Curse of Critz

Its gonna be May. /images/general-media/1778679800_avRWtoFC.gifThis is gonna ruin the tour... Well, it already is May - and its time for this month’s overview of what we have done during the last month. We would like to keep you updated as to how the platform is evolving and growing - especially since many of our updates might be something you have not noticed (you can read the last month's update log here). Birthday.. Of sorts It was the end of April of last year when we released the current version of Groupfinder. Partly. Most of you might not be aware that Groupfinder was first launched in 2021. We first created the platform for the Estonian TTRPG community to help our local players find groups and players more easily. And it was well-received and used, prompting us to keep working on it, improving and tweaking. /images/general-media/1778679949_qEWkiP3e.jpgHow far we've come since 2021.  Many years later, we decided to step it up a notch and redesign the entire platform and open it up to the world. More than half a year later, Groupfinder (now called Groupfinder, not Grupileidja) was finally released. It took us a few months before we were ready for the global audience. In september, we had our ducks in a row and we started spreading the word about the platform. Users from all over the world slowly started discovering the site and signing up. Gaining initial traction was a difficult task - users would not bother to use Groupfinder, because there weren’t users on the platform. A vicious circle that eventually was resolved thanks to our early pioneers, willing to give us a shot and posted their profiles and groups here. And now, a year later, we can see the platform has almost 6000 registered users with over 1500 active profiles and almost 700 active groups.    Players and systems During the last month, we improved player post creation - choosing the game system is now more visual and clearer. In addition - the process has been integrated with the Library. If a system exists there, it will be more visually distinct. As well as linked to the corresponding Library entry page. Hopefully more players will discover alternative systems to try out. /images/general-media/1778680166_bQADP9rj.pngChoosing the correct systems has never been easier. On Groupfinder The player profile page itself has also been updated and refreshed in multiple ways, making your profile a better calling card for you. Panel is Dashboard We used to call the homepage, the Panel. But we realized, that it didn’t make that much sense to most users. So it is now Dashboard. Not a huge change - but a change nonetheless. The dashboard also received multiple updates and tweaks to make things less cluttered and messy. Library is getting stocked During the month, the library has received multiple new entries. By multiple - I believe we can say well over a hundred new entries have been added. There are multiple new tools, video creators and podcasts/actual play entries for you to discover. Waiting for your next session? Perfect time to start enjoying an actual play series to keep the hype going and perhaps be inspired by the way other groups play. Article series “Covering the basics” We also started with an introductory blog series called “Covering the basics”. Something to guide new players taking their first steps in the hobby. Currently there is one for “Making a character” and one for “How to start as a Dungeon Master”.    And while not part of the series, you might want to take a look at the “Safety tools” article. Something to consider when starting a group with people you’ve never played with before. Tweaks & fixes We've kept a watchful eye on various bugs and problems that needed addressing. The mobile notifications were overly aggressive and at times got a bit spammy - we've told the messenger to calm down.  In messenger you can now react to messages, making it easier for you to agree upon a certain ruling or arrangement. Or, if you like, you can send an image of surprised Pikachu. Sending images in messenger is now possible. Sending a message to someone, but they just won't respond? Hover over their timezone on their profile and see what time it is for them. Maybe they are sleeping. Maybe you should also be? May-be that is all Thanks for reading this month’s update. We will keep on working on things in the background. You can join the Groupfinder discord server if you want to share some thoughts or problems with the platform.   And as always - if you have found Groupfinder useful in any way - be sure to share it with others. Either via a social media post, or just tell your friends about it. You sharing Groupfinder helps us grow. And with more users - more groups. Till next time.

Bonus Reaction is a dedicated TTRPG resource channel focused on the art of Game Mastering and the mechanics of storytelling. Rather than traditional long-form actual play, the channel specializes in deep-dive analysis, DM tips, and commentary on the tabletop industry. It is designed for those who want to level up their own home games and understand the "why" behind the rules. The channel provides high-energy, insightful breakdowns of both popular systems like Dungeons & Dragons and rising alternatives like Vampire: The Masquerade and Daggerheart. Through a lens of critical world-building and player engagement, the content explores how professional GMs—from Brennan Lee Mulligan to Matt Mercer—shape their narratives, offering viewers actionable advice to apply to their own tables. Links youtube.com - Youtube channel patreon.com - Patreon page discord.gg - Discord server twitch.tv - Twitch channel

