What would it take...

[FabulousFizban]

...for you to pay for a DM? What kind of gaming experience could a DM provide that you would find worth paying $5-10 a session for? (EDIT: per person)

[DeTess]

For $5-10 dollars my standards wouldn't be too high. The DM should be well prepared, run a self-made campaign, be focussed and not cause any BS.

[Mutazoia]

A smoking hot red head that played completely naked.

Other than that, I wouldn't pay to play.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

5-10 dollar per session?

That's a bit of an odd amount. It doesn't really feel like you're paying them until you pay about that much per hour. At the same time the fact that it's phrased as pay and not as gas money or "you guys bring the food" places the whole thing in a professional context anyway.

Ah, of course, per person.

Honestly I'd probably try my hand at taking up the DM seat myself first. To switch to someone else doing it for pay they need to at least be better and better prepared than me. And it has to result in more enjoyment of the game. So it helps a lot if this DM is a pleasant person in general who fits in with the group well, tom the point where they'd almost consider doing it for free because everybody including them is having such a good time.

[Incorrect]

It would take no competition, if I can get it for free, Im not likely to pay.

I wouldn't pay anyone Im friends with. Cause thats not what friends do.

A 3d dungeon with fitting minis and stuff like that, might be worth paying for, because thats an experience I wont get otherwise.

[Anonymouswizard]

I wouldn't, I like running games to the point I'd do it exclusively if I could (unfortunately of my last few groups in one nobody wanted to play what I was offering to run and in another the GM seat was filled by a far better GM). Now when I GM I do ask for payment, but I only accept it in drinks and snacks, not in money

To be serious, I probably wouldn't. If it comes down to it then I have other hobbies I could do for less that I'd enjoy just as much, or we could all go to the pub and have a couple of drinks on the same budget. I'd be more than willing to stump up some cash if I was in a group which paid for a venue (I've seen it happen, either due to being a more profession entity to help people without roleplayer friends nearby to get games or because nobody has a big enough living room), but not for GMing.

Now I will GM for people I don't know in a public venue if I'm asked enough in advance. I just think it's insulting to both myself and them if I ask for money to do it when I could just ask them to cover my meal.

[weckar]

This topic comes up every so often. Here, here and elsewhere on the internet here.

[Pleh]

...for you to pay for a DM? What kind of gaming experience could a DM provide that you would find worth paying $5-10 a session for?

I would pay $5-$10 a session to attend a convention where those dollars also give access to everything else at the convention.

I would pay $5-$10 for a campaign, as that could be splitting the cost of an adventure pack.

Really, even if there were no competition with free DMs, there's always game 0: writing my own fanfiction.

Paying money has to have some kind of assurance that the product will be somehow better than what I could produce through personal effort. I don't think TTRPGs have much way of doing that yet.

I guess if a DM had a portfolio of their work to demonstrate that they consistently ran A Grade games far and away better than what I have time to prepare, I might be more tempted. At that point, marketing becomes similar to video games.

[Pelle]

If a group of people really wants to play and no one wants to DM, sure, paying someone else to do it reasonable. You can't expect people to do something for you that they don't want to for free.

I like to DM myself though, so for me to pay would require something spectacular.

[Joe the Rat]

I would pay $5-$10 a session to attend a convention where those dollars also give access to everything else at the convention.

I do pay about that much on top of the base ticket. And I expect a good effort, regardless of the source (con play series, old module, self-made, etc.).

-then I steal every concept not nailed down and on fire for my home game.

[JeenLeen]

As noted earlier in this thread, this topic has come up before. Here's another posting about it (although I was looking for the previous one):
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...ght=pay+for+DM

I think it's a reasonable venture, offering one's services (skilled DMing, time investment in game prep, expertise in systems) to a group.

On the other hand, I personally probably wouldn't pay for it, but that's more of a time issue than any view of it as worth or not-worth money.

[icefractal]

Running a very demanding kind of game; the kind that I wouldn't want to run myself.

For instance, a well fleshed-out sandbox setting where the PCs were initially way outgunned, but fully encouraged to pull out the full toolbox of optimized tactics, including on a strategic level. And where the GM successfully walked the difficult tightrope of having exciting challenges without negating any PC abilities or auto-scaling the opposition. Oh, and being prepared enough to handle something like "we teleport to this previously unvisited kingdom, infiltrate the army, and get started subverting a few legions for our own purposes." While also running it well in general.

