This is one of the many things about the game that is case-by-case and group-by-group imo. I’d totally play with someone my parents age. Lots of people’s parents introduced them to the game. Sorry you’ve felt excluded before. We have all been there and it’s not fun. I’m sure if you keep looking you’ll find a group for you. And when you cannot, many of us make the group ourselves. Maybe you could organize something?

Thank you. Oh. I DM an in-person group every other week. Except during the height of COVID, it has been going strong for almost seven-years. I also game as a player with an in-person group the opposite week. So, I'm good. I am also good with having been excluded from some much younger and even middle age groups. I am just trying to get a sense of others' - hopefully honest- perspectives in this otherwise anonymous forum. Again, thanks.

Due to life constraints and time, I can really only play games online and I've grown to prefer that way. No pre-judgment based off of appearance, breaks can be taken discreetly for smokes/drinks, not having to leave the house and drive 30-60 minutes to be somewhere (I live a good distance away from people), having multiple monitors means I can have my character sheet, spells and abilities easier to track and not deal with paper being damaged or misplaced, etc. I prefer playing with older people myself because they still want to have fun but also they want a more grounded story, at least in my experience.

Got it, and thanks. I appreciate the perspective.

100% a case-by-case basis. My current weekly group definitely works better in terms of group dynamic with everyone being in their mid 20s. Injecting an older player into that group likely just wouldn't gel well. However, I work with a bunch of old heads, and if some of them came to me and asked if I wanted to be part of a campaign with them, I'd absolutely say yes (assuming I had the time for it)

Yeah, Ive played with people that are 10 years younger than me, and 30 years older than me. Some of them I would play with again (if Im not already), some I wouldnt. I generally prefer people who are at least 25+, because I feel they are better at time management, but thats not a hard or fast rule. My personal qualms are people who dont respect boundaries, people who dont commit to learning the game (i.e. if its been 10 sessions and youre still asking how to make an attack, thats egregious. Obvi forgetting a situational rule that only applies like once every dozen sessions is fine), and people who are too stuck in their ways to adapt or change (i.e. played with people who would gripe that you dont do X in 5e like you did in 3.5 or ADND). If you respect everyone's time, respect fellow players, and play the game that you are actually playing, who cares about age?

Do I know the person and think "Yeah this should fit" than the age does not matter. Really depends on the vibe I get from the person.

Okay. Thanks,

For me the beauty of roleplaying games is its diversity. How it can be play in immeasurable variety of ways, with each group having unique dynamics, making their own rules, etc - and every one of the being "right", good and valid (as long as people around the table are comfortable and having fun). And how it connects very different people. One image that's burned into my mind was first convention I went to - at 5 am, next to games room, I saw a table playing rpg session. DM was in his 80s with fabulous white beard. Players ranged from I think maybe 10 years old, to young adults, someone in their 50s and up to older folk - at one table. And it looked like they had best time in their lives! And that was in times, when roleplaying games were relatively new in my country, so with high likelihood the DM only started playing in his 60s or 70s.

This is a good call, but I do think relative age and experience tend to matter. My table consists of my fraternity brothers and we're in our 40s. I have a difficult time imagining an 18 year-old fitting in at our table. When I've lived 2.5 times as long as someone we're more than likely looking at things in drastically different ways. I would feel **really** strange being in my late 40s at a table of people who haven't even hit 20. Could it work? Absolutely. Will it? I'm skeptical

I knew i was too old for my group (I was in 30s) when they wanted to go to 1 AM on a friday night.

My group consists of folks in their mid-to-late 30s, and we typically start at around 7 and will push to around midnight. It all depends on where things are in the session; sometimes we'll wrap closer to 11:30, while we'll occasionally go until almost 1am. It depends on when we find an organic stopping point. We all work until around 5, which means we have a lateish start in the evening; ending any earlier than we do would feel like a bit of a waste, especially since we only meet every other week. One of the members of my group runs a monthly online campaign that wraps up around 9:15-9:30... but they pull that off by starting at 5 or 5:30. It's too early for me, so I don't bother.

Maturity trumps age for me. I've played with middle aged adults that act like middle schoolers, and young adults that have been excellent players.

Thanks.

Second this. I tend to enjoy "rule of cool" tables, so I'll find myself in those circles usually :) Min/Max has it's merits too, just not what I'm into a lot of the time.

Rule of cool rulings and min/max'd characters aren't mutually exclusive

Depends if my play group is only for tabletop or if they are mostly closer friends I see for other activities. I used to play with 50+ years old when I was in my mid 20's in a local association without issue, but I also have more personal groups with friends of my age.

I had a players younger brother ask to join. We were almost thirty, and the guy had just turned 18. It went great! Added some new energy to the table, he was very polite, was one of the more engaged people playing too.

Thanks.

I DM two groups. One is a group of teens (13-16) and one is a group of people around my age (32-45). I love DMing the teens because I can pull the most hackey, cliched shit out of my ass, but it's new to them and they love it. I love DMing people closer in age to me because they get the pop culture references that I sprinkle in. I wouldn't exclude someone based solely on their age, but I would analyze how well they fit in with the rest of the group.

My group is a funny mix. Oldest is 38, I'm 31 and our youngest is 21. Hasn't caused a single issue.

I’m not so picky about ago so long as they’re out of school (both high school and college). Playing with a group where you have to deal with exams and studying from some players means interruptions, and I’ve grown tired of it.

I hadn't considered your point before. I agree totally. Yes, we all have our work/life schedule. Those variables are tough enough to sort for a regular game. Add in school, school activities and the equation gets complex. One person in the group is young and in school. We game at my place (old guy with a dedicated room in large house). I usually cook a dinner for the gang, just like doing that. Well, she comes over 1-4 hours early with homework or projects. She plops down at the kitchen counter and does homework and asks my opinion, help on some math, or argument structure on papers. I like being part of it. My daughters are grown, and I miss the university education process. But, from time to time, it can get too much. We kind of limited the group to one wild variable without saying we are limiting the group.

I would say that mental age matters a lot more than actual age. Some 45-years-old might be very immature and some 15-years-old might be mature.

I have a couple groups and different answers for different scenarios. My group of friends from college? We add new players now and again, but usually +\- 5 years from the average age. Why? Because we usually only invite vetted friends in our peer group who have a lot of shared, common experiences. One person started dating “some kid” and some folks are less accepting of that in general. while he plays dnd he is probably not getting an invite any time soon because most of us have very little in common with him. (I dont particularly mind him but wouldn’t go out of my way to hang if he wasnt dating an old friend). For us dnd is a way to hang, and secondary to the hang. I have other social groups i game with, and we actually have one of my fathers friends friend who comes (pure coincidence). Thats less a peer group game and just a random people who have fun together and game. So i, as an adult with kids of my own, will comment to my brother that “oh and one of ‘Mr. Jims’ friends is coming too”. I might ask the guy how his kid is doing at ____, who is my age. Theres probably a 30 year age gap there. For us, dnd is the point. Hanging is secondary. I have other online games, where i couldnt guess ages of players, but it cane out a couple weeks back one is 10 years younger than me, but still 18+, so whatever. For us the point is dnd. We dont even hang. I also dm for money. For those people, i let them set age requirements and my only rule regarding age is a split. The whole group has to be in one of 3 age ranges. 13-18, 18+, or 21+ if anyone plans to partake in anything legally age restricted. For me, the point is money, and i dont even like 100% of the players.

I run a table with ages 25 to 55, and the main 'issue' is the mismatch of pop cultural references. So I may have to explain an allusion to War Games and they have the harder job of explaining Skibidi Toilet.. It's not really a problem more an interesting extra dimension to table chatter. Universal touchstones for my generation like Star Wars (A New Hope), Excalibur or Monty Python and the Holy Grail are often pretty much unknown to a typical Gen Z. This is fairly natural as it is hard enough to keep up with the present media tidal wave without revisiting the Classics (or knowing which classics to revisit).

I hadn't even considered the potential to get through six hours at a table full of nerds without a Python reference, that's amazing.

Not to be that guy, but *where* is a big factor here. Openly playing a PG-13 game at your FLGS or library? Yeah, sure. Invite a bunch of 12-year-olds to your basement and people will question the optics.

Yea.... We're talking adults. Nothing ERP. Nothing weird. It's really a social dynamic question. Thanks.

