The empty chair at the table is the bane of every Game Master. While the digital age has theoretically made it easier to connect with fellow roleplaying enthusiasts, the reality of “Looking For Group” (LFG) posts is often a minefield of scheduling conflicts, mismatched expectations, and the dreaded “ghosting”.
Groupfinder, a platform originating from the tech-forward nation of Estonia, aims to streamline this process. Originally conceived as a local solution for the Estonian roleplaying community, the platform has recently expanded its reach to the US, Canada, and the UK. It enters a crowded market of virtual tabletops and Discord servers, but distinguishes itself by tackling the logistics and social contracts of gaming before the first die is rolled.
Geek Native caught up with Holger, the founder of Groupfinder, to discuss the transition from a local tool to a global platform, the importance of transparency in LFG posts, and the “red flags” players should watch for before committing to a campaign.
Finding a Group and Spotting Red Flags
Let’s start with the basics for our readers who might be stuck in the “Forever DM” void or the “No Group” limbo. Who are you, and what is the origin story of Groupfinder?
Hi there, I am Holger, someone who has turned his D&D hobby into something way bigger than I ever imagined. I am currently facing the opposite problem of what Groupfinder is designed for. I seem to have a difficult time saying “No” to games whenever they are offered to me. And at this point I am part of seven groups.
As for Groupfinder, over ten years ago, when I was just starting out, I had a difficult time switching out of the designated DM role. I went searching for a solution to that. Eventually I came up with an idea I called “AirDnD”. That could be called the first attempt at creating Groupfinder, but due to the lack of programming skills at the time, the idea remained as just that.
Many years later, as I am part of an Estonian ttrpg community, called KVEST, we started developing a first version of that idea. Initially the name Groupfinder (or Grupileidja in Estonian) was a placeholder to be used during the testing phase – but the name seemed to stick and seemed to be perfect for the platform. With the help of more skilled programming knowledge, the first platform was launched for Estonian players. Since we recognized that this is something that people needed, we kept working on it, and this year we rebuilt the whole platform and opened it up to the world.
You’re based in Estonia, which has a fascinating tech scene. Is there a big tabletop community there? I’m curious if the challenges of finding a group in Estonia were different from what players face in the US or UK, or if “scheduling conflicts” are a universal language!
The most endearing thing about Estonia is the smallness of it (1.4M population). And that works as a brilliant sandbox environment, where to validate ideas and then build on top of it. But as a country where Western pop culture trends spread more slowly, we have played a lot of catch-up with many such topics. For that exact reason we created KVEST – a community for popularizing the Estonian ttrpg scene.
I think finding other TTRPG players is a global issue, no matter where you are from. And so it was in Estonia as well. Before we created KVEST, the local gaming groups were very scattered and secluded. But at the end of the day, scheduling conflicts are something that we all still have to tackle.
You mentioned something in your outreach that really caught my eye: “Red Flags.” We often talk about safety tools during the game (like X-Cards), but we rarely talk about safety before the game starts. When a player is scrolling through LFG posts, what are the “Red Flags” they should look out for?
I don’t want to call out any strong “Red Flags” that could apply in every situation. But based on personal experience and from understanding how players mix, I believe it very often comes down to transparency. The groups that advertise in advance whether they are heavily focused on combat, stick closely to the rules or have some certain themes or topics, are the ones doing it right.
It really is an underrated piece of knowledge, that not all players work well together. That isn’t to say they couldn’t be great friends outside the games. But understanding in advance, what kind of players and playstyle you would prefer to have at a table helps you filter out some of the groups. When it comes to TTRPG preferences, some people might not do well behind the same table. Those who are in it for the hard math crunch might not be the best fellow players for those hoping to have their heart broken by an in-game betrayal. Setting clear session expectations is a good “green flag” to look out for.
Browsing LFG posts, one has to be mindful of understanding what kind of a game is being offered to them – if the game is going to be a heavy dungeon crawl, it might not be the best fit for someone looking for deep character development and inter-party relationships and conflicts.
On the flip side, we have “Gatekeeping.” A lot of new players feel intimidated by veterans; maybe they fear the “Matt Mercer Effect” or just feel they don’t know the rules well enough. How do we, and how does Groupfinder, help “open the gate” so newbies don’t feel outdone by veteran players?
Groupfinder’s main goal is to create an easy to find gate for everyone in the hobby space. As well as keeping the gate open with a simple set-up process for everyone. The profile creation process is short and brief, the interface has only necessary information presented.
As players, we have to recognize, while we might have 5, 10, 20 years of gaming experience, the newcomers won’t have this. And it should really be on veteran gamers to support the new players at their table – ensuring they have space to participate, if it seems like they are having a tough time getting a word in. In that same manner, being there in terms of knowing the rules – guiding, suggesting and helping them figure things out should be done in a respectful and helpful manner. The focus (especially for newbies) should be on playing the game, not knowing every rule by heart.
Does the platform have any specific features to help filter for safety or compatibility? For example, can a GM flag their game as “Newbie Friendly” or “Heavy Roleplay” to manage expectations right out of the gate?