Because that sounds like a hell of a lot of work. TBH, I think $10 a session is probably underselling it, but that's the amount you mentioned.

[Mordar]

...for you to pay for a DM? What kind of gaming experience could a DM provide that you would find worth paying $5-10 a session for?

Necessary characteristics:

• Really talented from a design stand point - engaging, complex and artistic "adventure" design
• Really talented from an implementation stand point - engaging and enjoyable gameplay at the table
• Professional in their manner and demeanor - yeah, clean is only the beginning...
• Eliminates game headaches - manages all administrative issues both at and away from the table
• Provides a consistently and thoroughly enjoyable experience - manages the game experience to meet the needs of the players

I come from a perspective that there is room for and potentially great value in something like a "professional" GM...as long as they deliver a professional quality experience.

I like to play basketball. I play a lot of pickup ball at the park. There's a good core group of guys that play where and when I go, and there are other people that float in and out depending on the days and times. Its free, its fun...but inconsistent. Sometimes great, other times crappy...and for different reasons. The talent level varies a lot, and the intensity level varies a lot. Even with that same core group, not everyone is always on the same page.

I also pay to belong to a gym that has a very competitive league. It's "serious" (yeah, sometimes too serious), it is managed and officiated, and everyone is within a much smaller range of intensity (and talent, though less so) than at the park. It makes for a very different kind of experience than the park, but it is consistent and I can always count on it to be what it is I want from it.

I see this as the same deal. Home games, store games with a core group of friends or pick-up style, meetups...all of those can be fantastic, and without question have been some of the best RPG experiences I have ever had. But they also have had some of the least-fun, most poorly-managed or untenable experience as well.

Many times once you find that sweet mix of people, system and role those games take off and become legendary campaigns that we all hope for. But as we grow older it seems life gets more and more in the way. The 12-hour game sessions every week with 6 hours of away from the table prep time or OOC interaction (for a player, tons more for a GM) dwindles and ebbs to maybe a 4-hour session each week where hopefully most of the players make it and are ready to play at the appointed time. The demands on the GM are even greater, but they have jobs and families and such as well, and can no longer devote as much time to crafting the game either. So play becomes more sporadic and of more uneven quality. Sometimes the time would simply be better spent having the exact same group of folks eat pizza and play board games/watch movies/just eat pizza.

The GM carries a disproportionate share of the responsibility/burden/blame for the experience...and while "for the love of the game" is (to me) the most important driver in terms of GM inspiration, I think that a financial link to performance can be a wonderful incentive. Not, however, for someone who is already part of the group...not as a "we'll pay our friend so that when his wife/kids/real job issues come up he can still justify working out an encounter balance issue for Thursday night's game and get the props ready for the investigation scene that comes afterwards" but as a contract with an outside party to perform a service.

Depending, I also think that such a contractor would need to provide the physical space and environment for play, but that is a negotiable item.

Finally since I would envision 4 players instead of 6, I think I'd be more in the $15-25 range than the $5-10 range per 4 hour session. Basically, I'd be willing to budget $100 a month for 4 (on average) sessions of high-quality play experience in a professional setting.

But I may want to think about it more.

- M

[RazorChain]

I GM most of the time and I do it for free and for the enjoyment of it.


So the first critera would be that the GM in question would have to be better than me, good luck with that.

The second critera is that the GM would run exactly the game I want because frankly the reason I have been GMing for the most part of the last three decades is because I'm running the game I want.

Third critera is that none of my fellow players can be jerkbags and must be decent roleplayers because they are the key to that I'll have a good roleplaying experience.

[Mr Beer]

Pass. I like GM-ing so I'll do it thanks. I play with people I like so paying them or paying me seems weird anyway.

If my only gaming option was paying a GM, I guess I might but more likely I'd offer to do it myself for free or go find another gaming group I liked.

[Vitruviansquid]

I don't feel like a good game would be produced if the players related to the GM as costumers. I would rather play no game at all than one where I paid the GM to GM it.

[kyoryu]

$5 a session? Per person or total?