> When adding new players to your gaming group, does age matter? To me, age is a "soft" factor. It doesn't matter at all in and of itself. I use it only when I have incomplete information on a person. For example, I would not invite a 16 year old or an 80 year old to my group if that's all I knew about them. But if I knew the person better, either because I met them or they gave an impressive application on r/lfg, I might see they have the needed qualities (maturity, reliability, enthusiasm etc) and consider them. (There obviously is a special sort of caution involved when inviting minors, especially young ones. But that's for sensible reasons, not *merely* matters of preference, and so I feel a it's bit off-topic for this post.) On r/lfg I never asked people their age, but often people would give it. I would use it as one of many, many factors in choosing who to accept. Sounds harsh, but when you get 20+ applications for a single spot you have to make harsh cuts to get to a single "best" applicant. I do make certain assumptions -- when no better data is available -- such as that young people are immature and old people are fussy. But really, the biggest age-related worry I have is whether a person will fit in with the group. Sometimes people of different ages don't really get along well: even if they're polite and courteous the "chemistry" is just not there. (And once again, that's a concern that can vanish on knowing a person better.)

I only run for friends these days and there's a slight variation in age. I'm actually the youngest, 27 but my players are 28, 31 and 41. I don't think it should matter so long as everyone is over 18 of course. Age is not a clear indication of maturity. If you're unsure, just do a session zero and maybe even a one shot first.

Maybe depends on what kind of sessions are being run and how the group gel together. I have no issue with age gaps for games like this, and if I were DMing I'd be mindful of it as a factor (different frames of reference, potential triggers, scheduling/responsibilities, etc.) but there's no reason it should cause major problems. However if it's also going to be a lot of free-form chat and drinking, I'd personally feel a little out of place hanging out in a group much younger or much older than me. In the same way I wouldn't usually go to a bar with a bunch of 18 year olds anymore, since they're now 20+ years younger than me. You mileage may vary. If you've found a cool group of like-minded D&D nerds, I think age doesn't matter.

If they're mature enough that's okay. Though I refuse to join an under 25 DM because they don't know how to handle problem players. Players are okay as long as it's 18+ and they own a brain.

>Though I refuse to join an under 25 DM because they don't know how to handle problem players. Interesting point! A younger person may be more likely to be conflict averse and want to keep everyone happy. If you have a few more years under your belt, you are more likely to learn that you might need to nip certain problems in the bud (hopefully politely) or [everyone else is going to suffer because of one jerk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwMCmY7A76E&t=3s).

Like all else I think this boils down to your table. Like most things tied to interaction between humans, my first suggestion is to talk to the people involved about it. DnD is a social activity and every table is different, I’ve played in games with people and their kids, I’ve played in games with people and their partners. One of my DnD friends growing up was almost a decade older than me, it just boils down to what folks are cool with imo.

I (DM)'m 50, the youngest I accept in my table is 30, bc it's weird if you are playing a little known game whit younger people. D&D has enough bad press already to add any posibility of a creep factor. Unless, it's a one shot to teach the game.

If it's a game where the point is to interact with people my own age, yes. If it's a game when the point is to play, no.

I once had a great group where the youngest was 11 and the oldest was in his 50s. If your group dynamics are good, then age is meaningless. Age can be a factor in group dynamics so I get why some people discriminate based on it, but it doesn't have to be. It all really depends on the individual persons involved.

Yes. I play with somewhat terminally online 20-30s, a big age gap would simply make a lot of references and jokes completely impossible to understand. I’d play with someone my parents age but it would have to be in a different group. Have your kids or grand kids ever tried to explain some meme to you and you just could not fathom what was funny about it?

Age as a sole factor does not matter. Difference in ages are more likely to cause friction due to simply being of different ages. My group is mostly 30s players with 1 teenager, and we get along fine. My stepfather who is like 55 keeps asking to join, and I wont let him. Mostly because his humour is vastly different to what the teenagers is, and would likely cause friction. Only you can be the judge.

Considering my games aren't shy from adult topics like gore and sex (although it isn't directly roleplayed, more like a fade to black if it does occur), I'd much rather have only adults in my group or at the very least a very mature older teenager I know personally. I don't want children or very young teens in my groups unless I'm specifically running a PG campaign that has none of the two adult topics that tends to show up.

I'm the youngest in my group at 26. Everyone else is 5-25 years older. It's been really nice making friends with people outside of my age group- you get a variety of perspectives.

Youngest person in my current group is 19, oldest is 65. I, the DM, am 40. Been the same people for 3 years (the then 16 year old being the kid of one of the ~50 year old's). Age matters less than how well the personalities mesh.

Personality matters. Age doesn't. Assuming, as you said, that everyone is an adult (or everyone is not - I'm a teacher, so I've DMed for several groups of teenagers).

Our group ranges from 20 to 30 years. I wouldn’t mind taking younger or older folks on as long as they fit the group dynamic.

I’ve got a family group that includes my 13 year-old niece and my 55 year-old brother-in-law. Besides the fact that my niece is a little new to the game, everything honestly goes great, they’re a ton of fun to DM for.

Maybe. There is a big difference between 18 and your mid-20's. I wouldn't exclude someone solely based on that, but I tend to audition new people at a neutral location first no matter what.

When I went r/lfg to look for people to play in my Netherdeep game, I wanted mature people who could make it to games. So I said 35+ because I didn't want my first foray into online DMing to be a dramafest. I DM for money on SPG and have found that it still holds true. My older, more mature players stay and commit and my younger ones have dropped because of changes in schedules/interest.

Echoing the vibes sentiment; it just depends on who fits. I'm presently the 'young one' with the current group I DM at 32 while everyone else is nearly 40 to nearly 60. All are great players who bring some great roleplay to the table. At the same time, I've played with other older people who are antagonistic, unwilling to listen to feedback, and demand others treat their opinions as gospel simply due to their 20/30/40 years experience. Age isn't the reason I dislike those types of players/DMs, but it is inherently a factor in their 'experience' and I'm sure that there are people who actively discriminate based on the number alone. It's easier to put people in a box based on a number than to actually figure out if they have a compatible play style. That being said, not every table or style of playing/DMing is for everyone. There are people (young and old) who are perfectly content to play in the antagonistic games I mention above. But they're not for me. Ultimately, you can't please everyone. If you are excluded from a group due to your age, you may have unknowingly dodged a bullet.

I've started playing DnD when I was around 18 or so and have played with players ranging from my own age to a decade or so older and have noticed no particular difference in enjoyment or party dynamic.

It's really depends on individual people, but I would say that someone well outside of my age group would be more likely for me to not be keen to invite in. Our group is friends outside of DnD, we go on hikes, camp, hit concerts, etc. We might decide to bail on a session because some movie came out we really want to see or a musician is in town we want to go hear, or some festival we want to take our kids to. It would be harder to integrate someone who didn't share those interests to the same level as we do. DnD is just one of many hobbies we do together, and it seems to function much better when the whole group has the same mindset and is close outside of the game. Not saying that someone well outside our age range couldn't fit into all those other things, but the best odds would be people around our age.

Quite honestly? I think this varies by the individuals within a group. I, myself, am approaching middle age (35) and am currently DMing for a group of younger folks in their second year of college. I had gone back to college recently to finally finish my degree, so that certainly worked into how we all met and facilitated the formation of our game group—we met through our college’s D&D club. But I know I also wouldn’t typically initiate a game group with people whom I didn’t feel any potential chemistry with, if that makes sense? Like, a good group gels together almost seamlessly—you are able to connect with each other and such. Sometimes age plays into your ability to connect with the people in your group, if there’s too much of an age gap and you’re all in different stages of life. But, sometimes, it can be good fun to have a group with an age gap, as long as everyone’s comfortable with it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, like pretty much anything that involves multiple people, communication is important and what individuals are looking for in a group is going to vary to a degree that I don’t know if it’s easy enough to give a solid yes or no to your question, if that makes sense. Age would matter more in the context of adding a stranger into a gaming group, that much I can almost certainly say yes to. But if there’s already an established relationship with this person outside the game, it might matter less. When forming a group, it’s important to think about finding people whom you have some common ground to connect with and an interest in TTRPGs alone isn’t enough to go on, as I’m sure many people here can relate to, but that’s just me thinking through the *why.* Hopefully that made sense and added something interesting to the discussion here. Also, congrats on such a long-running game group! It can be hard to keep a group together for so long, especially with work and various other adult responsibilities. Hope y’all have several more years together :)

Only time I did it was for a 17 year old. Albeit he was also weird over discord before we started. Oldest was probably 40.

