Is Roll20 an actual proper way to jump into tabletop RPGs for the first time?
My gaming group seems to be keen on only playing games with a more defined structure, and I can't seem to find any existing groups locally that I would mesh well with. On the other hand, I don't know if something like Roll20 actually translates well to a real tabletop experience, and I would guess half the fun of RPGs is in playing them with friends instead of strangers.
If not, are there any alternatives I should try looking into?
Playing online with random strangers is a terrible idea.
>>47687619
Roll20 is literally where people go when they can't get a group ANYWHERE else... and there's usually a reason for it.
Your experiences on Roll20 will be one of the following.
>Your group is 99% That Guys or Magical Realmers
>The game is basically a direct rip of an anime or videogame with Mary Sue original characters added
>You get a "good" group (you just haven't been playing long enough to see how bad they are yet) and the GM disappears after like 2 sessions.
>>47687619
Make sure you recruit from somewhere else and roll20 is a fantastic place. Javascript's have been my lord and savior as a GM.
Just get your players from elsewhere and you'll be fine.
>>47687632
This.
>>47687632
>>47687758
>>47688039
So what would you recommend as an alternative? I'm not exactly in the most populated city out there, and it's hard to find an existing group if you don't know anybody who's interested in the tabletop genre.
>>47688071
Do the best you can with what you have.
What if you don't know anyone else who wants to play?
I don't have any friends who have any interest in RPGs .
It's about the same as it would be playing with some random jerkoffs you meet in-person. The best-case scenario is to talk people you already know online (or even in-person) to go along with it so you know the people you're playing with.
That said, I have had some great experiences with recruiting people on Roll20 myself, including one of my current groups that been playing the same campaign for a solid year. They're the best group I've ever played with, primarily because they tend not to bring outside shit into the game. No drama, no fuss, no muss.
>>47688071
Not much. The best I can suggest is find a wider online community, like a forum or something, and get to know the people there.
That's how I found my current group, but that was over a decade ago. I'm not even sure forums are still a thing.
I managed to get a couple decent groups of players for Dark Heresy off of tg but I also combed out the bad ones rather quick and don't expect the groups to last super long.
But I was pleased enough with how things went.
>>47687619
Playing on Roll20 is fine if you're playing with friends. Its how my group keeps games going despite being long-distance.
Playing online with randos is like playing in person with randos, only worse because the randos have literally no reason to not be as weird and spergy as they can possibly be.
TL;DR play with friends, no matter what platform you're using. If you don't have any go make some.
>>47687619
Roll20 works fine as a program for running tabletop games. It is just as bad as every other place on the Internet when it comes to being full of assholes and flakes.
I would describe trying to find a long-term playgroup for tabletop RPGs on Roll20 as primarily the realm of the desperate. You can find a good group on there, and lots of people have. But I wouldn't count on it happening, at least not right off the bat.
If you're a tolerable person and very patient, you can find some great people to play with. But letting your friends pound you in the ass in return for playing a tabletop RPG with you is probably going to be less painful in the long term.
>>47687619
Just find a group on a forum, and then Roll20 is just a decent software suite
>>47687758
>and the GM disappears after like 2 sessions.
Sorry, this is me. It's just a lot of work to prepare a game every week and I lose interest.
I'd say give it a shot. It's a win-win either way. You get a nice horror story about crazy online people or you get a deceny group to play with.
I had a decent experience and had a great group. Unfortunately the GM didn't enjoy our the OOC banter and disbanded the game in a very passive-aggressive way.
Probably the funniest thing was that one of the party was an androgynous looking magical wizard halfling girl, (this was supposed to be a serious horror game) and that character was played surprisingly straight and well.
Currently I'm playing with friends because I managed convince my offline group to try it out.
Which one is better to find GMs/players, /tg/ or Roll20?
>>47690686
You got to be patient finding a group on both.
Roll20 is good for finding games Friday - Sunday, since that's usually when people don't have to work there are loads of games asking for signups on those days. On the other hand it is hard to find a decent group that happens during the middle of the week. I'm off Tuesdays and Wednesdays and it's been pretty hard finding a 5e game I want to join on those days. Part of it is my fault because I want to play a genasi and most DMs seem to ban the elemental evil book entirely because of aracocka and goliaths, so most of the time those DMs only allow stuff from the PHB.
I have never tried playing with people on /tg/ because I assume we'll get people that bitch and moan, but I might give the game finder threads a shot if I don't find anything on roll20 in a few weeks.
If I want to try staring out with an RPG that's much closer to the low fantasy genre in terms of playable races and lore, what's my best chance of finding one?
What games on roll20 gather the best players and GMs?
>>47687758
>>You get a "good" group (you just haven't been playing long enough to see how bad they are yet) and the GM disappears after like 2 sessions.
This happened to me. GM deleted his game, ditched his skype account, disappeared off the face of the planet like a defunct video format. Weird thing is, about a year and a half later, he's back on Roll20, looking for people to play in his game. I kind of want to warn the people who have signed up for it about how he ditched his last game out of nowhere, but I can't tell whether or not it's a really shitty thing to do, or a noble act of community service.
Roll20 is a wonderful website and application for playing games of tabletop. Finding a group though their game finder has very mixed results though and playing with a group of randoms just isn't as fun. Try to bring distant friends into it instead.
If you do use it, I recommend voice and cam.
>>47694344
Anything that is not popular - so no PF or 5E
Roll20 as a product and offering is great. I play with my buddies from across the country all the time. It's how we stay in touch.
Roll20 and it's community is not so great. 2/5 are decent enough to game with and the rest are flakes, weirdos, or just plain and simple people you don't want to play with.