I wouldn't pay $5 a session. Anyone that would take such a pittance wouldn't treat it professionally enough to be worth paying for. At that point, I'd rather have someone doing it out of love.

I'd want someone charging at least $10-$15 an hour, including their prep time, for me to even consider it. And I'd expect a well done game for that, with solid prep, customized plot, no railroading, etc.

If someone wouldn't do that, I'll stick with the guys that are doing it for the love of it.

[Honest Tiefling]

...for you to pay for a DM? What kind of gaming experience could a DM provide that you would find worth paying $5-10 a session for?

1) Location. Either be willing to come to my place, or have a place to run the game. I would not want to have the game run at a restaurant or cafe with limited space or a lot of noise.

2) Above and beyond work. I think you should play into your strengths, whatever they are. But fantastic writing, models or an interactive map would be nice. Having some sort of way to communicate outside of the game might be vital.

4) Run an event. I could see going to a game store and paying some money for a game, not unlike some Magic the Gathering events. I mean, good way to meet new people after all. I wonder if you could get a game store to agree to that...

[Quertus]

A smoking hot red head that played completely naked.

Other than that, I wouldn't pay to play.

I would pay $5-$10 a session to attend a convention where those dollars also give access to everything else at the convention.

I would pay $5-$10 for a campaign, as that could be splitting the cost of an adventure pack.

So, I was going to say that I wouldn't. Because it should be a labor of love, and anything else would ruin the flavor or the dish.

But you guys made me reconsider that stance.

Yes, I might pay for a module that I would then own, to get someone else to run it for me.

Yes, in my younger years, I would pay for a convention ticket to get to play with a wider audience, and learn all the gaming theory I could.

Yes, I guess I might actually pay the right redhead for such a game, if they were doing it for the right reason, and the game was truly top notch (or if I was the wingman for a lesbian who was actively interested in the GM).

But, other than that? Hmmm... The game would need some utterly amazing perk, like not yet on the market fully immersive mind-reading VR or something.

Otherwise, no, free wins. Or, if I have to, I could just run a game myself.

[Segev]

My suggestion, given the cultural expectation that gaming is a social activity one does with friends and/or otherwise doesn't pay (directly) for, is to consider other ways to monetize than by directly charging for GMing.

The first thing that comes to mind is conventions. Conventions provide a venue and a huge pool of players, and people pay to go to the convention, and then sometimes pay to sit at a particular module. Now, the GMs themselves are rarely paid, but that's not the point, here. The point is that people are willing to spend money to game, provided it's in a venue where they expect to pay for the privilege of attending.

Another thing to consider is the fact that movie theaters in America and karaoke bars in Japan don't really make that much money on the tickets to see the movies or use the rooms; they make a lot of their money on concessions and the like. If you're providing a venue, you can charge for snacks or even meals. One way to do it would be to serve dinner at your games, requiring a buy-in to the food pool for a plate, and that it is part of the gaming experience in general. Don't overtly charge for the game, and even frame the meal buy-in as "contributing to the food pool." This does mean that, now, you're providing two services, though: either ordering a meal or cooking one yourself, AND running a game. If you wanted to make a business out of this, I'd suggest a "gaming restaurant," where you had GMs who would run a game while waiters catered to the players, or where you rented gaming rooms to people, with optional GM provision by the store.

Gaming stores also often have gaming tables set up, and allow people to run games there. Sometimes, the store owner even runs games in a pick-up sort of way. This brings in players to participate, and customers who buy dice and books and the like. And many game stores have a fridge and snack shelf that charges less than a vending machine for a can of soda, a bag of chips, or a candybar or the like.

The latter two illustrate some means of secondarily monetizing games. You might be able, for instance, to convince a game store owner to pay you to run your game at his store if you agree to take new players if there's fewer than X at your table on a given night, or something. You'd run regularly, bringing customers there, and providing a demonstration of the game to newbies and hopefully getting them interested in buying gaming books, dice, etc.

But you're unlikely to convince players to just pay you directly, unless you go set it up as a venue type situation. It's just counter to the cultural expectations.

[Mordar]

But you're unlikely to convince players to just pay you directly, unless you go set it up as a venue type situation. It's just counter to the cultural expectations.