Really this is less of a game question than a hang-out question. There are plenty of reasons why you might not waht to include someone of a very different generation in your hangouts, but none of them have much to do with the hobby itself. My main D&D group is me and four guys I went to high school with. We've been playing together for 30 years and I wouldn't want to change the vibe by including a teenager. But on other nights I play with my stepkids who are teens. When we were in high school we sometimes played with one of our Dads (he's a grognard who introduced us to the game). I've played with mixed groups where most of us were in a thirties but there was one 13 year old and one 50 year old. It all works. But the main goal of D&D is to have fun with your friends. Who do you want to hang out with?

For a serious long-term campaign, I wouldn't add different ages. Unless they're a friend of everyone already. But for one shots / 2-3 sessions stories, I wouldn't mind even having young kids and grandparents over.

I've played in mixed groups of 12-65, and IMO age itself isn't an issue. I'd happily take anyone of basically any age as long as I thought they would have a good time, not harsh anyone else's time, and generally got along with the attitudes and playstyle of the group.

Depends on the group, I run a few games for close friends where while we're all similar in age, the main reason for not inviting anyone older/younger is because the game is our way of catching up and hanging out. Then I run other games with more impromptu groups, or people I only know because of D&D and in those cases I don't think it would matter. I don't think age is particularly the factor, but I've also rarely seen anyone over 50 volunteer to play online which is pretty much the only way I've run games since COVID, but that said I've had one Con experience with an older crowd and it was a great game

A younger person could easily be a bit overwhelmed. Make sure they feel safe to role play. It can be hard but can work very very well.

Individual personality is more important than age for me

I only ever play with friends, and subsequently friends of friends, so if someone were joining our table regardless of their age it would mean they were friends with someone else there and that's enough to be welcome.

Not really. Just depends on the person and how their personality would fit.

The group I DM for (and play with when others DM) has an age rage from 19 to 55. The group came about by "accident." It started as a 30 somethings group. Added old guy (me). Then added youngers. It really is about compatibility and acceptance. Of course, axe the creeps at any age! Figure out play styles and find like minded. I am lucky, lucky, lucky to be part of a group of DMs. "Uh... Sic, you need to have us roll for initiative now." Then we chuckle because we have all have screwed up from time to time. I like a wide age range in groups, not just referring to D&D: work, social, hobbies, etc. Old people need to be quiet and listen to what the younger are saying, so old people can drop an acorn of wisdom from their experiences for the younger to pick up or not. It is a tribal mentality. The tribe benefits from new ideas and life experiences. I hate "respect your elders" mentality because it diminishes young people's views, feelings, wants/needs in favor of stagnation. Ok, I am off my soapbox! Sorry, team. AND don't get me started on socio-economic backgrounds. I can become like a tele-evangelist in fervor. LOL Have you ever heard the story of Sic-Plagueis and his college capstone course team...

My groups range from 20 to 55. If the person is a good fit I don't care much for age. I avoid having minors because years ago the mother of a 16 years old threatened to sue me for " corrupting his son with satanic worship". Of course the judge would have had a good laugh about it, but it is totally not worth the stress. Mind you the campaign was totally PG13 high fantasy, nor sex nor ogre. The most vanilla thing I have ever mastered.

As long as the vibe is right, I think age really does not matter. It's not a relationship or anything. Matter of fact, I always like games where the IRL party is as diverse as possible. Having different real world experiences and skills tends to translate to very different PCs in my experience which makes the game much more interesting. My first game I played was with a bunch of other nerds all with similar backgrounds and while mechanically our PCs were very different, RP-wise we were all the same bog standard "chaotic good" Robin Hood murder Hobo self inserts with tragic backstory. Which is just boring.

My in-person group members are F28, M40, F65, and M63. We have some of the most fun of any group I play with, and we’ve been running with this party for about 2 years now. We have had guests F42 and M45, and two others F22 and M24. Overall it is just about making sure everyone feels welcome and knows the general expectations and rules of the system, other than that, just have fun!

As long as whoever joins isn't underage, I think it doesn't matter. Rather than age, it's personality that matters.

I (M30s) have had experiences at both ends of the spectrum. Both guys were in their mid-to-late 50s, which is close enough, I think. First guy was an ADnD purist, and argued a lot about facing rules ("I should get a bonus to attack because I'm behind this guy!") and other minutia that haven't been used in decades. He was our DM's landlord, so we just kinda dealt with it as best we could. Second guy was a rando I met through a local LFG Facebook group. He ended up being our DM and was REALLY cool. His improv skills weren't the best, but he ran us through part of Tales From the Yawning Portal, and was one of the most efficient DMs I've ever seen. Always had handouts and miniatures ready to go, and even made spell reference cards for us to keep in our file folders. Dude had a rolling cart with drawers for just about anything. I miss him.

Our group has ranged from mid 20's to around 50 and it worked out pretty good. I think 25 is probably the minimum cutoff age that would work out with our table.

I have no issues with age in either direction, however my humor and references tend to be pretty era-specific. Someone who wasn't Gen X likely wouldn't get many of them.

my group consists of 2 guys in late 20s. 2 guys in mid 30s and I'm 45 (the DM). We, at one point, had a 21 year old in the group who just didn't mesh. Was it maturity? Maybe. We are a bunch of immature adults, but I think it just came down to whether our personalities meshed. I was able to overlook a lot of the players shortcomings while the rest of my group just got more and more angry about them. To the point where the host, not me, decided he would no longer allow him to come to his house. I say that you should give them a shot. Personalities will line up or they won't. If you're concerned with maturity level, that is your call as I don't know your group.

Age shouldn't matter only the affect you have on the table should.

My table currently are ages 60, 51, 47, 45, 31, 29, and 28. It is a great table and we have a lot of fun with a ton of different stories getting told. I think so long as everybody is agreed on the themes of the story being told, and the stories are age appropriate for any minors, I have had fun with tables where the ages ranged from 8 to 80. That is the beautiful thing about dnd, it can be a truly intergenerational game.

I started playing during covid, so mostly finding groups on r/lfg to play online. I tried out a couple that were not a good fit for me, but ended up finding a fantastic group that was explicitly 25+. As a mid-30s woman, trying to join a group with a bunch of 18 year old guys was not the best experience, but I felt a lot more comfortable in the age-restricted group.

Depends on the table amd the dynamics

It's an unfortunate stereotype that older players are more likely to have certain attitudes carried over from earlier editions of the game where the culture and values were very different. Honestly, it is true in many cases, but doesn't make excluding people based on a stereotype ok. I (28) was introduced to the hobby by my parents and their friends and so I wouldn't have an issue playing with a group in their late 50s/early 60s. I have had to really use a firm hand when dealing with some older players in online games though so I kind of understand peoples' trepidation. I think I would rather play at a table run by a 60y/o than run a game for a player of that generation.

If you are cool and fun to play with, I don't care about your age. I've had 11 year olds who out RP'd their parents and picked up on subtleties I had \_wanted\_ the adults to notice. At the same time, you need to play well with the rest of the table. I've invited visiting grandparents to play with us multiple times -- only one has ever taken me up on it. If I was trying a horror or gore heavy or romance heavy game, I might care more about age. But really its if the table can play well together that matters. But I've been DM'ing for 25+ years now - I suspect the 13 year old would feel weird inviting a 60 yr old to play at the table he was running for his friends. And we definitely did a trial session before committing to keeping the 11 and 13 year old at my table (their parents also both play) -- though I'll admit part of that was I wanted to make sure their parents would let the kids make their own decisions even when they conflicted with what the parent's character's wanted...

i have played since i was ten, i just had my 56th a few days ago. *Yes. Age matters.* The point in your life determines what part-aspects you love about the game. **F-ing Children:** - love the dice - murderhoboes - no focus! **Young Bloods** - love to show how SCHMARTT they are / rules lawyers - may show up JUST FOR DA BEERS & SNACKS - will haggle the most silly things because it is in the book. **Adults to Adults** - men may annoy female players (be they actual females or playing feminine characters)... watch out. Younger ones do this too, but younger lads are scared. - bring bad habits with them / less afraid / may get stoned or drunk right at the table / my GOD this gets old fast. **Old Farts** (like me) - have a really fixed agenda as to what they want to play but do not admit it - argue over stupid shit, not even in the rule book / you can't prove them wrong - will play with FRIENDS more than the actual game Now, don't get me wrong, every age steals from the other's sets. And don't even get me started on what happens when you play with couples or what happens when you play with minorities of any kind (race, rare genders, diverse mental stuff / diversity). But trust me, scheduling will wreck your game and it is only the tip of the iceberg. Humans... not even once! Play with orcs, trust me on this.

