[Other] Guidelines for Advertisements--Read Before Posting Your Ad!

[Krowout]

If you are a DM or GM seeking a player, (a good reason to be here ), advertising in the following format will aid your chances in players finding your game and knowing what they need to about it:

Game Name The name is what first brings someone in, So the name is a large part in the success or failure of games. Usually creative titles that reflect an aspect of your game work effectivly. Click here for more information.

Dungeon Master(s) This one should be obvious...

Edition/Setting This is crucial, If you don't inform us on the game Setting/Edition then how can you expect people to know what rules to follow?

A brief description of the game Aside from the name the second most crucial part of a game advertisement is a description of the game. It is usually recommended that you write a background story as well to accompany the brief description.

What kind of characters you are looking for This category is quite broad and should also include: Character level for the game. Amount of gold allowed per character. Ability score method [IE: Rolling, point buy] Any homebrew rules you might be including.

Guidelines (optional) A link to RPGX’s Guidelines for Inclusive Gaming can attract an array of more diverse gamers. You can also allow potential players to define their comfort zones by including your own standards and allowing them to state their "lines and veils" in their app, in a secret tag, or in a PM.

Tips Checklist [updated March 2025]

• Select a proper thread category as it will help your chances of receiving players looking specifically for that setting. To keep the thread clean, you should provide a link to your game forum (once created) for all dice rolling purposes. This way you may observe the dice rolling as a DM to prevent fixing of rolls. Also, deletion notices for posts and threads are visible, to help counter cheating on dice rolls.
• Dice rolls should only be made in the game forum, once it is set up, never the advertisement thread. Please discourage rolling in any "Games Seeking Players" advertisement threads, and disallow any rolls found from carrying over to your game threads. This keeps clutter here down, and prevents wasted rolls, time and hopes on games that aren't approved. As noted above, in this forum, prospective DMs can't see if a player has deleted a post due to rolls they don't like, which is unfair. In the DM's own forum, the DM sees all posts, even deleted ones.
• For more ideas, check local guides for making better advertisements. For newer DM's and even older we offer a larger guide to DMing a game and making it successful. You can find it here. Alternately, some members have generated THIS guide that many have found helpful.

Should you have questions that aren't answered by the above, or the Site Help, please send a private message to a current staff member/super moderator.

[Krowout]

We now have a community resource for DMs, GMs, Narrators, Storytellers, Overlords, and other game-bosses. Any and all aspects of running quality game can be discussed here. Seeking advice? Need a good mapping program? Want some help brainstorming a good villain to throw at those pesky heroes of yours? It can all be done in the DM Screen.

For more info and help for both complete novices and seasoned veterans, click here ~> DM Screen

[ridin gaijin]

Please make sure you're acquainted with our policy regarding prospective adventures based on video games and movies. By extension, you can see that this policy would be extended to books, PC games, anime, and so on. Lately we have had more than a few of these. It is my experience that most such games go under more quickly, once players (and DMs) tire of working within the confines of someone else's imagination.

From time to time, derivative games do get approved. In almost every case this is because the DM has shown that he or she plans to transcend the source's plot in some significant way(s).

Our site's founders envisioned an environment that fostered individual creativity. Thus we strive to enable, and recognize publicly, DMs and players who really enjoy forging their own experiences.

[ridin gaijin]

An interested member PMed me the following question. I thought it an opportunity for clarification.

Originally Posted by a member

Would my campaign Xxxxxx Xxxxx be considered a game derived from books? Being set in the Yyyy era of the Zzzzzz timeline, yes there are things that are set to happen, and some GMs will stick to canon to ensure players don't alter continuity, but whether that remains the case with mine will be based solely on how well the players continue to play.

Mainly, I just wonder if my campaign will end up, like you said, ending quickly because it is "set in stone", whether it will be or not.

Also, the Aa Aaaaaaa game I am checking interest on running would be very much like the Bbbbbb video games, I assume (having never played them or read the books), would it then be a problem to press to play a campaign set in the Zzzzzzz as a groups of Zzzzzzz soldiers?

