How do you find players for non-D&D games?

[Rechan]

It’s been a long time since I played RPGs beyond Convention one-shots, but I have the bug to try it again. I’ve moved to a new area and know no one. While I want to run/play RPGs, the only games running here are D&D and maybe PF.

I’m unwilling to play D&D/PF. II try to play it I’ll end up that pessimistic sour guy at the table. I don’t want to be That Guy and drag others down with me. Better to play nothing at all.

I’ve went to Meetup.com and posted on the area’s RPG group, asking if any were open to systems besides D&D, but got no response.

So what do I do?

 

[Arilyn]

Are you advertising for players to join a specific game? Picking one might gain more interest than general non D&D.

Grit your teeth. Join a D&D group, then offer to GM something new. Get players excited and hooked on the genre. Maybe the group is excited about The Mandalorian or love superhero movies. Offer to do a one shot. The regular GM might appreciate the break and players will be more willing to try something new if it's just one session. Use that session to get them hooked and asking for more.

A lot of reluctance to break away from D&D comes from not wanting to learn new rules, but there are so many other awesome games out there that are easy to learn. It can be frustrating. Good luck!

 

[Celebrim]

I'm not going to lie to you: the hardest thing in the hobby is finding a good group. Honestly, if you asked me, "How to I find a spouse?", it might be an easier question.

One of the reasons I've ended up as a GM most of my career is that it is a lot easier to find a group if you are willing to be the one that puts in the time and effort to run the game. Much as I love being a GM, getting a chance to actually play is golden for me.

The best way to find a group is be friends with people who also want to find a group. This isn't easy, because we're talking about maybe 1 in 100 people who have the interest and time to engage in the hobby, and somehow you have to know 3-6 of these people at the same time. Fortunately, they congregate in certain environments, or it would be about impossible except for the most socially gregarious people.

On top of this, you want to run/play games that are less familiar to and often less appealing to most gamers. Good luck. My advice would be to try to learn to enjoy D&D/PF and be less of a pessimistic sour guy at the table, while at the same time, by the example of your interesting play steering the game more in the direction of the aesthetics of play that you feel typical games of D&D/PF do not offer. Identify the core aesthetics of play that the games other than D&D/PF are offering, and try to push groups you game with subtly in that direction. Or even, once you feel you are well accepted in the group, be honest about what you want from play and discuss it with the GM and the other players.

Further, depending on the group, if you are in a group, they are often open to one offs and short campaigns in other styles and other systems. So even if they are mainly a D&D group, they may enjoy one or six sessions of some other system. Many D&D players are curious about other systems and may be willing to try them if you offer to run them.

 

[Arilyn]

Realized I was assuming you want to be GM. If not, you might have to give GMing a try in order to introduce players to a new system. Games can work really well with just one player and one GM, so even finding just one other non D&D player could work.

 

[Retreater]

I've had several long term D&D/PF groups that fizzled when we started other systems, and I haven't been able to keep anything other than D&D/PF going longer than a few months. But the ones I've had most success with are ones tied to other intellectual properties. So I could bring Star Wars fans into the Fantasy Flight Star Wars RPG; my friends who liked horror would play Call of Cthulhu or Vampire.
One of my very good friends is in a pretty large metro area (at least, compared to my town). Even with the large population, he's having difficulty getting a group of people together to play Savage Worlds (which is not even an obscure TTRPG, from our standards). He is running it as an alternate to D&D - whenever the whole group isn't there for D&D, he runs Savage Worlds (which is the game he actually wants to play).
Also, maybe you can "hold your nose" and play D&D or PF long enough to get into some organized play options (Pathfinder Society, Adventurers League) just to meet some other players and network? Usually these games are like 2 hours.

 

[uzirath]

I've had success recruiting colleagues at work. Typically, the topic comes up at lunch or something. Our faculty group started small and now we have at least three groups running in parallel and a line of people who are interested in joining. At past jobs I've seen people send emails to the company mailing list asking if anyone was interested in a game. I've joined a few Call of Cthulhu games that way.

Another route for me has been via connections through our kids. We transplanted here and were slow about making friends outside of work, but because we had young children, we spent a lot of time at local parks, rec centers, pools, etc. We met people that way and hobbies would sometimes come up. Some of those folks have played in a few of my campaigns. I've even had some games start with kids (me GMing for my kids and their friends) and then morph into mixed kids-and-curious-parents at which point the adults often want to get an adults-only game going.

As for non-D&D, I find that the bias is only an issue with people who already identify as "D&D players." I have no interest in getting into religious wars with people who are already entrenched. People who are new to the hobby don't have any preconceived notions, so I aim to make my invitation welcoming to non-gamers (expanding the flock!). When I send out a call for a new campaign, I'll often say something like, "We'll be playing a game like Dungeons and Dragons except we'll be investigating occult mysteries on the eve of World War II." Non-gamers don't care if the rules are GURPS or CoC or FATE or whatever; they're just intrigued by the idea.

 

[LordEntrails]

If you are willing to play online, then you won't have nearly as much trouble finding a non-D&D game to play in or run.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

First, look for groups who aren't already playing those games. Board gamers, for example, are usually more open to trying new games, especially one shots or short runs. Roleplayers, on the other hand, have a tendency to stick with one system or group, especially if they are already involved in one or more campaigns and heavily invested.

Next, advertise. Put up flyers on public bulletin boards not only in game stores, but libraries, book stores, gamestop, etc. Anywhere you might visit, other gamers might also go.

Also, social media can help. Join local game store pages and groups, clubs, and interests. Announce plans and attract interest. Be passionate, but not zealous. Specific ideas will show you have a plan and not just spitballing hoping to find others to give you what you want. You want a group, not just a game.

Finally, be persistent without being obnoxious. And screen your people! Make sure you find players you will enjoy playing, and vice versa.

And if all else fails, join a D&D game or two if just to make connections. If you're willing to give their game a shot, they might be willing to give yours one if they like you. Good luck!

 

[Zardnaar]

Run a D&D game first then offer something else to play.

 

[dragoner]

Be an enthusiastic GM for what you want to run, it's infectious. Online, it is way easier, for my Classic Traveller play by post game, I recently had an opening, and filled it in a day or two, just by putting ads up, discord this time, except I have had luck with other places as well, such as facebook.