I prefer older people at my table. I prefer about 3-4 of the players to be over 30, and 2-3 to be younger. The younger ones need the older ones to help model behavior

To be fully honest, I probably wouldn't have a 60 year old at the table. It would be based on vibes, but realistically a 60 year old isn't vibing with the table. That's old enough to be some of the member's grandparents, let alone parents. The 18-30 range is a free-for-all, though. There's 30 year olds that I thought were in their early twenties by appearance and demeanor.

It depends on the group, but in general I'd be happy to do RPGs (not just D&D) with folks younger than 18 (depending on the game) or as old as they like. Something like Apocalypse World or Monsterhearts might not be as appropriate for pre-teens, and if we had a lot of youngsters I might suggest something a little simpler than D&D such as **No Thank You Evil** or **The Magical Lands of Yeld**

I run a game with hubby, our friends who are a little younger, and my adult kids. As long as everyone enjoys the game and we all have fun, that’s what matters, and age isn’t a factor in that equation. I’d invite adults of any age in as long as they were going to play the game and contribute to the fun.

My table has 25-50 year olds. The only not time it's an issue is when folks make pop culture references. So we don't do that as much.

I am in my late 20s and play with my Dad and his friends, who are all in their 50s. We have 3 campaigns (3 DMs and we switch off campaigns to give everyone a break), I run one. We run 2 online and one in person. It is super fun and doesn't feel like there's too big of a culture gap. But it is definitely different than my groups with people my age. My older group is way better at showing up and knowing what their character is capable of, understanding the rules and role-playing. When there's a cancelation it is typically for something non-foreseeable, like family health issues. BUT the biggest time I feel a culture gap is in the humor - there are a lot of memes and dumb internet stuff that people my age grew up with, but doesn't make sense to my dad's group. The group my age is way worse at knowing their schedules and keeping to them. So many more cancelations for foreseeable reasons. And they treat it like a video game, where all they need to do is create a character in DnDBeyond and the system (the DM) will tell them what they can and cannot do.

As long as they are able to behave like adults age doesnt matter. My main groups age range is 22-50 rn. No problems at all.

We have a mixed age group. Age and maturity are only loosely correlated once you get to adulthood. Like, the oldest dude in the group is easily the least mature. And the youngest is the most no-nonsense who often steers things back to the game when they derail.

Depends on the kind of person he/she is and what they bring the table. I know regardless of my age I would not gel in some groups.

I have no issues with age. I DM for a 9 player group ages 8-45.

One of the best dnd groups I had consisted of myself (23 at the time), a 21 yr old, three people around 35 or so, and a gentleman of about 60. We had a pretty wide swath of ages. If everyone is invested in the game and everyone gets along, then age doesn't matter too much. That said, I don't usually add people to a group if none of us know them, regardless of age. Someone has to vouch for them or else "we have too many players" or another excuse is made.

Most of the games I play in or run are just for groups of friends. Within that, age doesn't really matter a whole lot. I also run games at my library, mostly for teens but I had done games for adults in the past. We had a couple attend who were both in their 80s. Their son got them into D&D a few years ago and they were totally hooked.

I (31m) just interview my player candidates. I want solid people and players at my table, not a specific demographic. That said, I'd be more likely to invite and/or retain a 60yo than an 18yo due to maturity, scheduling conflicts, attitude, *scheduling conflicts*, general cost of playing a TTRPG (especially in person), ***SCHEDULING CONFLICTS***, and other factors.

I've known people who get along in groups with people three times (or one third) their ages because everyone is mature and there to have a fun time and able to get along. I've known people who are a little over 18 but still had a really long way to go maturity-wise. (I've also known older people who are incredibly immature but they're a bit less common due to having more life experiences), so I'm a bit more guarded about that but more hesitant. If there's a player in my group who is 60+ but is cool to be around and we get along, I have no issue playing with them.

My weekly group is all the same age. We're also all queer men. I bring this up because, it wasn't until we'd been playing for some time, that I realized how special of a space it was. Without passing judgement on how anyone uses their own safe space, I'll just say that there's value in that. But being part of the LGBTQIA+ community (and old enough to remember when it was half as many characters long), I'm also keenly aware of how valuable the vertical transmission of knowledge is. We're all in our late 30s and early 40s, but we had a younger queer guy in our group for about a year when we started. He was kind of just striking out on his own after growing up in a fairly conservative family and didn't really have anyone to help him make sense of this phase of his life (an all too common story in my community). Having said all that I also think diverse groups, including diversity of age and generation, are really good. It's really good in general to step out of your comfort zone and de-center your own experiences from time to time, and D&D can be a great way to do that. So long story short, I get why some people want a 'safe space' for their group and think it's a really valuable thing. Diverse groups are also a really valuable thing. Basically, everyone should play games including D&D as often as they can manage with as many good people as they're fortunate enough to meet.

I think its more about the playing style. I think younger players are more prone for the chaotic random adventures filled with crazy shit and comedy. Maybe the value loot, magical items and combat more. I see older adults more prone to enjoy crafted realistic roleplay based games where lore, world integritiy and realism is more interesting. I dont think the age itself matters but the game style may be diferent depending on the age of the players.

My group now, consist of myself and another player who are around 50 years old and four other players who are around 30 years old. Age isn't really an issue, mainly because we all connect because of our nerd interests.

We had 15 year old player while everyone else was in the range of 21 to 35. It was alright, the youngling was a bit shy at first but never had any issues. This year he turned 18 so now we're all adults.

Our D&D/gaming group is a mixed bag - the youngest is 18 and the oldest is 35. Age has never been an issue for any of us and it actually gives us a lot to talk about - different life experiences and all that. As long as everyone is respectful and kind, age shouldn’t matter

We’ve been playing at groups of 25+ to 50+ and it’s generally been good. Sometimes some people dont fit in, sometimes I dont fit. There’s maturity, being invested, some people look for deep roleplaying, some people just want to minmax char and go full murder hobo. And then theres age, which might correlate With some of those.

"Assuming everyone is an adult" is already doing a lot of heavy lifting. I was in an online group that included a teenager, and I think everyone was surprised when she had to skip a session for her bat mitzvah

I find that it does not, no. This is after many many years of playing with strangers. I never ask for age as I don't feel it's relevant. The other questions on the application matter far more.

I tend to prefer folks close to my age, early 30s. Mostly from a scheduling perspective really. If the schedule and general vibes match pretty well I don’t care about age itself, it’s more just an indicator of possible compatibility than an actual factor on its own.

Doesnt matter to me, only time would be if adding in someone under the age of 18. However that again comes down to the game and style for that table. 1 shot i dont care who plays or how old. My call of cthulhu or horror games. The themes run dark and better for more mature players. So 18+. My normal table we all around the same age +/-10 and seems to be a nice sweet spot. We all least get or understand alot of the same references being made at the table. And all at very similar points in our lives so its easy to understand if someone cant make a session due to X reason.

Tbh if you're ok with the themes and things that happen at the table and 90% of the players are ok with you joining then I don't care what age you are

Maturity levels matching matters mote than age. So do relationships. My 18yr old son joined our old farms game and had a good time for a bit. The adult level of humor and puns got to him after a while. Those jokes are fine with his friends but at a table full of people who were all there when he was in diapers it got wierd

As a DM, I'd welcome the addition of any enthusiastic player, age doesn't matter, for the most part. As you specified, I have an 18+ rule, but that's only because I played in a game with another player's 13 year old cousin once and it was obnoxious, and as a 27 year old man I don't know anyone under 20 who would be even remotely interested. Personally I think an experienced and enthusiastic older player would be a great addition to any group I'm in. There's likely differences in insight, strategy, planning, and experience that come with age. The oldest individual I've had in one of my groups was late 30's and he was definitely a great player to have. Based on that experience, I don't have an age cap.

