, the result is a highly customizable system with no ongoing fees and no vendor lock-in. A thriving plugin ecosystem has filled most of the gaps, and the tool has become a genuine alternative to subscription-based worldbuilding platforms for technically comfortable Game Masters. System Overview & Key Features The Vault System Obsidian organizes everything into a "vault", a folder of plain Markdown files stored locally on your machine. Your campaign notes are portable, readable in any text editor, and not tied to any server or subscription. There is no proprietary format and no account required to access your own files. Bidirectional Linking Obsidian's core feature is its wiki-style linking. Typing [[The Silver Throne Tavern]] in a session note creates a connection to that location's article, tracked in both directions. You can click any note and immediately see every other note that references it, from quest hooks to NPC backstories. Graph View Every link in your vault is visualized as an interactive network graph. Game Masters use it to see which NPCs are the most connected, which locations have no written articles yet, and where campaign threads intersect. It is a useful overview tool for large, complex vaults. Canvas Canvas is Obsidian's built-in infinite whiteboard. Game Masters use it to map out plot arcs, organize faction relationships, or plan dungeon layouts using a drag-and-drop interface that links back to notes in the vault. TTRPG Plugin Ecosystem Obsidian has no native TTRPG features, but community plugins cover most needs. Fantasy Statblocks renders monster and NPC stat blocks from multiple game systems inside your notes. Initiative Tracker handles combat order. Dice Roller allows rolls directly from the vault. The Leaflet plugin embeds interactive, pinnable maps into location articles. Each plugin is maintained independently, so quality and update frequency varies. Templater The Templater plugin allows you to define reusable document templates. For example NPC sheet with fields for Motivation, Secrets, and Stat Block, or a session template with sections for Recap, Key Beats, and Cliffhanger. New documents can be generated from any template in a single command, which significantly reduces repetitive formatting work. The plugin ecosystem extends well beyond what is listed here, with community tools covering everything from database-style note querying and cross-device sync to interactive maps and combat automation. A full directory is available at community plugins. Additional Links obsidian.md - Official website and download obsidian.md/plugins - Community plugin directory forum.obsidian.md - Official community forum

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