Player Recruiting Advice Please

[spoofer]

Dear Fellow Game Masters,

I am having a very difficult time recruiting players for my 4e game, and I would like some advice. My problem is the time zone -- GMT+9. I am an expat living in Japan. I have posted on the boards and in the calendar. About once every 6 weeks I get a response from someone who does not understand the timezone difference. Otherwise, nothing. :(

The game is now down to one other player and myself, and we really want some new faces. We miss the banter of a larger group. So, I am wondering if there are other websites I can us to recruit. There must be people out there in Japan, Korea, China, and Australia that would like to play. But how do I connect with them? I know there are bulletin board style websites dedicated to the game, but I have spent no time looking at them. Are they a good direction to go? Can someone with some experience please point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Kevin

[Ardem]

There are a number Australian on this board(more then I seen in others), however I always struggled to find people in our time zone.

Not sure is this link wil be any help to you but this is a ring I used in the past to find outher australians.

https://www.roaring.net.au/

the only other advice I have is check out the other australian games in here I know there is some C&C one and my rolemaster one. See if you can join in with them and perhaps the players that are doing that might want to join your D&D game.

[MisterAmazing]

It's probably because it's 4e. >.>

[GunnarGreybeard]

Dear Fellow Game Masters,

I am having a very difficult time recruiting players for my 4e game, and I would like some advice. My problem is the time zone -- GMT+9. I am an expat living in Japan. I have posted on the boards and in the calendar. About once every 6 weeks I get a response from someone who does not understand the timezone difference. Otherwise, nothing. :( I'm guessing its the time zone as there seems to be at least a couple 4e groups running here. I'm having similar difficulties with most interested parties telling me its my available game times that are usually the problem. I'm in the US but work nights so the games I GM have to be AM games based on GMT-6.

[Valarian]

Posting messages with a link to Time and Date (Example Here (https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Sample+Event&iso=20120223T19&p1=136&ah=3)) could avoid confusion with time zones.

Bulletin board website groups could be an idea once you have a base group, but aren't necessarily going to help establishing one. The Google group I help to administer has over 60 members, yet only 2 games are run with the same core of 5 or 6 players taking part. The best bet is to post here in the Guild House with various different game ideas and hope that one will generate interest.

Don't stay wedded to 4e if that isn't working for you - however, I've noticed that the main interest has been for D&D (3e / 4e / Pathfinder). Fantasy seems more popular than other genres, though modern supernatural seems to be close behind. Savage Worlds is another system that seems popular.

[damned]

Hey Kevin,
Im in +10 timezone and I have found recruiting to be tough. To make things even more so I can only play Saturday nights and late in the evening and only once a fortnight! So I pushed my game a little later - to 10pm and kept plugging awaya nd I got lucky and a coupel of crazy americans get up at 6am every fortnight to play and the other players are typically from AUS.
I found it really tough to get the game started and its tough keeping it going. About once every 2 months I hit up a few websites and try to sell myself.
1. penandpapergames.com - I search for everyone in my timezone and email 10-20 people who have logged on in the last year and tell them all about FG and my game and I sometimes get a couple of nibbles and sometimes none. When I go back I try to make sure I contact a different 10-20 names.
2. meetup.com find RPG or D&D groups and sell the same story. Particularly to people who are expressing an interest in the face to face games but cant make it.
3. enworld.org
4. Here of course.
I sometimes write up the previous sessions story and post it. Do that a few sessions in a row and people get an idea about the game you are running and might get interested.
Anyways - I find it really hard also - but I put a bit of effort in and manage to keep about 4 regular players most of the time. I do get lots of nibbles and I get a few that come for a session or two and drop out. Thats just the way it is I guess.
I really dont have time to do recruiting as Im seriously time poor already but as you say - the game is so much more interesting with a few more players.
Good luck,
Damian

[spoofer]

Thank you everyone. It is amazing to see responses so quickly. I love this community. Damian, I almost posted a message to you once. You game slot time is perfect for me. I am following your summaries on another thread. Thanks for those websites. That is the sort of advice I was seeking.

Our GM is running a great campaign so we are sticking to 4E for awhile. After that, we might move on to a different system -- something a bit more faster and freer flowing.

Kevin

Edit: EN World did the trick. You can search by region and list players in your area. I fired off emails to them and several people responded. Thanks again.

[Dracones]

Tangled web is another recruiting site: https://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/

Using the time zone clock thingie is always nice. That way it's easy to see when the game is starting up.

Another idea is move to weekends. Saturday morning for you is Saturday evening for the US and it should be workable to sync something up with that.

Or you can push it the other way and try to pick up Saturday AM Europe players.

[Litvyak]

Saturday morning for you is Saturday evening for the US and it should be workable to sync something up with that.

I think you mean that it's Friday evening for the US.

NearbyGamers.com is another option to find players. Looking at their map, I see people in Japan, Korea, China and the Philippines.

[Teddyo]

Hi, I'm in GMT+8 and I would love to join the party if you are still recruiting and wouldn't mind me as a new player to RP and DND.

[spoofer]

Teddyo,

We have a 4e game run by a Game Master in GMT+8 on Sundays. See my private message.

[Maleficio]

Hello,

On which schedule are you playing?

I´m completely new to FG and to 4e.

I´m an expat in China and I don't have any books with me, but I do have experience in 2e, 3.5e, and other systems.

I want to play so if you are still looking for players and don't mind me being a noob please let me know:) .

Thanks!