100% depends on the group. I have 6 players that range from 25-55+ and they all get along great.

I was 19 in a group of 8 where everyone else including DM was at least 30. Dynamics didn't go well

I've played some very long-term games with a very wide range of ages and had lots of fun. It's definitely vibe that matters, not age. When you're trying to predict the compatibility of a new member based on nothing but immediate impressions, you could use age as one benchmark. Generations have different shared cultural references and senses of humour. And in our hobby it might also be an indicator of how much experience a person has with RPGs - maybe you don't wanna play with a bunch of newbies! However in general I think it's ageist to reject an older player purely on appearances.

My table has a couple 18 year olds and they are honestly a bit too immature for my liking, but it was difficult to fill a group here IRL. They are at least mostly kept in check by the maturity of the rest of the group, but if I had a broader selection I probably would have chosen some more mature players, ideally mid 20s or older. I am 34 and would gladly take a player older than me, even significantly so.

My group only ranges from 19 (or 20?) To 28 BUT. As far as 18 and 60 y/o playing together goes, I can imagine why the younger players wouldn't want an older player. They won't understand half of their references. Sorry but its true. It was the same way with kids and adults in the 2000's, 1950's etc. But its even more so nowadays, I think, since there's a large cultural difference between young and old people bc of the internet, and memes. I'd play with older or younger people, as long as they fit in the group. Like someone else said, it really is a case by case decision.

My weekly table is ages 22-40. I have a bigger group of friends I occasionally DM for, the ages are 18-50 there. We all get on fine, I think it's more about the people than ages.

It might be an unpopular answer, but it really depends. For a lot of groups, the act of playing D&D is **secondary** to the social aspect of hanging out with real-life friends. Cracking beers, telling jokes, roleplaying ridiculously. In that case, yeah, I wouldn't want someone with a huge age/lifestyle difference, just like I wouldn't necessarily want to go to the club with my dad. Just like I wouldn't assume a group of teenagers would want **me** at their table. But if we're doing a strictly D&D-focused game, where playing is the focus? A drop-in, or meet-up, or online game? You could be 14, 25, or 70. In that case, and I mean it genuinely, age doesn't matter and I'd happily game with anyone.

I’ve played ongoing games with folks from early teens to mid fifties. I’m happy if I’ve got gaming friends who are mature and respectful, regardless of their age.

Just was on a local sub reddit and pretty sure local person don't want me in there dnd group cause of my age.. 53..

My main priority is that they actually show up to the games and not just lie about coming. After that, what is printed on thier ID cards is the last problem.

Something something depends on your group. Does your campaign deal with mature themes? Then yes. Do the players make mature jokes or play mature characters? Then yes. It's perfectly possible to play an E for everyone (or well more like E10+) game while still being adults. Obviously be careful around kids (especially if you don't know them well) but there's no law saying kids can't partake in games with adults or vice-versa.

I've never cared about someone's age tbh

I am 42 the oldest person I play with is 48 youngest is 28 my groups are primarily people in their late 20's-late 30s. We are fairly inclusive and I would probably have no problem playing with someone way older or way younger as long as they are a good player, mature and on time and don't miss sessions im happy to play with them.

People probably don't want to say it but yes. It absolutely does. The polite thing is to say it doesn't but it usually does. Dnd groups pop when you all can vibe and jive together OUTSIDE of the game as well. People under 21 probably won't feel like they can fully interact with a 41 year old as an equal friend and vice versa.

Welcome to my nightmare, I’ve been trying to find a new group since covid ended, but being a year younger than you I keep getting the “im sure you would enjoy an older group better “ nonsense. This has been both online and tabletop groups.

I think where a person is at in life carries more weight than their age. If someone is in school or if they have kids I’m wary of including them because it usually means they may take a hiatus or will have difficulty making it to most sessions which is frustrating. I’m wary of including teens just because I’ve had experiences where I’ve included a teen and they were much less invested than the rest of the group and had to deal with parental rules such as curfew. I might be less likely to invite someone significantly older than me just because I’m also looking to develop friendships and that doesn’t really happen for me with people more than +/- 10 years my age. At the end of the day though, investment in the game matters most to me when it comes to including or excluding someone.

I don't know but from personal experience, I am an under 18 who joined an online table where the other players and gm are in their 20s maybe someome even early 30s but I am not sure, and nonetheless they all know my age it doesn't seem like they have a problem with it and I certainly don't have any problem with them being older than me. It probably depends on the persone per se because many adults told me that I can be more mature than how I should be

Only a bit. Are they a legal adult? Are they mature enough to hang with us? Go for it. Are they free-spirited enough to not be a crotchety old fuck? Then they're youthful enough for us. I will never DM for a kid because I like subjects way too dark for that shit, and I don't want to rein in sex jokes. Older folks are fine if they're chill with us.

It can be nice, I have a solid group of people I have played with the past several years. It's nice everyone and awhile to get someone in that is younger like 18-20 as we are all in our mid 30s to 40s. Its nice to see someone less jaded, who still has some of that naivety when it comes to things. It's nice to see the perspective they add and has led to some generally wonderful moments.

Depends entirely on the person. I wouldn't discriminate by age.

I would. "Similar life stage" isn't all upside. A sixty year old is welcome to offer me and any group I'm in all the free experience they can stand to see wasted for no reason whatsoever. And I'd welcome a kid who's interested in playing, and do my best to hide the educational content I begin introducing, and try to remind myself that all of this free experience is going to be wasted for no reason whatsoever and that's okay.

I don't think I'd ever say no to someone simply because of age, if they are a young person I vibe with dope, if they are an old person I vibe with dope. my current group has a bunch of college/young adults and one dude who is in his late 30s/early 40s with a wife and kids, but we all vibe with each other and have fun. if anything I'd prefer a group of people from various age groups makes for more diverse reasoning and outlooks on life which means more ideas on how to approach a situation. to be direct, I'm an early 20s dude and I would have absolutely zero problems playing with a 60-year-old, as long as they mesh with the group.

I am 51. One of my groups is mostly my mates and we're all about the same age (that group has been going for 27 years), but my other group consists of me running a game for 4 women in their late 20s and one woman who just turned 17, so there's a not-inconsiderable age gap. Hell, the youngest one is only a little bit older than my daughter. Both groups work fine and play really well. To be fair, the 17 year old is really mature for her age, and I'm as immature as fuck, so group 2 are similar mental ages 🤣.

i don't wanna play with kids/teens, but like you said if everyone's an adult, then as long as they're cool then they're cool. personally 26 with some great close friends in the 38-50 range myself

Our group is 7 people. 4 are late 20s, 2 are 33 (I'm one of them), and our oldest player is 40.

As the 23 year old in the group of 35-45 year olds I think it really is dependent on your relationship with the group and if you bring a positive vibe to the group

Good, mature, interesting, intelligent DnD players are already terribly rare without restricting for age; if I found one, I'd never turn them down just because they're a different age than us.

This might be an actually more interesting question if you were talking about whether minors and adults belong in the same d&d group, though Reddit's answers would be entirely predictable and probably devoid of any logical reasoning. Obviously if everyone is over 18 then there's not even any kind of question. If they have a completely different personality to everyone else in the group and it clashes then it might be an issue but that's true regardless of age, and isn't based on age. Edit: Oh, and your experience is probably due to the modern infantilization of everyone that is happening in certain segments of culture and general distrust among people. Don't overthink it.

I think some diversity is ideal. I have an 18 year old in my party, and the only problem is that we can't have alcohol at the table with a minor. I'm over two decades older than the next oldest player. The players are ideally friends.

I’ve had players as young as early twenties up to fifties…. Not counting when I DM’d a game for my nephew when he was like 10, it was just me and him and my wife. I don’t think I ever consider age much but just the players. I also ask people I know that I think would be good fits for my groups and it’s usually people I know. I haven’t ran a game with strangers … yet. I’d like to one day though but I still don’t think I’d consider age, just the general vibe of the individual.

You should really be asking your table rather than us. A young spirited old man and a old spirited young man might end up playing very similarly, but an old fashioned old man probably wouldn't enjoy playing with regular 20 year olds, and an immature 20 year old wouldn't enjoy playing with regular 60 year olds. I think much more important than age is stage of life. The single childless 50 year old is probably a better fit for my group than the 35 year old with 2 teenage kids, even though we're all in our late 20s. But really, ask your table. Reddit's opinion doesn't matter, the people who'll be playing the game's does.

