RPG "Dating Apps" For LFG

[overgeeked]

Most VTTs have an LFG feature.

Reddit has r/lfg. Many Reddit communities have their own LFG.

The company that recently bought out RPG.net is just such an app.

This site has a forum for that. RPG.net has a forum for that.

Most games / game companies have a discord. There’s always an active LFG component to them.

The hobby is niche, but you don’t need everyone in one place for it to work. Lots of long-lasting games form from any and all of these places and more.

 

[Reynard]

Most VTTs have an LFG feature.

Reddit has r/lfg. Many Reddit communities have their own LFG.

The company that recently bought out RPG.net is just such an app.

This site has a forum for that. RPG.net has a forum for that.

Most games / game companies have a discord. There’s always an active LFG component to them.

The hobby is niche, but you don’t need everyone in one place for it to work. Lots of long-lasting games form from any and all of these places and more.

Right, but do any of those actually have profile matching etc?

 

[Umbran]

It seems like it would be a reasonably useful feature for Beyond, I guess. Or is it something forum software could approximate with profile matching and friend lists?

One could imagine doing it with forum software, but you'd still have the issue of too few users to be useful.

In the end, the problem with applying the dating app model is that the number of people looking for a date is much, much larger than the number of people looking for a game.

 

[MarkB]

Right, but do any of those actually have profile matching etc?

Not really, no. In Roll20 LFG, most DMs will put up a short questionnaire in their recruitment thread for players to fill in, but it's pretty arbitrary, nothing standardised. And, of course, players will have little in the way of options to similarly vet the DM.

 

[Morrus]

One could imagine doing it with forum software, but you'd still have the issue of too few users to be useful.

In the end, the problem with applying the dating app model is that the number of people looking for a date is much, much larger than the number of people looking for a game.

We had one for a few years a decade or so back. It never really gained critical mass. Didn’t bother with it when we switched forum software.

As you say, the pool is smaller. And you’re spreading that pool across the world. It nds up being a very thin layer.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

NOTE: "Dating App" is a metaphor here. I am NOT talking about geek romance.

I am just curious if there is a such thing as a "dating app" (or website or whatever) for RPG gamers looking for new players, a GM or groups to join. Not just a place where people can put up a LFG request, but one with a robust profile system a la a dating app to help narrow down the potential matches to the most likely.

If so, have you used one? If not, should there be one?

Sounds great!

I love swiping left.

 

[MarkB]

In one cyberpunk adaptation of D&D I ran, PCs were known as Lancers (short for freelancers) and used an app called LANCR to match them with clients. The schtick was that your profile in LANCR was literally your PC's character sheet.

That'd be a neat gimmick for an LFG app - to create your profile, you fill in a character sheet with your real-world stats.

 

[Reynard]

In one cyberpunk adaptation of D&D I ran, PCs were known as Lancers (short for freelancers) and used an app called LANCR to match them with clients. The schtick was that your profile in LANCR was literally your PC's character sheet.

That'd be a neat gimmick for an LFG app - to create your profile, you fill in a character sheet with your real-world stats.

In our game it was simply called CRIMR.

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

RPGMatch.com is exactly what you are looking for. I’ve never tried it though.

 

[GuardianLurker]

RPGMatch.com is exactly what you are looking for. I’ve never tried it though.

Can anyone speak to it?

Also, does anyone have any other good leads on non-DnD/Pathfinder matchups (other than r/lfgmisc)?