Keep Track of Potential Players with a Gamer Rolodex

I have a difficult time assembling a group for games I want to run. The problem is that most of the people I play with tend to prefer Game Mastering over playing. So do I. The players in my social group only have so much time to commit to gaming, and have no difficulty finding games to join, spreading my potential player base rather thin.

The obvious solution to this is to find new players. That’s certainly a possibility, and I do that as well, but given the choice I prefer to run games for people I already know.

And I know a lot of people, many of which would possibly play in games I run. I just keep forgetting about them. So I’ve devised a way to keep track of them. I call it the Gamer Rolodex.

What is it?

The Gamer Rolodex is basically an address book for everyone you know who plays roleplaying games even a little. You could use an actual Rolodex for this, but it would be far easier to just use an existing address book, or even create a special page template for your GM notebook.

In addition to basic contact information, each entry would include the player’s roleplaying experience, what games they like and dislike, what games you’ve played with them, and what days they might be available to game.

There’s an added benefit. Most Game Mastering books these days include an collection of player types or traits to help you determine what each player would like. Their entry in your Rolodex is a perfect place to keep track of this information.

Over time, you can create a rather detailed file on all the people you play games with. Sure, it’s creepy and stalker-esque, but it can also be very useful.

The Gamer Card

I came up with this idea as a supplement to the Rolodex. Essentially, it’s a business card, or a calling card, that includes some of the information above, that you give to people you might be interested in gaming with someday. Keep a few of these on you whenever you go to your local gaming store, or a local gaming convention, and hand them to the people you meet. This is a trend I’d love to see get started.

Call to Action: What methods have you used to keep track of potential players?  Or do you just wing it?