Update log - September 2026 "Support us"

What 10,000 registered users tell us about the systems people want to play Back in April we took our first analytical look at the numbers on Groupfinder. It was an overview of the active posts on the platform. Based on the games and player posts on the platform we came to the (obvious) conclusion: contrary to some niche opinions - D&D is still the king in the tabletop scene. Since then a lot of changes have happened: **Groupfinder just passed 10,000 registered users**, and 84% of them joined in 2026. Now based on all the numbers we can see on Groupfinder, we have written up a second iteration of the article. A little something we now call "State of tabletop".  All the data is based on **4,277 player profiles and 2,686 groups** from 56 countries all over the world. A bigger data set allows us to draw better and more concise conclusions. Of course one has to keep in mind, that the numbers presented here only represent what we can see within the boundaries of Groupfinder. And the lovely people using the platform to find players or games. Compared to the first time, we have split the "pathfinders" into two: 1E and 2E. Pooling those systems together was a mistake. An oversight I admit was in no way helpful to presenting the data and the tabletop scene. This time, we are hopefully showing the data in a more transparent and logical manner. The road to 10,000 The dominance of D&D Beyond just D&D Where the GMs are needed Play styles: OSR, PbtA, FitD and SWADE How people play Do groups actually fill up? The Groupfinder Library Are you contributing to the numbers? The road to 10,000 For most of 2025, Groupfinder was growing at a quiet pace. A few dozen sign-ups every month. Then November happened and users started discovering us more and more. /images/general-media/1791299708_3O0GzTlx.pngRegistered users at the end of each month Since November 2025 we've averaged about 850 new users every month, and it hasn't really shown any signs of slowing down. The summer dip (June and July) was expected and reflected in the user growth: Vacations happen, campaigns pause. But August and September have been two of our busiest months ever. When we wrote the first report in April, the platform had less than 5,000 registered users. Since then, we have exceeded that number by an increment of two. The dominance of D&D **The crown hasn't moved.** Dungeons & Dragons is still the system most people come to Groupfinder for, either as players or as GMs looking to assemble a group. **Groups**: 59% of all groups ever posted on Groupfinder are for some edition of Dungeons & Dragons. This mirrors the ~60% we saw in April. Now that our data set is larger, we feel comfortable, that the ballpark popularity sits in that range. **Players**: 73% of player profiles list D&D 5E, and 35% list the 2024 revised rules (5.5E). Players can pick several systems on their profile (on average they pick 2.7), so there is an overlap. But it also means that at least three out of four players are looking for a D&D game. **5E vs 5.5E**: The 2014 rules are still far ahead. For every group running the updated 2024 version, there are 3.6 groups running 5E. Among players the gap is narrower - roughly two 5E players for every 5.5E player. The new rules have a bigger player count than there are games to choose from. Starting out and not sure where to begin with tabletop gaming? The approach hasn't really changed: find a Dungeons & Dragons group first. There are simply more games to choose from. Beyond just D&D The encouraging part hasn't changed either: players who play D&D do move on to try other systems. Once we set Dungeons & Dragons aside, here is where the rest of the interest goes. /images/general-media/1791295582_PINPTalX.pngPathfinder 2E draws 2.6x the interest of Pathfinder 1E, which still makes the top 5 on its own. **Pathfinder, now in two parts.** Split apart, Pathfinder 2E is comfortably the most popular system after D&D: 104 groups and 663 player profiles. Pathfinder 1E is smaller, but far from retired: it still makes the top 5 on its own, and with 48 groups it has more tables than Vampire or Call of Cthulhu. Old-school crunch has a loyal following. **The new top 5.** Compared to April, Vampire: The Masquerade has overtaken Call of Cthulhu, and Daggerheart holds on to second place barely a year after release. Cyberpunk RED drops to sixth. Partly because Pathfinder 1E now takes a spot on the graph of its own. **The rising indies.** Just below the top, Lancer (mech combat with a big narrative heart) and Shadowdark (old-school dungeon crawling with modern rules) are both past 100 mentions. Keep an eye on them for the next report. Where the GMs are needed Popularity is one thing. How easy it is to actually get a seat is another. So for each system we compared how many players are interested in it with how many groups are running it. /images/general-media/1791299934_OD1gA30E.pngHow many players for every game post **The horror and grit crowd is waiting for a GM.