It isn't always easy to find people for your game. Groups dissolve, people leave and campaigns end. Students especially tend to move around, losing their old groups and having to find new ones, sometimes even needing to build up a batch of players from scratch, if their new home doesn't have a strong roleplay community.

Usually, people look for an easy target. We try and find people who already play tabletop games, searching game stores and hobby shops for those who share our passions. Barring that, we look for people who enjoy things tangentially related to our hobby; people who love fantasy games and movies, shows and books about Mages and Werewolves and Paladins. It's usually a safe bet that you can convince the folks playing Magic: The Gathering at the next table to give a game a shot. People who tend towards the kinds of things RPGs are often about can usually be counted on to give RPGs a go; anime fans, boffing enthusiasts, cosplayers and the like are all decidedly interested in some of the foundational settings and themes of the hobby. Occasionally however, we need to convert people to get our RPG fix. Maybe you're in high school and your parent's move; maybe you go to college in a new town or transfer schools. Maybe all your usual players move and you need to seduce your remaining friends into your hobby. Sometimes we have to take people who've never heard of RP, DnD or XP and turn them into die-hard fans.

Most of the time, the biggest stumbling block is broaching the subject with someone when you don't know how they'll react. It isn't always easy to bring up RPGs to people who have no concept of them. A lot of people don't want to admit to their hobby, or hide the fact that they play. Other times they just don't want to explain themselves or what they do to someone who has no way to relate. Occasionally we just don't feel safe firing blind. Actually bringing up gaming, however, isn't the hardest part. If there's someone you want to turn into a player, you can mention how much fun you've had in games you played in, or talk about an idea you had for a campaign you think they'd like. If you're only looking for a few more people, talking about games with another player in their presence is bound to happen, and most people will ask you about it, and try to be a part of the conversation. The tricky part isn't bringing it up, but convincing them to give it a shot once they know what it is.

People new to the hobby tend to have reservations about RPGs, and rightly so. If it's someone who isn't already involved in the hobby, it's more than likely the only knowledge they have is hazy misconceptions about DnD, Nerds, and Satanism. The fears you need to assuage in new players are pretty consistent, and the way around them is the same. Comparing it to other types of gaming can be helpful, showing them that it's similar to something they already know and enjoy, thus making it relatable. Comparing tabletop gaming to MMOs and FPSs can be hazardous, as can going too far in the other direction (monopoly), but demonstrating that the principles of play are something they know and are used to can go a long way. Likewise, comparisons to fiction that they recognize can help them ground their growing knowledge of RPGs in something they already understand and enjoy. Finally, it's important to not let them get too worked up about it. One of the big misconceptions is that tabletop gaming is a bunch of overweight man-children in a basement taking themselves way too seriously. Make sure they come into it in the right mindset; a few friends, hanging out and playing a game together. Help them feel relaxed and open to the experience.

The most important step in introducing new players to gaming is the first session. First impressions matter a great deal, and the first game you play with a new player should be something they remember fondly.

Making the first game something a new player will remember and enjoy is straightforward, but not necessarily simple. It doesn't have to be a mindless dungeon crawl (unless that's what you're going for), but it should be something that is easily contained in a single session. It needs to be the kind of one-off story arc that can draw a player in without over-complicating his understanding of the game. For old hands who know a system back-to-front, complex webs of narrative and system are fantastic, but for someone just getting started they can be confusing, so it's usually smarter to stick with something that will ease them into the game and build them up to that kind of play. Another thing that will help them grow their love of gaming is to make sure they get their chance in the spotlight. It's easy for new players to get lost behind the scenes if they're in a group of more experienced players, especially if it's an ongoing campaign that they're introduced to fresh. Making sure that a new player gets to be the star a little will go a long way to making them appreciate and enjoy their first gaming experience. Sometimes new players are shy, and that's totally fine, but give them the chance to shine with whatever character traits they have and they'll thank you for it. If they want to play the quiet professor with no combat skills in the background, more power to them, but if you make that knowledge of Sumerian Archaeology important and meaningful, they'll love you for it forever. Lastly, it's usually better if someone's first game is kept short. We all love those nine-hour gaming marathons, the finales of epic stories and the battle scenes that take up a month's worth of sessions, but for someone who had no concept of RPGs a week ago, that can be intimidating. A shorter session helps ease them into the hobby and gives them space to learn the ropes of a game they aren't familiar with, and hopefully it leaves them wanting more.

Getting people to try out a new system or setting is hard enough, but getting someone who has never played a tabletop RPG before to take a chance on an entirely new, admittedly esoteric, hobby can be extremely difficult. For most people in their teens and twenties, gaming groups are constantly growing and shrinking as members are gained and lost, and learning how to recruit new players is important. But more than just needing new players for one game or another, introducing new people to tabletop gaming is a responsibility. Some people genuinely don't like these games; that's fine. But I love RPGs, and I want to give my friends the same kind of excitement and fun I get to enjoy. Everyone should have a chance to see how amazing these games are, and our introductions are what give them their first step towards that. Let's make it a good one.