startplaying.gamesReviews of startplaying.games

Start Playing allows DMs to manipulate ratings and does nothing to attempt to protect players. I was booted from a paid campaign after 2 sessions with no discussion or warning from the DM and the response from Start Playing was essentially "the DM can do what they want"

im not going to provide my phone number of all things to a group that only response to things is gaslighting and isolation. I was approached by a player who wanted me to run games for them and players who felt there was a lack of DM's that was the first red flag. in signing up it initially seemed like paradise, as hell often does... they have created a microcosm of their own. they have some good "IDEAS" on what a "GOOD" player should be and what a "GOOD" DM should be. however like many middle level IQ PEOPLE their just intelligent enough to see a problem and just dangerous and arrogant enough to attempt forcing a solution, and with power comes abuse, and echo chambers while making a ass of themselves in the process, with a refusal to acknowledge that they generate disappointment from their peers for their hardline approaches that require more refinement, as there are abundant imbalances with their methodologies. with their obsession with whats inaccurate or correct perhaps a round of legal discovery is in order...

Even though i already run a number of games for groups at this time, I decided i could expand my base by signing up with StartPlaying. On the surface the application process appears benign, but there are aspects that show they're looking for certain ideological bent towards a particular modern audience. I ignored this and filled out the GM application. Despite over three decades of experience and my time working at game companies, I was told many of my answers (which did not lean left or right) were incorrect and I was being turned down, but I was welcome to stay and pay to play in other's games. I can see why this site is not growing quickly despite a lack of similar competitive models All I'm going to add to this is that I've professionally worked for companies like White Wolf, Wizkids Bigpoint and others. I have a comprehensive view of industry standards. I chose to answer most of the questions they asked based on their own wording, on their own website, and was informed I had numerous incorrect statements. They are not looking that will simply by gaming professionals. They are looking for people that meet a certain ideology (biased).

I heard of start playing from a lot of the DND content creators and wanted to throw my hat into the ring. A little background about myself I started playing DND 3rd edition and mostly run DND 5e now. I have catalogs of different boards on Talespire and I use Heroforge for the minis. Ive been the forever GM for 10 year and developed my own ways of deescalating situation.When I went to apply they said I answered the questions wrong on the application. I ask for a redo and still they said I did not answer again correctly. I used AI to see if they denied a professional response to these questions. this was their response: Hey there , After reviewing your application, it looks like you did not correctly answer all the questions. In the future, I would recommend that you thoroughly review any documentation that you are instructed to, and ensure that you understand each element, especially when it comes to questions on the Terms of Service for a site. This decision wasn’t easy, and is no way a reflection of your enthusiasm for tabletop games or dedication to the craft. We wish you the very best in your future adventures and hope you continue bringing great games to life for players everywhere! All I wanted to do was get more recognition for my work and have fun in the process

I did not like the fonts they use. They should fix that. There were some other issues too, but that was enough to get a one star review by itself.

I had a paid session that didn’t align with my expectations based on earlier gameplay. When I tried to leave a review describing that experience, it was removed twice, even after I revised it to be more neutral and factual. The stated reason was “inaccuracy,” tied to how the situation was interpreted rather than what occurred. As a result, I wasn’t able to leave a visible review reflecting my experience. If you’re using reviews to choose a GM, it’s worth considering how feedback is moderated and what may or may not appear publicly.

I have been out of RPG's for 20 years and had a yearning to try them again, my old group broke up and I never see any of them anymore so thought I would try Startplaying. I applied to join a Pathfinder 2 game that looked interesting as a beginner, two weeks later I received an expired application email having had no response whatsoever from the GM. If they can't be bothered to respond, they should be removed from the platform.

For the amount of cost the site takes from players just being a message board, the site charges too much. It doesn't help there's literally no vetting process if a GM is actually a voice actor, writer or whatever they claim to be. I have been lucky all of the GMs through the site were not terrible. Just most of the time they were not what they claimed to be. Avoid until they start playing with the truckloads of dollars they have in making the service better for players. I don't think they ever will.