I do like the idea of a specialized gaming space. I agree with others above who said that a pro-GM needs to be running the game in an appropriate space - a private residence, meeting room, etc - free from distractions of other people. The problem I have, though, is the trappings.

I think I get the spirit of your idea, but I feel the scale is a difficulty. Movie theaters pay out huge money for property, staff, etc...and have to make that back by charging 1700% on candy. And tons of us either skip the concession stand, bring in our own clandestine snacks, or only go for the "loyalty" cups/bags for soda and popcorn. So I think a stiff mark-up on pre-packaged snacks would be a tough sell...and would get progressively tougher if patrons become "regulars". Prepared food opens up a whole host of food code and legal issues that no one should want to run afoul of, much less a non-food professional. So I think that is kind of a non-starter.

On the other hand, some nice capital outlay might create a gaming space people are willing to pay to patronize. I can imagine a few different versions, using either technology or good old fashion...technology...to present a gaming experience. Sound system, projectors, nice meeting chairs, a solid table, all of the accouterments. Add in proper decor, a game-appropriate library (dead trees and/or digital), dedicated rest room, etc., and you're set. It was kind of what I meant by "physical space and environment for play" that such a contractor should provide...but this is more fully stated.

So I do think there is resistance to the idea...but I think there is plenty of evidence in other fields that things could evolve to move this to reality. Anyone can exercise for free. Many of those anyones pay to join a facility/gym/club that they can then use to exercise in specific ways. Some of those anyones then pay even more so they can take special classes or attend special events at those facilities. And a few of those anyones even pay for specialized, personalized exercise experiences on an ongoing basis. Home game, playing at a store or club with an entrance fee (or concessions), playing at a convention, playing with a contracted GM.

But as always, the product has to be good or it just won't sell. And then it still takes excellent promotion, proper demographics and good presentation.

I wonder about the level of expectation on the part of the GM...I would have to think "supplemental income", not "primary" for certain. Realistically, maybe 2-3 full time games would be all that a person should handle. I'd like 4 players, but I bet it could tolerate 6. Assuming 4 sessions per month, that is 16 - 24 tickets per game. I like the $20 price point for both a presumption of quality and a degree of commitment, so that's $320 - 480 per game, so $620/960 - 960/1440 per month. Not exactly a living wage. But maybe a nice way to pay for a cool game room, fund discretionary purchases and pay for trips to conventions without having to shoestring.

- M

[oxybe]

I'll give my very rambly 2 copper pieces on the subject.

At 5-10$ a session (assuming this is per player), and each session being about 3-5 hours once a week, 4 sessions a month (assuming all goes well), we're looking at between 20-40$ a month for about 16 hours of content (knowing that my friend also offers to me a similar experience for free) that needs to be scheduled. It sounds rather innocuous and a steal for me as a consumer.

However there are "hidden" costs associated. There are always "hidden" costs.

Do I supply the module? Since I am on vacation this week, I dragged myself to the FLGS I haven't been to in ages to say hi to my old group (that i haven't seen since forever as I work nights) and ended up buying an old Dark Sun module for $20, Freedom. So if I'm expected to provide the adventure, my expenditure for the experience just had an extra $20 tacked onto it.

What about food? Am I to provide for the GM depending on the time the session is setup with? Go halfsies? If so, we can probably tack on another $10 per session for delivery, unless "You get peanut butter toast and access to the instant coffee and whatever oreos are left, same as everyone else" count as supplying food. Cause mom's meat pies are Oxybe's exclusive nom-noms. We'll say I don't want to do a 1-on-1 so we'll toss in a 3 more friends to lessen the pizza fees (so instead of going 50-50 on a $20 pizza, it's split 5 ways)

Using my mom who lives out of town as a segue into another potential example, thus what if I need to bum a ride/pay for a bus ticket, am I expected to pay for the GM's transportation costs? When I used to live further out of town, my old GM would pick me up before & after the game and I'd pitch in some gas money out of courtesy for him going a bit out of his way. I know he'd do it for free, but a fiver's nothing big all things considered, and gas is stupid expensive. Wait the game isn't going to be at my cramped-for-5-people apartment living room? does that mean I have to foot another $13 a session in personal taxi fare?