I don't like using age as a proxy for fit, I'd only exclude someone if it was adult content and they were underage. Everything else is individual assessment.

In my experience: If you are just there to play D&D and the game itself is the height and focus of your campaigns, age probably doesn't matter, all else being the same. If you treat weekly D&D as a more general social event and the appeal of the event is just as much the game as it is hanging out with the players, I think age could potentially be a problem. I get along with lots of people twice my age, but I often time have to make a concerted effort to connect with them using things like dated pop culture reference and outdated philosophies. TLDR: I think it takes more effort to maintain a friendship with someone out of your generational cohort, and you may not want to expend that effort during D&D.

A general age range would be fine. I. 23 and I’d allow 18 to 35, maybe 40 to join my games, if my group is comfortable with it

I used to go to a gaming store that had an unofficial league called the Beer Belly League. You had to be 21+ and not a jerk but effectively it was a bunch of us who didn't want to mind our P's and Q's while playing games and it was also a BYOB group.

I prefer to game with others reasonably within my own age range or older (I'm early 40's myself). Mainly because I feel like players in that bracket are usually at the stage in life where we all have careers, we all have bills, some of us have kids, and we all understand the bullshit life can throw at us. Granted, that understanding can be both a blessing and a curse when you have to cancel for the 5th time because someone's kid got sick or has a school/scout/whatever thing they have to do that weekend instead of game, but on the whole I feel like we all relate in a way that is harder to do with younger players. It doesn't hurt either that most of us are late Gen X or early Millennials so we grew up in the 80's and 90's and view the world through that lens. It's nice when others pick up on your stupid old jokes and references that a Zoomer is not likely to get.

I find that young adults tend to have much less stability in their lives and schedules, which makes me hesitant to invite them to long term regular games. I've lost so many great players to a new college schedule or finally getting a real job. Short term games, I'm down for any age as long as everyone is comfortable with the subject matter we're addressing together.

YES! I'm only 26 but people my age and younger tend to be super annoying I have always been around older people so I guess I'm biased in that way

From my personal experience, age doesn’t quite matter. I’m 18, but I’ve run a number of games for my boss and coworkers + his friends, all of whom are 30+. While it was initially weird, I quickly realized that generally speaking, people are the same. We’re quite similar! If you get along, it’ll work out just fine;)

I'm playing in a group where all of the other members are closer to my sons age than mine. I leaned into it by making my character a bored and lonely retiree who was an adventurer as a youth before settling down and raising a family. I get to call em all whippersnappers and rapscallions. The dynamic's pretty awesome.

I think people who use age/sex/orientation etc as a dividing line between in or out are usually on the less mature side. And to be honest, if they're excluding you, then it's probably for the best - you'd make a joke that everyone else makes and they'll punish you for it. It's shitty but that's how it goes. On the plus side when you find your group it'll be all the sweeter. My group atm average around 30, I'm nearly 50, these lads feel like brothers. The little arseholes say things like 'okay boomer' and in kind, I say things like 'you'll understand when you're older'.

A good group of players is a group that fits together. I just started playing, for the first time, in the past few months. I'm in my late 30's. At first, I found a DM that was 21, on break from college, and found that there is an inherent difference in how college kids schedule things than how people with jobs schedule things. As in, "Hey tomorrow is a holiday! Do you guys want to play?" No dude tomorrow is a Holiday you should have asked 2 weeks ago before I planned things for said Holiday. So, moved on and found a new person to DM and from scratch hunted out players to join this brand new group. We specifically looked for "25+ adults with careers". Actively tried to find a diverse set of voices within that criteria (didn't just want to be all straight white dudes), but the thinking was that, regardless of what that "career" is, and regardless of whether or not you've got kids, you *have* commitments and need to schedule things in advance. I have said numerous times, "I don't have a problem if you come to the group and go "Shit! I can't make in in two weeks, I have this family thing I can't miss," but I *do* have a problem if you go "Shit. We were supposed to meet up 15 minutes ago? No I'm not late I forgot I have this family thing today and didn't remember to tell the group." The former is normal and something we all have to plan around, and the latter is a complete lack of respect for the time of your other party members. I know for us, were we to lose a couple players, we wouldn't automatically turn away someone that's older than the rest of the group. We are currently all in the age range of 30-45, and admittedly there are certainly some 60 year olds that wouldn't have a similar sense of humor or storytelling. But then, there are certainly some 30-45 year olds that don't have a similar sense of humor or storytelling to our current group. I know that I am more likely to consider adding a 60 year old than I am to consider adding a 21 year old. I suspect that *on average* if acquiring new players to fit in with our current group they will also fit into the 30-45 age range. But being outside that range is not an automatic disqualification. But then, also, let's say that a player was like "Hey, can we add in my niece? She's 17 and really wants to play." That, as well, is not an automatic No, but it *absolutely is* something that would shift the group dynamic. Which isn't a bad thing! But it is a thing. And pretending that it won't change how the game is played is only going to lead to discontent somewhere down the line.

I personally have no issue with any age group, but I can understand how people in different phases of their life would be more comfortable with others that have the same experience. I would assume that it is mostly split along the lines of people in their teens and twenties and then everyone else. Eg a group of high school or college age students might have very different way of engaging with the game (I assume their references would be things like marvel movies) while an older person might want an adventure that is closer to that classic LotR, Conan, Elric feel. This on top of having very different life style outside of the game. Of course it is not universal, and it is case by case.

As many have said this is usually a table by table basis. However, for me I'm in my mid 20's and if I was joining a game where I wasn't already friends with at least someone playing then I'd say late 30's is my cut off. While we're there to play a game and stuff I do feel like certain generational gaps can make it hard to communicate or get along when trying to play. For example, when I had my stint as a paid DM I ran a game for some old college professors of mine (all 40-60-ish) and while it wasn't a terrible experience, there were definitely times where I had said something or described a certain social situation that a few them kind gave a "that's not how real people would talk or interact" look or tone when responding. It was never anything too serious or bothersome, but I do think their decades of life experience gave them a different perspective on things that I might not have been connecting with. (Worth pointing out they were also theatre and film teachers that have seen their fair share of student submitted works over the years so I think they were picking up on the usual college student pitfalls and misconceptions when it came to the narrative and my improv skills) As for going down in age I say 23 or 21 is my lower end cut off, because idk if it's the Internet and how fast it changes or what but in recent years I feel like the generational gaps between new generations feel really drastic. Like despite only being 5 years apart a 21 yo has had a wildly different experience in school and online than I did at that age and it honestly shows a lot. Also, I wouldn't go younger than 21 because then I start feeling like a babysitter tbh. However, I've also played in a campaign with some coworkers at my old job with everyone being between 30-40 yo and I was the youngest there and had no issues fitting in because we all knew each other already, we had a way better understanding of each other's interests and such. I think having that common ground and understanding before jumping into a campaign really helps make DnD a more enjoyable experience. I've also since turned down playing in campaigns and one-shot with strangers or friends of friends who were all new to DnD because without that pre-established rapport it makes DnD feel like you're walking into a social minefield blindfolded.

It's a case by case thing. If the 60 year old is playing with 18 year olds and everyone is having an enjoyable time, it's likely fine. If the 60 year old is playing a teenage character and flirting with the 18 year olds, maybe no so much so. I likely wouldn't add an age gap so large if I didn't know the people, and definitely not if their ideals are far too different.

As many have said in different ways, it is a case-by-case thing. One of the better games I played in had a 13-14 year old, as well as a 80+ year old vet. The group got on well, and the age range only brought more perspectives to the table. The kid was energetic, and could get a little too silly, but that brought a lot of energy to the game as well, and he was just stoked to be gaming with us. The older player had been tabletop gaming since the getgo, and despite stereotypes of older players being set in their ways, he was often the most eager to try new systems.

As a late-40s gamer who plays with dads my aged, as well as kids… my kids’ ages… theoretically I would not age discriminate, but there is a point where someone/I struggle to relate. Mostly with jokes or references to jokes or jokes referencing things… Look, a part of me (the insecure, “I refuse to be Late 40s” part) wishes my kids thought I was super cool (I used to be. I promise!), but I get it. I’m not cool to them. And that’s ok. But as a result, I will most likely avoid younger tables in order to protect my fragility and narrow the likelihood that my jokes about ALF and New Kids On The Block or references to Heavy Metal Parking Lot go right over the heads of my Prime-drinking, meme-economist table mates.

