How do you curate your online groups as a DM?

[TheSword]

So I’ve been playing a bit online recently with strangers, mainly to get experience as a player. Using a Discord forum I’m part of to pick a DM with the right time. He’s very entertaining and it’s been fun. But it’s clear that a lot of players in the group either haven’t got a clue. Or are just a bit crazed - acting in a really erratic or whimsical way. Sometimes quite destructively. There seems to be a risk of easy come easy go in Online Games.

I suspect there is a similar effect in store games or adventurers league.

Is there any techniques or processes you use to try and curate these online groups rather than taking all and sundry and letting the chips fall as they may? Interviews? Questionnaires? Trial sessions? What works for you folks. Would be really interested to hear?

 

[schneeland]

Luckily, I have two stable groups again for a while now. But looking back my impression is that the best strategy to find a group for a longer campaign is to play a lot of shorter adventures and then see where people gel naturally.

I suspect, there also was a positive influence of the places where I looked for people to play with (a roleplaying forum and adjacent Discord server), but it's hard to tell, since I didn't really try to find something outside these places (where I hang out regularly anyway).

 

[TheSword]

That’s a really sensible approach. A series of low pressure one shots. Make it clear it’s a one shot early on and keep an eye out for folks you think could last a longer term campaign.

 

[payn]

I find that a detailed game advertisement can help filter a little bit, but it wont ensure any type of quality of player. Part of it is folks tend to think nothing of ghosting at the drop of a hat. Its a bit irritating, but its cultural. Playstyle I think is a bit different in that I dont believe there is a wrong one, just a wrong one at my table. No amount of interviews and applications can really determine a good fit for the latter.

I usually avoid signing up for a long term campaign with folks I dont know. I start with one shots and organized play where the commitment is low. It is here you can preview how a person conducts themself and plays an RPG. I'll usually network and keep connected to folks I enjoy spending time with. Eventually, i'll build towards finding a solid group that is looking for a long term campaign that would be commited and I would enjoy their presence at the table (virtual or otherwise).

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I've yet to find a magic formula for finding good players for online games. Having another player vouch for them helps, but it's still not foolproof. It took me years to get both my groups to a stable, healthy state.

Part of it is folks tend to think nothing of ghosting at the drop of a hat. Its a bit irritating, but its cultural.

I'd much rather someone tell me that they're not enjoying the game, or that it's not a good fit for them, to just ghosting on me. Sometimes DM and player styles just don't match, and that's okay. Nor am I going to be mad if a person just can't commit to the time required.

 

[MarkB]

I've started two campaigns on Roll20. One imploded and fell apart immediately, the other had a few individual players drop out but shook out into a stable group that played through an entire level 1-14 campaign. It does seem to me more luck than science.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Why not recruit from Enworld? Aren't we the greatest collection of D&D players to ever assemble on the internet???

 

[Longspeak]

I have a recruit thread in roll20 for each game. In it, I lay out the game, what I'm seeking in a player, and the guidelines for making characters. I also ask my current players to weigh in. Any proposal that follows the guides OR offers some thought on why they didn't, gets a reply, usually with a question or three.

Then it's more art than science. How a person 'speaks' in this written communications, the imagination, the effort.

And then they get the invite and we see how they mesh with the players.

 

[Mannahnin]

Luckily, I have two stable groups again for a while now. But looking back my impression is that the best strategy to find a group for a longer campaign is to play a lot of shorter adventures and then see where people gel naturally.

I suspect, there also was a positive influence of the places where I looked for people to play with (a roleplaying forum and adjacent Discord server), but it's hard to tell, since I didn't really try to find something outside these places (where I hang out regularly anyway).

Yup. That's what I've seen. I joined an OSR Pick Up Games server during the pandemic and got recruited from there by one of the DMs to join a longer running stable group, along with a couple of other really solid, dedicated-but-chill players.

That’s a really sensible approach. A series of low pressure one shots. Make it clear it’s a one shot early on and keep an eye out for folks you think could last a longer term campaign.

Or not even one-shots, but yeah, short commitment games. See how people play, and solicit via private/direct message the players you like the best and whose play style seems to fit yours best.

 

[Theory of Games]

So I’ve been playing a bit online recently with strangers, mainly to get experience as a player. Using a Discord forum I’m part of to pick a DM with the right time. He’s very entertaining and it’s been fun. But it’s clear that a lot of players in the group either haven’t got a clue. Or are just a bit crazed - acting in a really erratic or whimsical way. Sometimes quite destructively. There seems to be a risk of easy come easy go in Online Games.

I suspect there is a similar effect in store games or adventurers league.

Is there any techniques or processes you use to try and curate these online groups rather than taking all and sundry and letting the chips fall as they may? Interviews? Questionnaires? Trial sessions? What works for you folks. Would be really interested to hear?

Use a Session Zero document. In it you lay out the system, the setting, house-rules, schedule, gaming etiquette, what you expect of players and what they should expect of you. If good grammar is important, require that. IF using a camera is important, require that. If having a personal copy of the rules is important, require that. Don't like "murder-hoboes" or "rules-lawyers"? Make it plain you don't want that in your group.

Be EXPLICIT: tell them EXACTLY what you expect. Then, when someone fails to meet expectations, you don't need to explain why they're getting booted from the group. They will know.