So yeah, this $20-$40 a month for a game has potentially gone up to $92-$112 (13 for taxi + 4 for pizza + 1 for gas + 5-10 for the GM means the actual costs to me can go up to $23-28 per D&D session) with a one-time $20 fee for the module. so at a potential $112-$132 for that first month's 16 hours of playtime... can you offer me an experience that's worth that amount?. On the slightly more reasonable low end costs, at $5-$10 for the GM + $4 for the pizza + $1 for GM travel feels we're now looking at $10-$15 per head, per session, which still amounts to $40-$60 a month with an initial $20 module cost (I'm assuming one non-GM person in the group will foot the cost for the module, if a module is played, otherwise once over, who gets to keep the module?).

Just to get an idea of what that minimum amount entails, most Switch games I've bought are in the $80 (Canadian dollars) category (which after taxes comes to about $90). LoZ: BotW, Mario Odyssey & Xenoblade Chronicles all have 40+ hours of playtime (BotW is sitting at 250+) that I can play whenever I want. $40-$60 per month with a $20 for the module looks very close to that in my eyes, especially since i'm getting like 16-20 hours of playtime a month. Note that this more reasonable number isn't a downside, as I have no qualms paying the $40-$60 for a good 16-20 hour videogame: this figure for a monthly GM rate is easily within my expectations for entertainment.

But now that I know the actual price for that service, I'll further ask about this pay-for-play TTRPG... how curated is the experience? How does this GM's game differ from a videogame?

Since I'm the one paying for the session, does that mean rule 0 is in my hands instead of the GM's? If the GM goes "there are no elves in my world" am I allowed to go "I am paying for your services, yes to elves"? How about ruling issues... Can I overturn this GM's ruling if I don't like it? What about dictating certain house rules or denying them? If we're not playing a module, can I decide "We're doing a Dark Sun game"? What about "We're doing an Eberron Game with an all-warforged party"? "Roll mouse skulls exclusively"?

If you're going to offer me a service that could potentially cost me as much, if not more, as a new videogame every month, but without the sweet graphics, beautiful audio and responsive & engaging gameplay (because I'll be frank, most TTRPGs are at best mediocre in the Game department, and most GMs I've met are not artists of the visual or audio type), what are you offering me that the videogame cannot to be worth my money and how much input can I have in that content? I know with a videogame it's already made and the content has been curated & tuned for a certain experience (post-release patches not withstanding), but a TTRPG is an ongoing and largely personal thing (with, hopefully, a bit more agency on the player's part then your typical JRPG in linearity and more options on how to address an encounter then, say, Breath of the Wild)... so as the one footing the bill for this ongoing development what's my input in the whole thing?

Finally, the big one:

How can I tell you're going to be good? Not just the quality of the game you're offering, but also personality wise, if you'll fit in with me and my friends?

For those three Switch games I mentioned, I have enough of a history with Nintendo to know Mario & Zelda's tropes and the overall quality of the games were going to be fantastic, the gameplay videos just confirmed my suspicions. I watched some Xenoblade play and that's what convinced me it would scratch that JRPG itch.

But getting a preview of the game you're offering... do you have recordings of your sessions that will show me that it typically entails? As a consumer looking for entertainment: what does your 4 hours of paid D&D offer me that 4 hours of Mario Odyssey (probably played in my underwear, in my bed) or 4 hours of my buddy's free D&D does not?

Because yesterday night, when I went to see them at the FLGS, my old group wrapped up a module they were working on and are pitching non-pathfinder (colour me flabbergasted with this group) games of 5th ed "build a frontier town" game set in the Warhammer 'verse during the Age of Sigmar, a Mass Effect game set during ME1 using the Fantasy Flight Star Wars game engine and a Call of Cthulu set in the 1920's New England. All those sound pretty freaking neato and I just got an email from workforce saying they approved a schedule change request (it'll take a few weeks, but whatever). And I've been with these guys for years before my sabbatical. I know what to expect.

That's the free content our pay-to-play GM is up against... Can he deliver?

Note that the above is assuming a home/FLGS game, over something like a convention. Conventions don't exist in my neck of the "area i'm willing to hoof to / pay a taxi to get to".

[Jay R]

As long as I have intelligent, competent, well-organized, passionate friends who are willing to DM, or I'm willing to be the DM, there is no chance that I would pay somebody for it.