** Call of Cthulhu, Cyberpunk RED and Vampire: The Masquerade all have 9 to 12 interested players for every group. If you have ever wanted to run one of these, you won't be short of players. Even Pathfinder 2E and Daggerheart sit above the average. If you are a player of these systems, don't wait for a group to appear: post your player profile with the system tagged, so GMs who are on the fence can see there's an audience. And if you're that GM on the fence - this is your sign. Play styles: OSR, PbtA, FitD and SWADE Some of the most interesting games out there cannot be labeled one game system. Dozens of games share the same core rules or the same philosophy, but each one gets its own name. On a system-by-system list they look tiny. Grouped together under one "family", we can get a better idea of the numbers. We sorted every system in our data into four families, using published game lists (see the sources at the end): - **OSR and NSR** (Old School Renaissance and "New School Revolution") - games that recreate or remix early D&D play: deadly, rules-light, player skill over character sheets. Shadowdark, Old-School Essentials, Mothership, Mörk Borg, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dolmenwood, Cairn and many more. - **PbtA** (Powered by the Apocalypse) - games built on Apocalypse World's "moves" and 2d6 rolls, where every roll pushes the story forward. Monster of the Week, Masks, Dungeon World, City of Mist, Kult: Divinity Lost and others. - **FitD** (Forged in the Dark) - games built on Blades in the Dark: crews, heists, stress and clocks (progress trackers). Blades in the Dark itself, Slugblaster, A Fistful of Darkness and others. - **SWADE** (Savage Worlds Adventure Edition) - one generic engine with many official settings. Savage Worlds itself, Deadlands and Pathfinder for Savage Worlds. /images/general-media/1791298479_n23oMjiY.pngCounted as one family, OSR games have more groups than Pathfinder 2E **The old school is bigger than it looks.** No single OSR game makes our top 10 on its own. Shadowdark comes closest in 9th place. But put them together and OSR games have 114 groups, more than Pathfinder 2E's 104. Add the original pre-3rd edition D&D rules (OD&D, AD&D 1E and 2E, B/X, BECMI) and the old-school crowd grows by another 17 groups. **PbtA is the storyteller's niche.** 39 groups is modest, but every PbtA group has 6.3 interested players waiting. Every single PbtA group we could see runs online. **Forged in the Dark is the hardest seat to find.** With just 10 groups and 7.4 interested players per group, FitD is the style where players outnumber tables the most. Blades in the Dark accounts for most of it. If you have ever wanted to run a heist, the crew is already here. **Savage Worlds is steady.** 25 groups, and all of them run the core rules rather than a named setting like Deadlands. It is also one of the styles most often played around a real table (28% of its groups), together with Shadowdark. A note on counting: groups run one system each, so the group numbers are exact. Player profiles can list several systems, so a player who ticks both Shadowdark and Old-School Essentials is counted twice in the OSR family. That's why we lead with groups here. How people play **Online is the default, but the table is underserved.** 81% of groups play online, while only 65% of players are looking for an online game. Flip it around and the in-person side looks very different: 35% of players want a game at a physical table, but only 19% of groups offer one. That works out to almost 3 players for every in-person group, versus about 1.3 for every online group. If you are a GM with a spare seat at your kitchen table (or a friendly local game store), you are in demand. [Browse the players near you](https://groupfinder.gg/players) - the radius search will show who is close enough to join. **Campaigns rule.** 85% of groups are running a campaign (a longer story played over many sessions), 14% are one-shots (a single, self-contained session) and 1% run West Marches or living-world games (a shared world where players drop in and out of sessions). Daggerheart is the exception worth pointing out - 27% of its groups are one-shots, more than double D&D 5E's 11%. People are still trying it on for size. **Every system has its own table fingerprint.** Where and how people play changes a lot from system to system. /images/general-media/1791299345_BaWJDt9f.pngDaggerheart is the one-shot system, Shadowdark is the in-person one. A few things stand out. **Shadowdark** is the most in-person system we track - a third of its groups meet at a real table, and old-school dungeon crawls clearly love a physical map and a pile of dice. **Daggerheart** has the most one-shots (27% of groups): people are still test-driving it. At the other end, **Pathfinder 1E** is almost entirely online campaigns - only 4% of its groups are one-shots. When you've invested in a character that crunchy, you want to keep playing them. **Weekly is the rhythm.