Originally Posted by Admin ridin

Those are thoughtful questions.

Basically, from what you've described, you'll be fine on both counts. Reason being, lots of games take place in a certain setting, without following a given plot. We had a long-running Lord of the Rings game that took place in the north of Middle Earth--fine. The DM and players used the setting, with the history and touchpoints of certain events, but set up their own plot and characters. Terrific.

Similarly using [insert character types here] to play out plots anchored by canonical events. Same thing, really--as long as you're designing your own experience, it's all good.

And I'm always happy to see more quality games here.

[Securis]

For transparency sake, we are looking at your ability to form a coherent, near grammatically perfect game application, your organization/ concept, and your advertisements to determine if we'll approve your game forum.

How does one judge what is fun for others? Good question. It's not easy to be unbiased toward games that appear personally appealing or those that are for the tastes of another. Anyways, Grammar and spelling have always been apart of this process. Check and recheck your submission before clicking submit. An error or two does not mean automatic deletion but check for errors anyway. Your organization and concept is all about how much time and effort you've put into getting players interested. Details/ character development and posting frequency reveal to us that you and your players are dedicated to getting an excellent game underway. That scenario is played out in your advertisement. So we check these to get a feel for whether your game will survive infancy and become one of the legendary forums that get tossed around through conversation in OOCs and GD forums.

It's a manual and intensive process which we try to complete as quickly as possible and without being terribly draconic about our requirements. Sometimes applications are not preceded by advertisements nor are they followed by ads. We request that you make an ad at some point so that we can see things develop. Regardless of when you put in your application we'll hold applications until we see the level of development we're looking for.

In some instances, a DM may want a forum before recruiting players. Start by PMing Admin Securis, Saros, Magrok or Sedracus with your request. We'll proceed from that conversation on individual basis.

Good Gaming Everyone.

[Securis]

Originally Posted by Admin Securis

For transparency sake, we are looking at your ability to form a coherent, near grammatically perfect game application, your organization/ concept, and your advertisements to determine if we'll approve your game forum.

How does one judge what is fun for others? Good question. It's not easy to be unbiased toward games that appear personally appealing or those that are for the tastes of another. Anyways, Grammar and spelling have always been apart of this process. Check and recheck your submission before clicking submit. An error or two does not mean automatic deletion but check for errors anyway. Your organization and concept is all about how much time and effort you've put into getting players interested. Details/ character development and posting frequency reveal to us that you and your players are dedicated to getting an excellent game underway. That scenario is played out in your advertisement. So we check these to get a feel for whether your game will survive infancy and become one of the legendary forums that get tossed around through conversation in OOCs and GD forums.

It's a manual and intensive process which we try to complete as quickly as possible and without being terribly draconic about our requirements. Sometimes applications are not preceded by advertisements nor are they followed by ads. We request that you make an ad at some point so that we can see things develop. Regardless of when you put in your application we'll hold applications until we see the level of development we're looking for.

In some instances, a DM may want a forum before recruiting players. Start by PMing Admin Securis, Magrok, Saros or Sedracus with your request. We'll proceed from that conversation on individual basis.

Good Gaming Everyone.

This is just to bring this thread and its very important content back into view. A bump, yes, but I can do that with official site information.

[Birched]

Game applications are now through 'Request a Game Folder' in the Tools pulldown. The above advice all still applies for filling out the fields in the application.

Further, once an ad thread with standardised first post has been created through the application process, the DM is encouraged to post follow-up information in another post.

[zevonian]

Reminder - do not roll dice in Game Advertisement threads.

Note that DM (Dungeon Master) is a DnD specific term. Other systems may use terms such as GM (Game Master), Storyteller, and Referee.

[zevonian]

If you are using artwork to accompany any posts, please make sure you have permission from the artist. Thanks.

[zevonian]

DnD 5e DMs and Players- note that there's a Players' Handbook that just got released (September 2024) with assorted rules tweaks and changes. Discussing which book is being used seems a fair thing to do in the appropriate ads.