The “LFG” struggle is real. How do you find a group to play with in 2026 “LFG D&D 5E”, “LFP D&D 2014/2024 5E”, “LFG Dungeons & Dragons” - it is very likely that you have seen (or even posted) such messages in various places. LFG, or Looking for Group, is the common acronym to indicate that you are looking for a table to join. The opposing acronym is LFM - Looking for Members. Posting these messages will wear you down eventually. Are there really no groups that have room for you? Is there something obvious that you are perhaps missing? Is the hobby not meant for you? It is natural to feel worn down by either rejection or just silence. You see a group that is looking for players, you reply and you get nothing back. Playing Dungeons & Dragons should feel like fun. Because it is fun. Find the right group that fits your style and you will absolutely fall in love with the game and look forward to every session. But. You have to get there first. You need to find a group of players to take you in and only then, can you take the next steps. Reddit, Discord, Facebook or a dedicated platform? When you are looking for a dnd group, you are faced with various different paths to take. They all have their cons and pros. Lets take a look at some of the more popular approaches: The subreddit spam Reddit has been a reliable all-inclusive platform for a long time now. With a massive amount of users all over the world covering various different topics, themes, questions, experiences and interests - it is safe to say, that reddit has everything. But including that everything, you might run into a lot of “noise”. Pros: A lot of users making many posts every day. Global platform connecting you to various people all across the globe. Cons: The noise. An active subreddit will see multiple posts every hour. Your post might get immediately covered by other redditors’ posts. Filtering the posts to find something relevant to you will be difficult, as it is all text-based and with no detailed search functions. Finding a group that is focused on a specific theme or topic will be a chore. The Discord discourse As a platform for messaging and being involved with various communities - there isn’t a good alternative to Discord. Different communities have various versions of #looking-for-group channels. And as clustered as Discord is, with everyone starting their own server, gathering users and growing a community, you are either locked to a few LFG channels - or you have to find a ton of various community servers to join, to share your post with as many pairs of eyes as you can. Pros: It is an instant messaging platform. You post - it gets sent. You get a reply, it happens instantly. And once you find a group to join, you don’t have to look further, as most likely further communication will continue on Discord. Cons: You need to know where to go. There isn’t a one-stop-shop server that gets your message out to everyone in the hobby-space. It also lacks a search functionality beyond basic text search. Unless the server you have found separates games by theme, type, timezone or some other parameter - you are usually stuck with a single channel to post and search. The Facebook fatigue You most likely already are on Facebook. Either you have an account that is collecting dust, or you use it for messaging. And similar to Discord, there are tons of various D&D LFG groups to find, join and post in. You just have to find the right one, get your join request approved and get posting. Pros: Once you find a group that fits your search criteria, you can post your message. And have people either leave a comment or message you directly. Keep in mind, that messages from users who you are not connected with will be filtered to a separate mailbox. Be sure to check there, if you are waiting for a reply. Cons: Just like the other methods listed above, Facebook also falls short when it comes to searchability. And compared to Reddit or Discord, the search functionality is even more limited. It was never designed for that. You also need to find an appropriate Facebook group to join. One that still has active users and has not been abandoned yet. The Groupfinder gateway And then there is Groupfinder. A dedicated platform for your LFG needs. Free to use, with users all across the world and a simple user interface to get you going. While other platforms are, at the end of the day, messaging boards - Groupfinder has been built from the ground-up to serve a specific purpose (You won’t be selling a lawnmower here any time soon). You are here to find a dungeons and dragons group. Pros: Filtering. Finding a group (or other players) is easy with various filtering options. Looking for an online dnd group? Limit your search results to a specific timezone. Whether you are on the east coast, central Europe, or even in Australia - you can manage who’s posts you are shown. /images/general-media/1774999635_UxGFgbcv.pngThe filtering system will help you narrow down your search Or if you are trying to find a local, in-person game - you can use the map filter to pick a specific location on the map, adjust the search radius and only be shown the groups that match your specified area. In addition to timezones, you can use the tags. You can only view groups who have added various predefined tags to their post. Looking for a game that is suitable for a newcomer - “Beginner friendly”. Want to play over messages - “Play by post”. Interested in games that have a spooky theme - “Horror”. Take a look at the various tags that you can use to filter the posts. Are you looking for a game that follows the 2014 ruleset? Pick “Dungeons & Dragons 5E”. Or are you ready to switch over to the newer rules? - “Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)”. Even if you are looking for games for another game system, like Daggerheart, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Mothership or Savage Worlds - use the game system filter. (Read more about the popularity of alternative TTRPG systems in this article) Not currently looking to join a paid game? Understandable - you can use the “Paid game” switch to filter out all the games run by professional GMs. Cons: The platform is still growing and more people are still discovering it. How to increase the odds of your post succeeding? While there isn’t a specific and guaranteed approach that is bound to get you into a group within 5 minutes of posting. You can still follow a few suggestions to increase the odds. Who are you and what do you want?  This might sound like a line from a cheesy detective movie - but it holds some truth. Writing a compelling and descriptive profile bio will give you a massive advantage Tag appropriately. Some groups search for players via tags. If you don’t have any added to your profile, you are immediately cutting yourself out of their search results. Don’t go overboard and add all the tags. Pick only the ones that represent your preferences the best. Share your profile. All the platforms listed above are messaging boards after all. If you spot a group or players thinking about forming a party - post your profile link. Instead of sending them a wall of text, you now have a page that describes who you are, what games you are looking for, what your timezone is and displays you as someone willing to go the extra mile. Bump yourself. Bumping (Bring up my post) is how we have eliminated the constant message spam. Instead of returning every day or two to write up a new post to introduce yourself, you can take your current profile and just click the button on the right side of your cover image. That will bump your post to the top of the listings, completely refreshing it’s position. Stop wearing yourself thin Instead of spending all that time posting on various different platforms. And then doing a second lap of checking for responses - post your profile and find your dnd group.