** 63% of groups meet every week and 15% every other week. Monthly games are rare, at just 2%. **Where everyone is from.** Half of our users are in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom (9%), Estonia (7% - hello, home crowd), Canada and Germany. In total, users with a location set come from 56 countries. Do groups actually fill up? When a GM closes their group post, we ask why. 909 GMs have answered so far, and **57% closed because their table was full.** 24% say they found their players here on Groupfinder, and another 33% filled the table elsewhere. Only 12% gave up because they couldn't find enough players. A further 13% decided they couldn't or didn't want to run the game anymore - which happens to the best of us - and the rest picked "Other". Sure, we might be a bit biased here, but one in four tables finding its whole party through us feels like a good start. We'd like that number to be a lot higher by the next report. The Groupfinder Library We still believe that showing players more than one system keeps the hobby fresh. That's why the Groupfinder Library exists. It is a growing collection of game systems, tools, creators and communities. Maybe you came here looking for a D&D game and leave curious about Lancer's mechs or Mothership's creeping dread. Your first game doesn't have to be D&D. Every system named in this article has its own library entry, so you can read up before you commit. Are you contributing to the numbers? Whether you are a GM looking for a party or a player looking for a home, your post helps us understand where the hobby is going. **Looking for a game?** Create your player profile and let GMs find you. **Looking for players?** Browse the groups looking for players or post your own table. Till next time, for another State of tabletop

Why your bio matters If you want to find a dungeons and dragons group, you should keep in mind, that the player to DM ratio is heavily skewed against you. Most DMs receive up to 10 applications per player seat. Having a great player profile will help you stand out and will create a good first impression. Finding a dnd group has a lot in common with online dating. Leaving a good first impression, seeming reliable, trustworthy and willing to commit - these are all important either on a dating profile or when creating a player profile. If your thinking is “If they want to know more about me, they will ask.” It is very likely that they won’t. Remember that you are fighting an uphill battle. Groups aren’t really facing a shortage of players and you need to use any tool and skill you have to display yourself as someone they want to have in their group. Ofcourse it will be a balancing act - introducing yourself in as much detail as possible, while not ending up with more paragraphs than a book. The anatomy of a player bio Preferences, playstyle, experience, logistics, reservations and much more - all of these are things that help a Dungeon Master find the right person to even start a discussion with. If your profile introduces you on a superficial level: “Hello, I am Holger and I would love to find a group to play with.” Then you aren’t really saying much (other than your name, which is a good start). /images/general-media/1774870056_ib7o9mRg.gifThis could be you. Playstyle Are you someone who enjoys roleplay above anything else? Or do your eyes light up whenever the DM tells you all to “Roll Initiative”? Perhaps you find enjoyment in both deep character interactions, social encounters but when need be, have a good understanding of how combat works and enjoy casting fireball too close to your fighter (It happens…). If you know what you’d prefer in a game, be sure to explain which core pillars of the game you enjoy - a game that is all about dungeon crawling and heavy combat situations will not be something a roleplay-focused player will find as enjoyable as one with political intrigue, social manipulation or characters with a deep and devious backstory. You can pick and add various tags to go with your post. Groups filtering players by “Roleplay focused” will find you, if your profile has that tag added to it. Adding tags in addition to describing your preferences in the bio is a powerful tool. Experience level Have you played Dungeons & Dragons before? If not - don’t feel discouraged. There are new players discovering DnD every day and a newcomer is not a rare sight. Whether you've played the D&D 2014 rules version or are a newcomer starting fresh with the 2024 revised edition, tell the reader which version you are interested in playing. It can be both, if you are not overly picky. Many Dungeon Masters, either new themselves or veterans of the hobby, happily welcome new players to their tables. If they are just starting out with DnD and bravely decided to take up the role of the DM immediately (These players are heroes), they are very likely to enjoy other players with less experience. This is not to say that veterans are not suitable for their games, if the ones with experience are capable and willing to explain, guide and correct (when needed/asked). Nobody wants a “rules lawyer” player who insists on “Um Actually…” whenever the DM calls for a Perception roll, although Investigation might’ve been more appropriate. There are also veteran DMs who enjoy hosting newcomers at their games. Making sure that they understand the basics of the game, the core elements and grow them into capable players who will understand the game and how to be a great player.   