As others have said, and as I have done myself, reach out to other communities for players then go to Roll20. Right now, the good players are locked away in good games with no reason to leave. The good DMs are playing these games too. This means you need to get creative with finding decent players and many places are still ripe with them.
...and doing actual 3 minute interviews with potential players has made the world of difference for me. 3 minutes has saves me hours of grief by dodging shitty people
>>47694610
Sounds reasonable to avoid popular games. Thanks for your answer!
>>47694610
>Interviews
Can't recommend this enough. After screening people thoroughly, I got people who actually cared as opposed to those who would dissapear a session later. The sheer act of going through a list of questions and answering them shows that these people at least have a modicum of caring as opposed to those who think that RPGs are something that you can hop into like an online game.
>>47687619
Roll20 is great but the community is a really mixed bag. Most people are flakes or have some sort of terrible personality defect. It's really uncanny.
The issue I'm dealing with right now are players openly bitching about mechanics they already agreed to play by. It's demoralizing to have to fight your players about basically everything because they want to make the rules but not run their own game.
>>47687758
See, One day I want to roll in on the most terrible-sounding campaigns with people I know to just see how bad things get..
>>47688071
penandpapergames.com
rpggamefind.com
meetup.com
enworld.org player registry
obsidianportal.com
infrno.net
rpol.net
invisiblecastle.com
www.rpggateway.com
roll20.net
>>47687758
>doesn't account for the fact that roll20 was made by people who were separated but wanted to continue playing
>doesn't account for the fact that some others also find a group online that is good if not better than RL groups
I pity you for your pessimistic view on these things. You poor, poor soul.
>>47688071
Roll20 is probably your best bet. At least if you don't play 3.5/PF. Avoid those.
It is routinely filled with terrible people. Other than a few small criticisms on my side however, the tool itself is actually pretty good and can make running and playing games a breeze. Finding good people is very hard, and I usually just invite people I am well acquainted with in IRC channels to join my games rather than using the built in gamefinder and end up playing with lisping furries.
>>47695584
Really as long as you don't play with randoms, you're fine on Roll20. It's when randoms get involved that it gets fucked up because you barely know these people and the best means you have to talk to them are forum messages or the game chat. So as a result you wind up with players who got the wrong idea and aren't fit for the game.
>>47696163
These don't look terrible. Don't get me wrong, I would not play in a campaign with them, and I would expect that kind of stuff from sixteen year olds, not kids in their early twenties, but that's modern Western culture for you.Except maybe Lydia. She seems like a tolerable player going through an edgelord phase.
>>47696432
That's why I make a point to ask a thousand questions before the game even starts so I can get a good evaluation of what each and every player (and GM) wants from the game.
After 4 groups that didn't work out, I found an established group that had opened up because a player had to leave and I joined them. And I haven't looked back since: these guys are great.
They are on par with my RL group, really!
It can work: you have better chances at finding a good game with a group that is already established but you have to remember to ask a literal ton of questions before you begin and
_STATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS_
I can't stress it enough: tell the GM exactly what you are looking for and, if the game is not for you, keep it civil and bow out without making a fuss.
Stupidity begets stupidity and the first and best way to avoid it, is to be as reasonable and patient as you can be.
Why do these threads always turn into
>How do I into friends?
Fuck dudes, just play with randoms and if any of them are any good try and poach them to play again with.
Same shit irl. Convert normies into gamers.
I mean of course if you want to play anything not D&D you have to DM...forever.
>>47696671
>I mean of course if you want to play anything not D&D you have to DM...forever.
Fuck do I know that feel all too well...
>>47694610
>>47694813
What kinds of questions do you ask people, anyway?
>>47697657
There is some basic stuff you can ask like
>What kind of character do you plan on running?
>What is their backstory and their motivations?
>What do you expect from this campaign?
>Can you be here consistently on this date?
>What experience do you have with this system and RPGs in general, if any?
>Do you have any special requests or things that you want me to do?
And of course encourage them to ask you questions, as it is their right to make sure that their GM is right for them. There are a million other questions you can ask, and it depends on what you want to find out from them.
>>47697657
Its not so much about what you ask the people, as it is more about their responses. I like to look for people that have a lively and humorous personality. But in general I ask them about the character that they want to play and the type of games that they like to run.
>>47694610
>>47695636
So if I'm supposed to avoid 3.5/5/PF, what the hell AM I supposed to play?
>>47695402
>roll20.net
>an alternative
>>47702891
Ignore those guys. You can find good games from those groups but just like with any game on roll20 it takes patience to find the group or game that catches your eye. First find a thread from a DM that catches your eye. Ask to be a part of the group. Whether or not you are accepted, look at the other players comment who are trying to join. If they appear to be autistic or something, simply tell the DM something came up and you can't join after all.
>>47687619
I managed to find a good group that was destroyed by a new GM and schedule differences after our first one finished the campaign. I had a lot of fun with these people, but I had t go through a few terrible groups first. I much prefer to play with Irl people though.
Not played on roll20 yet, but most of the people who stream their rp on Twitch use roll20, so it seems like pretty good software. I think my experiences with G+ roleplaying will be roughly equivalent, though.
As said - you're probably going to run into a lot of players who are bad, gross, jerks, socially inept, creepy, flaky, or some combination of the above. This, however, is also possible face to face.
But don't overlook the idea that you can meet some great players and have a fantastic time. If you're proactive or luck into a group that is proactive, you can set up a private community and only invite those you had a good time with. After awhile, you never really have to go looking for randos when you want a game.
Keep in mind that online gaming might not be for you. A lot of people find it easier to flake out or have distractions when they're online. Other players really need all the body language and micro expression feedback that playing face to face has. Technical interference can also be a nightmare if one of the players has shit audio or connection issues.
Hurts nothing to give it a shot.
