Getting the Band Together

Originally posted at Sword's Edge Publishing on october 31, 2008.

So, I finally got a group together to game in Ottawa. It took some time and no small amount of effort, and I won't claim complete success until we're in the campaign swing, but I am optimistic.

First off, how did I gather a group? As with my other two times in Canada without an RPG group, I went to the internet. My first efforts bore no real fruit. I believe now that was because I was too specific. As you can see from my invite, I already had specific games and campaigns mentioned. When I went about the second time, I was completely open, merely mentioning getting an RPG group together on every other Thursday. That is what got me recruits.

The second time, I also targeted three venues. First was Kijiji, which is an internet messageboard for buying, selling, and connecting that my buddy Colin (he of the GenCon Survivors) mentioned. Second was a Yahoo group for D&D in Ottawa.

But the one that worked best was Meetup. Now, I wasn't about to shell out the money to start a club, because I don't need that, but I do know through anecdotal evidence that this can work. Instead, I did a search for groups like Dungeons & Dragons, d20 or just RPGs. I joined the waiting list, then when I was ready to start the group, I went to the profiles of other recent joins looking to find games and emailed them from their profiles. This is where I got the majority of my responses.

So far, I have gathered six potential players with two more possibles.

Given my experience, if you want to either get into a game or start one, it is best to begin by being open to any option. If you can find a list of individuals in your area interested in gaming, such as that provided by Meetup, targeted emails are very effective.

Next, I'll write about what thoughts and references have shaped my concept for the upcoming campaign and what my next steps will be.