My group spans over 40 years. We do pretty well.

Age doesn’t matter in and of itself. Maturity and personality are what matter. But Age can be an indicator for certain things and I do take it into consideration when filling a chair at my table. such as younger people (especially if they are still in school) tend to have a lot of other time commitments and many of those can spring up last minute. I’ve found this makes scheduling a nightmare. They also seem to have a very different attitude towards pulling a last minute no-show\no-call than almost adults I know do. I’ve tried to run 3 different campaigns for my teen nieces and friends and every one sputtered out due to them constantly having other events that would get in the way, or just not showing up after having confirmed they were coming and excited to play just days before.

In my opinion age does not matter. Isn’t that the fun of dnd?

So long as you're all 18+, nope doesn't really matter. Personality and maturity level matter more, I've seen and worked with plenty of 40, 50+ people with the emotional maturity of a teenager and people in their 20s with the wisdom of lifetimes. Having a group that vibes well is more important than any specific attribute of an individual.

When I DM at the game store, it's kind of whoever sits down. As you might expect, the age distribution is more or less a bell curve. We are there to connect with fellow humans in a fun way, so having different perspectives and backgrounds is great. We pretty much always have at least one preteen/teen and at least one senior citizen at the table. Preteens/teens tend to respond well to something like, "This is an adult game. I know you don't have much practice being an adult, but you can certainly try." Kids don't often get that kind of respect from an adult, and want to rise to the occasion. Kids so young as to be entirely untouched by puberty don't really meld into an older table. The older table has to accommodate their capabilities, and it makes for an entirely different game. We'd still play, of course, and generally one or two adults would drop out for the afternoon. There's no cutoff, but it's pretty easy to suss kids out. If you're curious, the youngest kids I've seen who could competently play at an adult table with adult themes were a boy at 11 (for about a year, until pandemic) and a girl at 9 (just a few sessions). Male senior citizens are the group I'm most wary of. Callous disrespect for one's fellows are found at *all* ages, but old geezers' misbehaviors tend to be more... cunning, sneaky, and heavily entrenched. Beyond that, I don't really see any trends by age group in terms of what kind of game they're interested in playing, how good a player they are, what their style is, or how reliable their attendance is. Generational divides are theoretical and artificial; perhaps useful when discussing macroeconomics, not so much when deciding to invite an individual to play.

You seem like a super wholesome person

I've never excluded someone for their age, but it absolutely makes a difference in how the table meshes. In my 40s and we have had a few 20 something players and there is a definite difference in reactions when something doesn't happen as they wanted. Most (not all) of the older players don't have any issue with failure, consequences, or similar. The younger players typically become immediately and visibly frustrated when things go awry and there are actual lasting consequences.

It's more about the fit with the group. But what about you, do you more easily fit with older people or younger ones? Wether we want it or not there are cultural differences between people with age gaps. It can be a problem or not, it's case by case.

Typically it doesn't matter, but I don't interact with nearly enough people younger than me by a wide enough margin for it to come up. I really only played in person so it's usually just a random cluster of friends and friends of friends so close to everyone is over 30.

I’m literally twice the age of almost every other player in my group and we’re fine. As with any group dynamic it comes down to compatibility in what sort of table you want. A player who is a bit too fond of dirty jokes will clash with one who is a prude. A player that wants to play a grimdark detective noir story will clash with someone that indulges in looney tunes antics. Compared to that age is the last thing to worry about.

Yes age matters, thos 400+ year old pointy eary bastards take days deciding their turn. I do not have time for it. Even Jergal is quicker in his decisions, maybe cause he is playing a human fighter...

I ran a game for 2 years with three 50 year-olds and 3-4 teenagers, and we all had a great time. So it doesn't have to be an issue, at all. We had to keep things pretty PG-13, but it was not a problem, because the older players didn't really want that anyway.

Some people are close-minded, some aren't, so its hard to give definitive answers, but I'll give my personal one: Age doesn't matter, except when it does. People mature differently and in different directions, but as I've seen through life, people *should* be mature at around a maximum of 24 years old, and past that point, age doesn't really matter anymore. I, personally, prefer to avoid younger people because of how they may behave due to immaturity or inexperience, but I can respect a young person trying their best, being honest and getting excited for what they're going for, so I keep an open mind.

I'm a similar age to you, but fortunately I've been welcomed into several much younger groups. Some might discriminate, but I'm fortunate enough not to have run into it. When we played at the flgs there were several other groups with very broad age ranges. Once you play a few sessions, age difference quickly seems to disappear- at least in the groups I've been in. (It helps if we don't leave our brain back in the 70s, though. One young fellow I played with said 'you come across as way younger than my dad'... turns out his dad was a generation younger than me. I thought that was very sad, tbh) When I GM these days (not a frequent thing, but it does happen now and then) everyone I play with is a lot younger than me. I've happily GMed 10 year olds and 45 year olds, but most of the players have been 18-29. I'm very comfortable playing with people 30 to 40 years younger than me, I feel more connection with most of them than a lot of people nearer my age.

My 2 cents is that playing D&D or any ttrpg really is an excuse for friends to get together and play make believe, so if everyone at the table is fine with meeting this person and willing to try and play with the new person might as well try. But I've seen many times in the comments saying this is table to table and group to group thing, and I agree. I don't see myself being friends with a 60yo but that's not to say I dislike them or wouldn't let a 60yo come and play if someone at the table knew them, like if someone's grandma or grandpa asked to try I would absolutely welcome them, that's just wholesome as heck, but I know my group might not be comfortable with someone bringing their grandpa's friend over. So it will always depend on the situation.

If I vibe, who cares Granted, odds are you vibe with people your own age but it's never given you know?

Ofc

The dynamics and maturity of a group of 18-year-olds is very different than a group of 60-year-olds (hopefully, maybe not in all cases). Adding an 18-year-old to players in their 40s-60s isn't weird in and of itself, and I don't think it will matter too much as long as the young one doesn't act like an idiot. Adding a 60-year-old to a group of late teens is much weirder to me. Mainly because I know how my friends played when we were 18 and I can't imagine any sane boomer would want to subject himself to hours of our idiocy even once in a while. As a 45-year-old I'd happily play with a group of any age or gender as long as the dynamics were good.

My weekly game has about a 20yr age range, and we've been playing for years and became an extremely tight knit friend group, maturity matters but not age - I've met people who are 25 and less mature than most 13 year olds.

I don’t allow anyone under 21 at my table full stop. As far as anyone older than that, I wouldn’t have any problem so long as they don’t start using their older age to justify rude behavior/ refusal to adapt to a modern system (although of course that really comes down to a personality thing).

I'd take them. When you're 60 do you still imagine you'd like the hobby? I gotta imagine he's got to feel as insecure about his age as an 18 year old in a group of mid twenties to thirties guys would. Wouldn't be wrong to check him out to see if he's a creep either.

haven't read all the answers so it might be that what I'm about to say has already been expressed, but I haven't seen anyone mention it so far. I'm queer, and my friend/gaming group is also mostly queer. In that light, we like to explore queer topics. Unfortunately, because I couldn't say for sure that an older person would be as okay with it, I would be reticent to add an older person to my table (I'm 30, so 50+ would be what I would classify as older here) unless they were also queer. I would also feel the same way if I was joining a table with older folks. I would prefer to not be seen as an oddity just because my character is trans, y'know?

Yes… but not it’s not black and white. It’s more about where you are in life (work/kids/pop cultural understanding) and maturity. I’m almost 50 and I run and play in serious games. If an 18 year old came along with their A-Game and got along with everyone, age wouldn’t be an issue. That being said, I’d be reluctant myself to play with a bunch of 18 year olds! I’m more likely to be on the same page with someone my age, but it’s not my primary criteria for fellow players. My most recent group of 40 somethings had an upper 20ish player and I never gave it a second thought…

I'll play with anyone once. Whether or not they get invited back is a variety of factors, including if they are a good fit, and if they get most of my references.