Having previous experience is not a requirement. But being honest about it is a must. You are unlikely to not get “caught” if you attempt to overplay your experience. And that will just leave a bad impression of you. Logistics and location Whether you are looking for an online game, or seeking for an in-person at-a-table group, make sure to be specific. For online games, mark down your timezone. This will help you find a game, that won’t start after midnight, or early in the morning (Unless this fits well with your schedule). Joining a group where for other players it is 6PM, but you just woke up and are still working through your bowl of cereal, might not be the best fit. /images/general-media/1774870467_hf8VVPRp.pngThere are players from all across the world (also in regions that did not fit on this map. This is not the entire world, even though some bands arranging their"World Tour" see it that way) If you are trying to join an in-person game, mark your location. This isn’t to say, that give out your home address - don’t do that. There is no reason for that and putting specific personal information out there is a bad idea in general. Pick the closest town or city to you. On Groupfinder the search isn’t restricted to specific locations, but on a radius. If a DM, looking for players is searching around their area and your town falls into their search radius - they will find you.   If you have a specific schedule or time prerefences - mark those down. If you can only play from 6PM to 11PM on Wednesdays - make sure that this is clear to understand and see. You can even double down on timezones and repeat what timezone your 6PM is in. A fun fact You are not just timezones, experiences and preferences. You are a human being with a personality and thoughts. Perhaps you have a character concept that you would love to try out. A ranger that is afraid of trees, a wizard that is illiterate or a rogue that hates doing crime. Write a short introduction of that character - this will also give the DM an understanding on how you would approach the game. If you are not someone, who creates characters to store in your drawer, then this is perfectly acceptable. Many players create a character to fit the world/game they are going to join and craft it based on the lore and history of it. In addition to a pre-created character, you can list books, shows, movies that you enjoy (that could be seen as your theme or playstyle preferences). This will describe your type of fantasy to anyone reading. Love Discworld? Write it down. Not overly excited about lovecraftian horrors - understandable. Weak versus good bio: a comparison While these should be taken with a grain of salt, here are two approaches - one illustrating a superficial approach and one that shows that you put in some effort. That effort will be seen as a “green flag”. You show yourself as someone who is actually willing to put in the work when it comes to a game or crafting a great character that enhances the game. Weak bio “I want to play a rogue or a ranger. I’m free on the weekends.” Good bio “Hello. I am a 3-year veteran looking for a bi-weekly group on either Thursdays or Fridays (available after 6PM (GMT)). If life doesn’t unexpectedly come in the way, I am reliable and can commit to consistently showing up to on the game night. I enjoy character-driven games and social intrigue. In no way against combat but I would prefer to find a game with a stronger focus on the roleplay side of things. Very okay with games where our characters can die in reasonable scenarios. I am a huge fan of The Stormlight Archive series and The Kingkiller Chronicle.” These are general examples - not something you should be imitating almost word for word. But should be taken as a directing guide when you are creating or updating your profile. /images/general-media/1774870655_Tmq1TOe5.gifYou are all set now. Ready to be invited? Stop waiting for a miracle. Create your player profile now and let Dungeon Masters find you. Don’t forget to bump your post every day. You will see the button on your profile. Clicking on the bump button will move your profile to the top, increasing the odds that your profile stands out and gets noticed.

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.

