Finding Teen D&D Groups Online: Everything Players And Parents Need To Know
We have been running online DND clubs for teens and tweens since 2020, so we have plenty to share with players and their parents about how online teen DND games work.
Online D&D games for teens are thriving. The rise of digital tools for teens playing Dungeons & Dragons online and popular shows streaming people playing the game lay the foundation for geek-minded teens to hop online during the pandemic and play games together. That’s how we got our start running a virtual D&D club for teens, as a way for our founder, therapist Katie Lear, to help her young clients feel less alone and build social connection without the support of in-person groups. Though the depths of the pandemic are over, online D&D groups for teens are more plentiful than ever, joined by libraries, Discord servers, online courses, game-finding sites, and more. If you’re a parent or teen hoping to find youth D&D games online we know a thing or two! In fact, we’ve written several blog posts breaking down what teen D&D online groups are, how online D&D classes for teens work, and how to find virtual D&D groups for teens. Here’s a highlight reel of what you’ll need to know.
Where Can Teens Play D&D Online?
Our YouTube video shares how to find teen DND groups online
The most difficult part of playing a teen D&D group online is the most difficult part of any D&D group: finding other people to play with. Our blog post and video go over the options for finding virtual D&D games for teens, from no-cost games of peers playing together to tracking down a professional Dungeon Master to run a session. We weigh the pros and cons of each option, including quality, safety, and consistency. We also discuss gathering places to meet other D&D players and form a group (like teens finding a D&D group on discord), places to find professional Dungeon Masters, different online D&D group finders, and which of these options require the least amount of schedule-wrangling for would-be players. Of course, we go through strategies to make sure your teen is playing in a true family-friendly group, the basics of an online D&D game, and how to evaluate a potential Dungeon Master.
How Do Teen D&D Clubs Online Work?
Our teen DND Discord groups use tools like virtual maps to play.
Finding an online D&D club for teens is all well and good, but what does playing the game virtually actually look like? For decades, Dungeons & Dragons was played at a physical table with paper, books, dice, and figurines. But since the dawn of the internet, enterprising nerds have created a bevy of tools for teen D&D games online. Our blog post and video share some of the basics. We explain how character sheets, once a physical piece of paper, can be created digitally, and offer some of our favorite options. We go through how thing like spell abilities, item descriptions, puzzle materials, and character art can be shared online and recommend easy ways to track down important in-game information. Finally, we share one of our favorite tools: virtual table tops, the internet’s answer to the giant map of tokens and minifigures splayed out on many a Dungeons & Dragons gaming table.
Getting Started with Online D&D Games For Teens
Youth DND clubs online use tools like digital character sheets to run their games.
Someone joining their first youth D&D club online has many important decisions to make. But first and foremost, they need to create their own character. The game has a lot of rules for character creation, which can be intimidating for first-time players. We crafted tutorials to help guide them through the process: a video tutorial to explain creating an online D&D character using the official D&D Beyond tool and a written tutorial to explain how to make a D&D character on a basic digital or physical character sheet. Both of them go through the key components of a character: what version of the game to use, character ability scores, character background, character species, character class, starting equipment, spells, and, of course, how to use your character sheet in a teen D&D game online.
Are Discord Teen D&D Groups Safe?
Teen DND groups on Discord can be a great way to play if they’re in a safe, monitored server.
This one’s for all the parents out there who are curious about Discord D&D groups for teens but aren’t familiar with Discord itself. It’s a popular gaming app built to connect players, but, like any online social tool, it comes with dangers. Our blog post goes through everything you need to know to make the right decision for your children. We go into the nitty-gritty of what Discord actually is and the features it offers (imagine that Zoom and Slack had a baby, and that baby didn’t have an office job and was more fun than either of its parents). We discuss the potential risks of kids and teens using Discord compared to the risks of other social-media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. But we also share the potential benefits of Discord for young people, from the organic ways it lets friends keep in touch to the ways it builds community to the refreshing lack of sponsorships and advertisements. Of course, we lay out all the perks of teen D&D games on Discord and give parents tools to make Discord safer, from the built-in privacy settings to the family features to our favorite third-party apps to help ensure your children’s safety.
How Can Teens Play D&D On Discord?
Some of our online teen DND clubs use Discord, which can be a very helpful tool.
If you decide that Discord D&D games for teens are right for you, we got you! Our blog post tells you everything you need to know to get started with a teen D&D Discord game for beginners. We clarify what Discord (and a Discord server) is and go through the key components of Discord servers for beginners, like text channels, voice channels, roles, and bots. We explain how to set up your own server specifically for D&D, complete with recommended channels and a video tutorial. We also recommend bots for teen D&D groups on Discord: these can roll dice, manage roles, moderate servers, record sessions, track in-game information, and even integrate with other tools like D&D Beyond!
Finding Safe Youth D&D Clubs Online
There are many options (and many factors to think about!) when searching for teen D&D groups online. And we would be remiss if we didn’t throw our hat in the ring! We’re Young Dragonslayers, a tween and teen D&D club online that brings together small, carefully matched groups curated with friendship and fun in mind. Led by our diverse team of professional facilitators, players enjoy immersive storytelling while feeling seen, supported, and part of a community. As you can see, we do a lot of thinking about how best to safely run youth D&D games online using the digital tools available. If you think Young Dragonslayers might be a good option for you, why not join the waitlist? We’ll reach out when our next round of games are starting, get a feel for the player’s preferences and needs, and even let them play a trial game to get a feel for how we do things. Join our waitlist below – we may soon see you on the other side of the screen!