[FabulousFizban]

a forest encounter i did. other pics of things ive done are unfortunately on a phone i lost. my intent was actually to try an build a client base online over roll20. thoughts?

[jojo]

My short answer is that:

No, I would not pay a DM $5-$10 per Session.

My somewhat longer answer is that:

No, I would not pay a DM $5-$10 per session. Even at $10/Player per Session that's only $40-$60/week per Campaign. Facilitating a fun and enjoyable experience for the group takes a lot longer than just the 6-8 hours that everyone spends sitting around the table. I value my time a lot more highly than that and I run Campaigns for free, as a result there's no way I'd pay someone who valued their time so cheaply.

In my own experience however most DMs, as well as players, are getting right around $40-$60 in value per session per Campaign anyway. First there is the cost of meals/snacks to consider, generally the group pools their money together so that everyone can share at least a bag of Tostitos and a few beverages (adult or otherwise.) For a group of 4-6 players and a DM this quickly adds up to $40-$60/session. So what is actually being asked of me is that I pay $10-20 per session. That quickly becomes an investment that I'm not willing to make each month before we even factor in the price of sourcebooks, any necessary travel and all those additional back-end costs.

The final, most important consideration is that I am an experienced DM/GM as are several other members of my primary gaming group, so even with the increasing limitations on our time as we get older there's really very little reason to consider this.

So the question becomes:

Would I pay a professional DM? If so what would I expect?

Like most other commenters I would absolutely pay for a professional DM/GM experience in the form of Convention Tickets, and have done so in the past.

If I had been asked prior to reading this thread whether or not I'd pay for a seat at a Celebrity GM (such as Matt Mercer or the guys from Nerdarchy) I would have said yes. However after reading the thread I'm thinking no, mostly because the players showing up are what allows those DMs to make and then monetize their videos.

A couple of things I would expect if I were willing to pay for a professional DM experience:

1. A dedicated gaming facility. Good atmosphere, custom-table, comfortable accoutrements, tons of swag on display and big comfy chairs. Basically everything you see on a monetized youtube channel.

2. No unpublished (homebrew) content. Published 3rd party that the DM in question either created or contributed to? Totally cool. Stuff the DM is working on or creating for their own personal use? Totally not cool.

3. Communication. I would expect to be able to reach the DM and other players during normal business hours with questions/concerns.

4. All sourcebooks provided by the DM. An open facility to make use of those sourcebooks, at least two or three days a week during normal business hours.

5. Access to a wide variety of systems and campaign settings across various editions. Not just "DnD 5E."

6. Non-refundable deposit to support the enforcement of rules/conditions/standards of participation so that disruptive players can be refused service.

7. Steeply discounted first sessions to encourage participation and experimentation.

8. Slightly discounted "one-shot" sessions available.

9. Association with at least one or two other DM/GMs of similar quality.

If I were going to pay to play (I'm not) I'd probably be willing to pay around $100/session/player under those conditions. If that DM ran 3 sessions a week with 4 players each they'd pull in $1200 before taxes or $4,800/month which isn't a bad salary. I just can't see settling for anything less as I mentioned above.

[Segev]

On the other hand, some nice capital outlay might create a gaming space people are willing to pay to patronize. I can imagine a few different versions, using either technology or good old fashion...technology...to present a gaming experience. Sound system, projectors, nice meeting chairs, a solid table, all of the accouterments. Add in proper decor, a game-appropriate library (dead trees and/or digital), dedicated rest room, etc., and you're set. It was kind of what I meant by "physical space and environment for play" that such a contractor should provide...but this is more fully stated.

So I do think there is resistance to the idea...but I think there is plenty of evidence in other fields that things could evolve to move this to reality. Anyone can exercise for free. Many of those anyones pay to join a facility/gym/club that they can then use to exercise in specific ways. Some of those anyones then pay even more so they can take special classes or attend special events at those facilities. And a few of those anyones even pay for specialized, personalized exercise experiences on an ongoing basis. Home game, playing at a store or club with an entrance fee (or concessions), playing at a convention, playing with a contracted GM.

It might be more feasible to start a "gaming club" that has actual dues, which then buys facilities, rents rooms (cheaper to members, maybe even free), and has libraries of gaming books and dice available.