We are aware of groups using various safety tools to make sure the group they put together is suitable with the themes and topics used in the games. And that is all brilliant (see back to Red Flags) – we definitely want Groupfinder to support and promote “setting things straight” from the start by providing said tools.
In the background, we are working on multiple features and functions to provide the users with the best toolkit they can have for a successful group. Safety guidelines and pre-game questionnaires are features twe will soon provide. I have personally been talking with people all across the globe regarding which tools they use to filter players and their expectations, and hopefully this will help us provide a good starting point for most. Just like with homebrewing rules for your game, we enjoy being inspired and taking cues from others’ experiences.
The Platform & The “Final Boss”
I was looking through your patch notes and saw a feature called “Timefinder” that helps schedule sessions directly in messenger. Is scheduling truly the Final Boss of TTRPGs, and do you think you’ve found the weapon to defeat it?
It is not a boss one can simply defeat once and be free of it. Timefinder (again, a working title that ended up keeping its name throughout the development process) serves the players more as a good tool or weapon, in this analogy. It allows the GM to set which dates work for them and the group will have a simple way of finding the most suitable date for the next session. In the past we’ve used various other time-scheduling services and they have been sufficient (in realizing that we don’t have a common session time for the next few weeks…). We are not reinventing something new, rather providing all the necessary tools, tailored for TTRPG needs, on one platform.
Timefinder will be a part of a bigger group management environment. Keeping all your players, scheduling, polls, questionnaires and other potential functions in one place seems easier and more convenient. Being a GM is already a heavy burden on one person. We recognize (and experience) it – and hopefully take some of the load off that one person and provide tools that let you focus on preparing for the next session.
You’ve recently expanded to include the US, Canada, and many other countries, and I see there’s an Android app now. What has been the biggest technical challenge in turning a local Estonian project into a global platform?
The current Groupfinder team consists of three people and we have tried to set some efficient groundrules on how we develop new ideas and features. It is easy to fall into a “feature creep” pattern and implement every whim and idea that pops into our heads. But at the end of the day, every new feature introduces an amount of complexity for the users. If it doesn’t provide a better user experience, we try to lean away from immediately working on building it.
But as we’ve expanded further from Estonian borders, we are constantly optimizing the back-end side of the platform as well – making sure that every system we have, has room for growth. And the growth in users we have seen so far has been absolutely positive.
We currently only have an Android app, and we are planning on building one for iOS in the future. With the time and resources we have currently, we have to direct our efforts to best support the most pressing topics and features.
I noticed the platform is free to use – which is amazing for the community – but websites aren’t free to host. What is the business model here? Is there a Patreon or a way for the community to support the project so it stays online?
The amount of external services to keep all the site’s functionality running come with a cost we have to manage. Currently we have been funding our progress via our local e-commerce store serving Estonians with D&D books and accessories. Using and integrating these services with the platform to enable various features has been an eye-opening journey. We will soon be adding a way for groups and players to visually highlight their post, to bring it more attention – this will be our first “paid feature”.
But we keep a careful eye on making sure that any such feature does not take away from the experience of the regular user. Highlighted posts will be more of a nudge, than a push and by doing so, the users’ post will be visually distinct and have more customization features. This will enable us to take in supporting members, helping us cover our maintenance costs.
We have no immediate plans of adding any other methods of support, such as Patreon or Ko-fi but our roadmap does include plans to integrate other methods and venues.
Wrapping up
What does a “Good RPG” look like to you personally? When you aren’t coding the platform, what system or campaign are you currently running or playing in?
A good system is the one you prefer the most. And one that can be bent and molded to new ideas and concepts. I have mainly been a D&D player for the past 14 years and while I am aware of other brilliant systems (like Pathfinder, OSR, Draw Steel! etc.) that have features that have influenced my 5E games, I have stuck with D&D as my go-to system because of its customizability.
I have borrowed from and been inspired by various other systems I have become acquainted with and integrated them to my games. By now I have a good grasp of the rules in 5E, which allows me to understand which rules are not overly important and which can be removed or replaced to fit in something, that would better suit my table. The end goal is always to have a great game, not play the system exactly by the book.
If you could put a billboard up in every game store and Discord server with one piece of advice for players looking for a group, what would it say?
“Need people to play D&D with? Find them on Groupfinder!”.
Now why I said D&D, not leave it vague and just call it TTRPG? D&D is the gateway system to the hobby due to its brand recognition. If you know anything about TTRPGs, you at least know of D&D. The barrier to entry is the lowest and it has the biggest community and resources available. But Groupfinder is not just for D&D, it is a town board for the entire ttrpg scene and we intend to not let the bigger systems overshadow others.
Thanks, Holger!
Groupfinder is currently available via web browser and Android app, with plans to support iOS in the future. By prioritising transparency and compatibility, the platform aims to turn the daunting task of finding a group into a simple part of the hobby. Once the party is gathered, players can turn to resources like DTRPG to fill their digital libraries, but the real magic starts with finding the right people at the table.
Quick Links
- Groupfinder is available now via web browser and as an Android app.