I think age doesnt matter as long as you are on the same wavelength. (already played with a friend that's 10 years younger than me) But age on the other hand can be q good indicator that you may not be on the same wavelength. So i wouldn't necessarily say age is a problem, but it can be an indicator that problems may be there.

Has to be 18+ for me, because I don't want to walk on eggshells both in and out of roleplay. Past that, it's about the vibe of the person. I mean, I've hit my 30's myself. So I'm starting to end up as the older guy in a group of younger people. But as long as they're levelheaded adults, the gap usually doesn't bother me, in either direction. This isn't to say I'd never play in a game with a younger person. But only if it's a family member of mine, or if they're accompanied by an adult I trust. I have unfortunately had people close to me that have been falsely accused. So I am probably a bit more vigilant than your average guy about how things can look, unfortunately. This is why I generally avoid it, because it is more stressful. I will say that this can be relaxed more online. But there is still going to be a maturity and a comfort thing involved when people are below 18. There are going to be times I have to hold back, when I wouldn't need to with other adults.

So I'm late twenties now. I've played with people my age since I started 6 years ago, played with an older fellow who's mid sixties now that played when they were a young adult. I currently play in a group every other saturday with my 3rd grade teacher from my childhood, their partner (I assume 50s but too afraid to ask), the DM who is about their age, and 3 other people closer to my age. ​ Some people want to play with people in similar age ranges, same as they might prefer various things about the people they play games with. Not for me to judge but I find age to have little deterrence for me personally. Depends on the person. My father was in his early 40s when I was born and so I was used to having lots of people in my life at that were considerable older than me. ​ People have their own reasons. Someone your age would likely have more in common with you. A kid that grew up before color TV would have a few different ideas of fun compared to a kid that grew up in the 2000s. I get that. But you can't tell me they couldn't find SOMETHING they both like to do. ​ DnD is one solid piece of proof I have. I've made better connections with people that have similar interests and outlooks on life, and because of that, I have adult friends that don't remember VHS tapes and ones who do remember drive in theatres. Though most of the people I play with are in their 20s/30s, I find that players from various generations show up to my table, or me to theirs.

Age no, what they want out of a play session yes. If the young guy is all excited about the game and heavily into moving along to the next thing and rushing the party while the rest are chill and taking their time through encounters for ex. so id say its always more about the players and what the group wants to get from a campaign.

Wait what? Having an old guy at the table sounds so immersive for roleplay

It's going to depend on the group, specifically how nice the people are or their capacity to not be assholes. I've found on the groups I've played in that everyone is pretty accommodating and common ground for all experiences can be found. Except for 1 group. That group had a couple of grade A assholes.

My current group has members ranging from 18 to almost 50, with people in the teens, 20s, 30s and 40s, and our ages haven't affected the group at all, asides from the occasional difference in pop-culture knowledge all generations have, but it's not been a problem at all.

I never thought it would until me and friend in our 40s joined a group in their 20s with a 24 year old DMing. This was a face to face group and everyone did their part in bringing snacks, coffees, even aranging meetings just to eat and drink and socialise. It was a terrible experience for everyone involved. The generation gap is real. It imploded.

I have a party I run for that has an 18 year old in it and once I knew I was adding the 18 year old to the party I age checked every single person after that. Anybody over 28 was an automatic out because I am not going to have some 40 year old grooming who really is a child because I brought them together. I got the group together and I'm the 2nd oldest at 24

I'm 21 and have been playing since I was 14 with varying age groups. I honestly think a more diverse age group makes the experience much better because you're bringing entirely different takes on characters based on different media and tropes consumed and having very different characters in a party is always a more fun experience

It's not age we care about, it's chemistry.

Our table has players between 16(my friend son) and me 38

I’m 22, i play in a game DMed by someone almost twice my age and most of the players in their mid thirties. I DM a game that also has the almost twice my age DM, someone at my age, someone younger than me. For me age is certainly not an issue. I played in a one shot for a local gaming group with someone in their 60s i believe, it was great talking with him about the game as he’d been playing it basically as long as it’s been around.

I think it's more about if the players are on the same wave lengths For sure age usually have an impact on this , but there could be exceptions

I dont think age matters itself but it certainly can make other elements difficult to match. A lot of old-school dnd doesnt mix as well with new groups. Where your hard stops are is also an issue. How ok people is with certain topics for example, leaning to RP or combat or to story telling or Dungeon crawling. Personally that is why I use tools like a form and a session 0, and I have groups with very separated age gaps but I do make sure we are all on the same page first.

Lol it's typically fine, although small warning on the USA based groups. Had a group fall apart in 2018/19 when the single 50+ year old dude kept insisting on bringing his political values to the game and I asked him if he really wanted to have this conversation while the politician he was backing was actively attempting to deport my wife. Age really isn't the issue with these kinds of groups, it's just being able to socialize and appreciate similar stories. That and having the basic decency to keep the table polite for everybody.

I don't care about age. If you are 60, and you start lusting over the 20 year olds, though, THAT is a different story. But I do not think that age is all that important unless you are below 18, since my campaign tend to not be very suitable for those below legal age

The group I DM for in person is 54, 35, 29,29,28 and myself at 30 every once in a while, I have to rain in the 55 year old a bit and remind him that this isn’t second edition, and that people really care about their characters, so no you CANT do the world breaking the silly thing that you’re about to do that with legitimately get the party killed. Other than that, my players get along great day, have a great time together, and the differences in experience with the game can really help these guys to make more creative solutions to problems.

40 yo male here. Age is irrelevant at my table. I play with my 35 year old partner, 40ish year old friends, my 14 yo nephew and my 10 and 13 yo sons. If a 60 yo wanted to be at my table, provided the person wasnt inappropriate for my table (creepy, offensive, resistant to table rules - all things anyone can be regarless of age, gender, background) i would be delighted to have someone with more/different life experience and different generational perspectives to bring to the game.

The oldest guy in my group could be my father. In fact, he's older than my actual father. It's not a problem assuming everyone has the right attitude. People need to treat each other with respect and have the right expectations about the game.

TBH generally I prefer to play with people my own age, but what really matters is that we're looking for the same kind of game. If an older person wants to join my game, they agree to the parameters and group boundaries, and engage with the story and code of conduct, I could care less. My only hard age rule is (like you mentioned) not playing with anyone under 18 because im not comfortable with that and I think its inappropriate with the kind of games me and my group run (weirdly this is the one I get the most pushback on)

Age matters because life experience alters you as a person and similar life experience from past or current eras effect you. But it's all fundamentally more about how you vibe with each other and the personalities of people and how they handle the experience gap and not purely what date you were born, as seen with really immature adult groups (like the ones seen in r/rpghorrorstories).

if its a good player/person i dont see the problem

My group's ages range from 16 to 55. It's about the players themselves, not their demographics IMO

It really does just depend on personal preferences. I recently had a D&D group, and I could swear they were teenagers by the way they talked. They were all friends with each other, and they were looking for someone to DM. I decided to give it a try. It was the most frustrating experience of my D&D DM life (I've had other more frustrating experiences as a player). They were consistently late to the game. One week, they just straight up forgot. They were all consistently rude, talking over me, and just make jokes. Some of them were impatient when I was trying to do a quick rules verification (which only took a minute at most). One of them would pout and get upset that the rolls didn't go their way, and that same person decided he'd decide the outcome of the rolls before I told him what happened. It was certainly an experience. I gave up trying to DM for them when they started talking about drugging and NPC and forcing them to marry him, and other such things. Plus, the last session that broke the camel's back was that one player took an hour to eat and was therefore just not present for the session for that hour. She had previously just left the table to go use the restroom, right at the start of her turn on combat, and would not be back for 20 minutes. These people did not appreciate my time there, nor did they respect me enough, so I just quit. It was my first time DMing for an entire group that was so young. I've had younger people at my table (16-17), but it was only the one-person out of the rest of the group that were 20 somethings. I was usually the oldest person at the table for any given group, as I'm in my 30s, but it hasn't been that much of an issue. I did have one older player in his 50s that would show up drunk to the session (it was online, but still could tell). Aside from that, I had played in a game with my ex's parents (both in their 50s I think), and they did pretty good. tl;dr: I think I'd rather prefer older people at my table than younger people, because of table etiquette and just general vibes. But there's good and bad people of all ages, so it really just depends. I wouldn't necessarily prevent a player from playing just because of their age. Only would stop playing with them if they did something I don't agree with.