The trick is that you're going to have to achieve a level of professionalism that makes people feel like they're paying for something more than they can get for free.

a forest encounter i did. other pics of things ive done are unfortunately on a phone i lost. my intent was actually to try an build a client base online over roll20. thoughts?

This'd be a very tough sell online. The fact is that people who game online can almost always find a game to play. Your paid-for game is unlikely to be more accessible in time slot.

If you really think it's entertaining enough to get people to pay, then you could potentially make it entertaining enough to get viewers, if you recorded it and then posted videos of your game sessions. Then you could run a youtube channel for monetization, and possibly start a patreon.

Another thing you could do is run your games, then make videos about them. Make a blog or vlog and build up a broad audience. If you gain a reputation and fan-base, then those fans might start being willing to pay for you to run games. The trick here is that you need to make you being the GM be something special to enough people that they'd pay for the privilege. You're marketing yourself, at that point. So you need to build a reputation as a minor internet celebrity known for your gaming-related content.

Look at the various games run by famous people for other famous people which have large audiences for their games. See what they're known for, individually, and find a subject you think you can write and perform good, engaging content with, and build your net presence around that.

[Rhedyn]

The time commitment I would want is beyond the amount I'm willing to pay.

Such a GM would probably have to be a professional demo-er. As in they run one shots for a particular game that people pay money to play, but the GM is also paid by the company to promote the game.

As a side gig instead, I could see a GM maybe raking in a couple hundred each week while using those groups to help flesh out her own setting that she then publishes. Sessions should probably be 4 hours each and good.

[Pleh]

The conversation reminds me of my local comic book store.

They have a small selection of a variety of popular RPG sourcebooks, plus miniatures and popular comic books and graphic novels. They also keep space in the back for hosting games, so they can build up local market interest by throwing a promotional game, or they let groups reserve the space for a game (I think it's free until the booking gets full, at which point they might ask a rental fee to help account for volume and facility overhead), or sometimes hosting an event like a small, local convention.

A lot of people have commented that there is a dichotomy between the "labor of love between friends" mindset and the "paying for a service" mindset.

I agree with assessments of this phenomenon, but I would add that keeping your business small scale and relationships with clients semi personal will alleviate the friction some.

Hosting a free game out of a local storefront is a smart marketing strategy. Someone forgot their books/dice at home? We pull some of the discount (low quality) material from the shelf and let them borrow it for the night. If they get attached to the product, they can buy it (or buy it later when they come back, if they forgot their wallet, too).

The important thing to remember is that this is all investments in marketing. You aren't trying to profit from the game directly, but to encourage people to invest their interest into the game, then you sell them the product they need to pursue the interest you helped cultivate.

For bigger events, like conventions, the attendance fee is mostly to cover the added burden of cleanup, staffing the event (either in place or in addition to regular business), setup/tear down, and marketing the event. You don't want people feeling burdened by the entry cost. Keep it pretty minimal. Let the merch sell itself.

If that isn't viable for whatever reason (maybe your players go home and buy from cheaper online competition), then yeah, maybe that's just the real problem with the entire concept of asking money for this kind of thing to begin with.

[Mutazoia]

The only time I've seen anything even remotely like this work, was a long time, dedicated group who had "dues" that they would pay every week. But those dues paid for pizza and drinks for the group, and none of it went into the DMs pocket.

In this current climate of "professional gamers", where people get "paid" to play video games, I can see where the idea that you can make a living running TTRPGs might seem like it would work. But it won't. Too many free free to play games in the world, and I doubt you're such an awesome, peerless DM that people be willing to give you money, just for the privilege of sitting at your table and soaking in your Godlike DMing abilities. (not saying that you think you are...just saying that is what it would take to actually get paid to DM.)

Honestly, you would have to have a mini-holodeck built into your table or something to even consider trying.

[SirGraystone]

Let say 10$ a session with 5 players so 50$, average a session at 4 hours, add a few more hours of preparation, that mean a GM would get less then 10$ an hour and that's not even counting the books and things he got to buy to play.

At that price, don't ask for a professional GM with voice acting and all kind of stuff, you can get an everyday GM who'll do his best to build an enjoyable adventure. If you are unhappy with the experience, thanks him for his effort give him the 10$ and don't come back the next week.