How do I recruit new RPG players?

[yellow_skeleton]

Hello.  I am new to Forge.  I am impressed with site and enjoy reading the dialogue.

I have a question that I am hoping that you can help me answer:  
How do I recruit new players?

I have been playing and GMing for 24 of my 36 years.  I love Role Playing Games (RPGs)!  Over those years, my tastes have ranged from Dungeons & Dragons store bought modules to writing my own Everway and Psychosis scenarios.

The bulk of the crowd that I have played with, I started playing with in High School. The "High School" crowd is dwindling in number and waning in interest.  I have never really recruited players before - they just fell into the group.

Any suggestions that you all might provide regarding player recruitment would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
-Colin

[Piratecat]

Sure!

- Put a notice up in your local gaming store. This can be kind fo a crapshoot if you don't meet the people first for coffee, though, as it's hard to guarantee good players.

- Put a notice up online. There's a site called D&D Meetup, and several web sites have forums for this. If you want, let me know and I'll give you some links.

- Join another group and recruit the best players into your game as well.

- Go to a gaming con in your area and recruit people you really get along with (this has worked wonderfully for me.)

Hmm... I forget anything?

My campaign is about 11 years old, and I've primarily recruited through friends and folks that I've met a gaming cons.

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there,

Actually, a lot of folks at the Forge take a very unusual view toward constructing groups. We start with the social level.

This means, basically, that gaming can be the main activity involved, but it's not the only reason that you like these people and want to hang out with them.

Most role-players, I think, put "the game" as the first, most inclusive reason to keep playing, and then have "friends" be something that you do among people you game with, sometimes. I do it differently: "friends" is bigger than, and includes, "the game."

Some people misunderstand me when I say this. They think I mean, "Don't play with anyone but your friends," which isn't quite right. I am fine with the idea of meeting people through gaming. What I am saying is, unless you become friends with them, don't continue to game with them. And even if you don't spend much time with them outside of gaming, consider whether you would if you had the chance - and if you wouldn't, then perhaps you shouldn't even be gaming with them.

Therefore, setting up a role-playing group should be very much like setting up a band, a softball league, a political-action group, or any other fairly directed leisure-time activity. Here are some of the things to consider if you're not used to thinking about gaming this way.

1. You need to think about just what its goal is, over and above the obvious one (for instance, a softball league might be very competitive, or it might not). Therefore "to have fun" or "to role-play" is not good enough.

2. Consider friends of your friends, many of whom have had positive or neutral role-playing experience but don't tell anyone about it. There are tons of these people out there; don't be fooled into thinking that only gamers are potential role-players.

3. Consider "buddy" or "significant other" role-players who don't seem very active in games they're in. Most of these people are potentially awesome role-players who have never been very inspired by the groups or goals they've seen so far.

4. Never combine meeting potential group members with actually playing. "Looking for D&D players - meet Tuesday at 7:00 - first session begins" is a recipe for utter disaster. Always have social meetings first in places like informal restaraunts.

5. Focus on women and couples. Work hard at promoting an environment in which they are comfortable. (Many people think they are trying to set up a role-playing group but, bluntly, are really scouting for [term deleted] sex. Be honest with yourself about that.)

6. Bring several possible games to play and be honest about which ones you'd prefer. It is far better to start with a five-six session project using a published game rather than inviting people into your home-brewed dream world for an infinite, play-forever, writing-my-novel game.

Those are just some of the most important ideas involved. If you have any questions about these or related issues, please ask.

Best,
Ron

[greyorm]

What are some of the threads discussing construction of play-groups and the social box? I found these with a quick search, though I recall (and can't find) a number that were much more relevant:

Stupid Player Tricks -- Ron asks about why you would want to play with a specific group further on down. Good food for thought.

That Social Box -- A discussion about the number of players involved in a group, and how that changes the group dynamic.

Family Matters -- Similar to the above, except about family being in a group instead.

[Jeph]

About that campaign of yours, P-Kitty . . .

:D

Anyway. I've found that a good way to find players is a subtle "I'm a gamer, too!" sign. Sometimes I carry around a d20 and fiddle with it, and I've considered getting an i.r.p.g. bumper sticker. Try leaving out a d10 or d20 on your desk at work, or making a non-d6 die into a key chain.

[Mike Holmes]

Heh, we had a discussion a long while back about what someone termed Gamdar, which like Gaydar would be to Gays, is that sense that Gamers have that others are gamers.

Just be sure you heed Ron's words, and don't try to get to know your gamer friend with the gaming equivalent of the one-night stand. Make friends first - then game.

Mike

[Ben Morgan]

Ron and Mike are absolutely spot-on.

It took me quite a while to put together the group I've got now, and I'm glad I took the time. There are other people in my life who are certainly friends, but I don't game with them. The people I do game with, however, are really in tune with what I want to accomplish in gaming.

Ron's band analogy gets a lot of mileage. Put a gaming group together in exactly the same way you put a band together.

Mainly, I worked out what I was looking for in my games first. Then I talked about gaming with a lot of people; what they played, what they liked, what they didn't like. From that, I could get a fairly good idea of where they were at, so to speak, and what they were looking to get out of gaming. There were a couple of auditions, so to speak (I gave D&D a chance, but it really wasn't what I was looking for, and I don't think it should try to be).

In the end, I approached maybe a dozen to fifteen people on the subject, over the course of about a year (Gamedar would have been convenient, and it would have taken me less time), and ended up with three people that I am cool enough with to trust them in a game situation. And I trust them completely. Consequently, a lot of the social issues that seem to plague the "typical D&D group" simply don't come up.

It also helps if one is not ashamed of one's hobby (as a lot of gamers seem to be), and is willing to discuss it with 'the norms'. As a random example, I don't much like karaoke, but I have more respect for people who are into it and will proclaim it with no shame. There are enough things about me that people could consider weird (my choice in hairstyle, music, clothing), so adding gaming to the list doesn't really change much.

-- Ben

[WildElf]

Anyway. I've found that a good way to find players is a subtle "I'm a gamer, too!" sign. Sometimes I carry around a d20 and fiddle with it, and I've considered getting an i.r.p.g. bumper sticker. Try leaving out a d10 or d20 on your desk at work, or making a non-d6 die into a key chain.

I've found this to work out well.  I brought Nobilis into work and started talking to people who asked about the book.  I soon had over 7 people who expressed interest in trying it out, most of whom hadn't played RPG's before.  I do work with a department filled with video game players, so I'm sure that helps immensely, but if you make cool games known, and actively try to gather people's interest in them, you'll find people.  Especially since so many games that are popular here are different than what most people think of a role-playing game (whether they associate D&D or Final Fantasy) they might be interested just because it's so different than what they assumed all RPG's were like.  I found this to be the case when showing off Nobilis.  (Nothing ever went off after character creation due to scheduling problems, but if I didn't already have a group, I would pushed harder and been able to form a gaming group with all fresh faces to RPGs)

[Mechanic]

Just don't try and ask the guy at the gas station if the fluffy dice hanging from his rearview mirror is a sign that he's an RPG player.

From personal experience, fluffy dice owners think their dice are cool, and the majority think RPG is either a rocket propelled grenade or some type of weird *freak* club.

I had to ask....

[RpgAlexWyld]

Here's what I do:
I hang out with my RPG friends around non-RPG friends, then occasionally toss in something about a session once it's applicable (Example: Someone drops a wrench on someone elses head or something and you say, "Remember when your character did that in Star Wars"?) The non-RPG friends ask what I mean, and I tell them. Haha!!

Also, it's easier to find new Gamers for me because I am an Actor, and actors are drawn to Improvisation and RPGs