Run the session. Loracle keeps the record. It listens in your Discord voice channel, writes the recap, builds a cross-linked wiki of everyone and everywhere your party touches, and posts the whole thing back to your table, usually before the last player has logged off. /images/general-media/1785073374_bb9Li6iE.webp The recap writes itself. Loracle transcribes each speaker separately and works out who said what — including which NPC you were doing the voice for. Then it writes the same four sections every week, so your table always knows where to look. It comes to you in Discord. Loracle is a Discord bot, not a website you have to remember to visit. The recap arrives in the channel where your table already argues about initiative order, and the campaign is queryable from that same message box. A wiki that builds itself. You have never once wanted to sit down after a session and write encyclopedia entries. Loracle does it from the transcript: every name that mattered gets a page, and every page knows about the others. Ask it anything. Six months of play is a lot of hours to scrub through. Ask the question the way you would say it out loud, and get the answer with a receipt attached. See the campaign from every angle. Session by session is only one view of a story. Loracle also gives you the shape of the whole thing — where the weight sits, what has gone quiet, and what is still owed a payoff. Your story stays yours. Everything Loracle writes about your campaign can leave with you, in formats you can actually use — and what you choose to show the outside world stops well short of your table’s private business. Links loracle.app - Loracle website loracle.app - Pricing

Fantasy Grounds Unity is a high-power virtual tabletop originally released in 2004 and completely rebuilt on the Unity engine in 2020. Developed by SmiteWorks, it is the industry pioneer of "automated play," where the software handles complex rules, modifiers, and combat math natively. In a massive industry shift in late 2025, the platform moved to a completely free-to-play model, removing the traditional $50 license fee to compete directly with modern browser-based rivals. Description Fantasy Grounds is often described as a "Digital Dungeon Master’s Assistant." It is a standalone application (not a browser site) that provides the most stable and deep automation available. While it has a more traditional, window-based interface that can feel daunting to new users, it rewards the "Power GM" with unparalleled control over combat and data. Since becoming free in late 2025, it has positioned itself as the premier "zero-cost" entry point for groups who want professional-grade automation without a subscription. System Overview & Key Features Native Ruleset Automation Unlike other VTTs that rely on community plug-ins, Fantasy Grounds features "Hard-Coded" automation for its primary systems. When a player drags an attack onto a target, the software automatically checks for cover, calculates the hit against Armor Class, applies damage, and tracks temporary hit points or resistances without any manual input. V5.1 Visual Intelligence The 2026 update introduced "Aggregated Notifications." Instead of scrolling through a wall of text in a chat box, combat results like damage, saving throws, and status effects now appear as elegant visual icons and pop-ups directly over the tokens on the map. 2.5D Tactical Mapping While it supports traditional 2D top-down maps, FGU includes a unique 2.5D camera mode. This provides a sense of depth and perspective to battlemaps, making the digital table feel more like a physical diorama with "placeable" 3D-like objects like trees and furniture. Total Offline Capability Because it is a localized application, you can prepare your entire campaign, build NPCs, and write story entries without an internet connection. Your data is stored on your hard drive, giving you total ownership of your campaign files. The Fantasy Grounds Forge FGU features an integrated marketplace and community portal called "The Forge." This allows GMs to browse and auto-install thousands of community-made extensions and themes that update automatically whenever the main software is launched. Cross-Platform Unity Engine Built on the Unity 6 engine (as of 2026), the software offers smooth performance on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It uses hardware acceleration to handle complex dynamic lighting, weather effects, and large-scale vision blocking for massive dungeon crawls. Additional links fantasygrounds.com : Official Fantasy Grounds website fantasygroundsacademy.com : Community-led training and free classes forge.fantasygrounds.com : Official community content and extension portal

Thirst of Strahd is a cinematic Dungeons & Dragons actual-play series from Str1ker, presenting a dark, sapphic reimagining of the legendary Curse of Strahdcampaign. Drawn into the mist-shrouded land of Barovia, three adventurers find themselves trapped in a realm of gothic horror, dangerous secrets, restless dead, and a vampire lord whose influence reaches far beyond the walls of Castle Ravenloft. As the party searches for a way forward, every alliance, sacrifice, and decision pulls them deeper into Barovia's mysteries. Blending character-driven roleplay, gothic horror, mystery, emotional storytelling, dark humor, and brutal encounters, Thirst of Strahd approaches tabletop roleplaying like an unfolding dark fantasy series. Its story focuses not only on terrifying monsters and cinematic battles, but also on the relationships, personal struggles, and choices of the characters trying to survive them. New episodes of Thirst of Strahd are released every Wednesday at 8:00 AM Central. Welcome to Barovia. The mists are waiting.