Is "finding the right players" a solvable problem, or just luck?

[Ralif Redhammer]

Some of it is luck, sure, but in a lot of ways, it's luck you make. You keep persisting in trying to find the right players, you don't tolerate bad behavior at your table. Even if you've been burned before, you still take that chance on a new player. You maintain and put the effort in to stay connected with your friends (though I will say that I've found that a good friend doesn't always equate to a good fit as a player).

 

[zakael19]

I think a big part of it is how you frame your game? That’s both advertising / pre-session expectation setting and then clarity in session 0. It all works together to get everybody on the same page up front.

I’ve done that with 5 very successful online groups now. There was some churn up front in a couple of them as I ironed out vibes and compatibility via discussions and interviews, and I had to get better at how I did my framing to ensure there was inherent filtering going on in who replied, but things hum along nicely now.

Key aspects I establish before session 0 even:

- day and time. If I don’t have this listed up front (7-10Pm EST, Thursday’s bi-weekly) we figure that out first. Scheduling is the killer, getting everybody to be comfortable with a consistent space is key.

- General expectations. Here’s my starting assumptions about the game, here’s where I need you all as players to step up and contribute. No progressing further without some base excitement about what I’m proposing and initial buy-in via players tossing ideas out there.

- Firm session 0 building on above. Find out what excites the players in the campaign doc, get everybody cohered with connections with each other and the world. Ensure the table environment feels like a safe and inviting space to unleash our shared imaginations.

 

[prabe]

No idea.

I don't have gaming tables; I have tables of friends where we choose to play RPGs as a fun activity. If those tables decided to just do board games instead, it's RPGing that gets punted, not my friends. I'm not that attached to the hobby.

Some of the people who game at the tables I run had been friends for a decade or two (and people I've played a lot of board games with) before I started TRPG tables. I specifically started my games at local playspaces in part so I'd game with people I hadn't met yet. (And in part because my place was kinda a disaster.) Obviously my case is different from yours, and there's really nothing wrong with either approach.

 

[TwoSix]

Some of the people who game at the tables I run had been friends for a decade or two (and people I've played a lot of board games with) before I started TRPG tables. I specifically started my games at local playspaces in part so I'd game with people I hadn't met yet. (And in part because my place was kinda a disaster.) Obviously my case is different from yours, and there's really nothing wrong with either approach.

For sure. I've said this in the past, but if my current game tables dried up, I'd more than likely just move on from the hobby rather than go through the effort of finding new tables. It's just not worth it to me at this phase in my life.