So you’re excited to play Dungeons & Dragons and are looking for how to find a D&D Group?

Fortunately, whether you’re looking to play in-person or online, there has never been a greater time to be a D&D Player.

Seriously, the game has never been more popular than it is right now!

Not only is it easier than ever before to find a D&D group, but it’s easier to find a group that perfectly matches the experience that you want in your D&D game.

So here’s the 7 BEST ways to find a D&D group and start rolling for initiative!

(Psst… Plus one little hack at the end that ALWAYS works to find a group even quicker!)

Know What Kind of Game You Want To Play

Before you can find the perfect D&D group, you need to know what kind of game experience you want to have.

Do you want a game with lots of roleplaying and deep storytelling? Would you prefer a game that’s more about hacking and slashing your way through dungeons to claim vast hoards of treasure?

Would you prefer to play published adventures or a homebrew story?

Do you prefer a more casual “beer and pretzels” style of play or are you looking for something serious?

As I mentioned in my article about Designing a Better Session Zero, having a group with aligned expectations for how the game plays is important.

If you’re looking for an experience that the rest of the group is not, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Be open about what kind of group you’re looking to play with and what kind of player you are!

Find a D&D Group In-Person

I’m a huge fan of playing D&D in-person. It’s a great way to get together with some of my closest friends in the world and do some awesome stuff. For me, there’s something extra about being physically there with everyone around the table.

But it can potentially be a bit harder to find a D&D group in person. This is especially true if, like me, you tend to be more of an introvert.

But even if that’s the case, this might be the best way that you can start to come out of your shell and make some awesome new friends!

Ask People You Know

It starts by asking around!

Check with friends, co-workers, or family members! You never know who might be interested in playing.

Thanks to the success of shows like Critical Role and Stranger Things, there are tons of people just waiting to play!

One of my most treasured groups ever literally started with a neighbor asking to borrow sugar. (Yes… really…) I happened to have all of my D&D books out and we got to talking about it. Within a week, his girlfriend and paintball buddies were making their first-ever characters and rolling dice!

Like I said, you never know!

Your Local Game Store / Adventurers League

If you’ve ever visited your Friendly Local Game Store, it’s very likely that you noticed a section of the store set up for play space.

Game Stores commonly use these for special events, Magic: The Gathering tournaments, and… you guessed it… D&D!

It’s very likely that your Friendly Local Game Store participates in what is called the D&D Adventurers League.

The Adventurers League is perfect for helping you squeeze in games, especially if you typically have a tight schedule.

Because you make a character logsheet, it is perfectly possible that you may see characters rotate in and out of your party. However, your experience and equipment carry over from game to game.

Check out the D&D Adventurers League Player Info and swing by your Friendly Local Game Store to get started!

Even if you aren’t looking to join the Adventurer’s League, your local game store is a great place to meet new people and roll some dice! Many game stores will have events specifically for helping you find a D&D group. If they don’t, talk to the owner who will very likely be happy to put something together!

Meetup.com

Another fantastic option is using Meetup.com to find a D&D Group.

The site is a great way to find others with similar interests to you and is commonly used for finding groups.

Technically this could be put in either the In-Person or Online category since you can find both types of D&D groups, but being able to sort by your city makes it especially nifty for finding an in-person group.

Find a D&D Group Online

What a time to be alive!

With so many ways to meet and connect with new people, all you need to start playing is an internet connection!

Growing up in a small town (and I mean VERY small town), I can totally understand the frustration of people who can’t seem to find others nearby to play D&D with.

But the Internet has opened up an entirely new world of opportunity and made it no trouble at all to find a D&D group!

Facebook Groups

We can’t ignore the big one: Facebook.

Facebook Groups have become incredibly popular and there is no shortage of groups to discuss D&D, find D&D groups, or just share D&D memes.

Naturally, you’ll want to read the groups’ rules before joining to get a sense of how they are, but most Facebook Groups I’ve joined have been full of fantastic people!

Nearly every group I’m in will commonly have LFG threads or encourage posts by members who are looking to start or join a game.

Roll20

Roll20 is a powerhouse for those looking to play D&D online.

The community is full of passionate creators and players that see the service constantly growing.

If you’re looking to start playing D&D online, Roll20 is the gold standard.

Using their Looking For Group option, you can find games being run that fit exactly what you’re looking for.

Thanks to their Pick Up Games sidebar, you can also find games that are starting soon if you are ready to play right now!

Reddit LFG (Looking For Group) Subreddit

It’s hard not to love Reddit!

For those looking to find a D&D group online, I strongly recommend checking out the LFG subreddit.

This is a very active subreddit and should absolutely be a resource if you’re looking to get a game going!

Seriously, with over 140 THOUSAND Players, you are bound to find a group here!

The #1 Hack to Find a D&D Group in No Time

You know… There’s a little hack to speed up your search for a D&D group…

It’s like getting VIP Access and getting to skip the line…

The best trick to find a D&D group is to learn how to DM.

Seriously!

There are so many players out there looking to start a group that simply saying that you will DM is often all it takes to get a group started up.

Not only is this a useful skill, but after you’ve been the Dungeon Master for a while, you may even float the idea of the group rotating DMs.

So if you’re looking to start DMing, check out these 7 MUST-KNOW Tips for New Dungeon Masters so that you’re ready to go with your new group!