Charlotte and I ran a game of Bluebeard’s Bride last weekend for a group of femme-identifying friends. Charlotte narrated the story while I (in a Sleep No More mask) handled some game mechanics stuff and silently passed her notes suggesting ways to twist our players’ desires against them.
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Still going in my 5e campaign, everyone has gotten comfortable with their characters and organic interactions are happening, really enjoying it.
I still, however, have a huge itch to play either a Mouse Guard game or Blades in the Dark, but not a lot of people I know that would join me in that regard.
This was a pretty decent article about microRPGs:
I dont think any amount of money could convince me to DM for people so desperate they’d pay for one
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Yeah… that’s usually the argument. Also the only places you could work enough hours are probably cities where your cost of living would be so high, or maybe online. I’ve heard some people do it online as well.
Then again maybe it could work out like being a private chef with the right clientele. Work a couple days a week for a few groups with enough money. Not completely impossible… I guess.
I used to get paid to play rpgs. Used to run a rpg club for church when I was younger. Got paid to basically play rpgs with friends weekly.
I’ve done it before. (at my game store, if you pay in for DnD encounters, it goes to the DM as store credit)
It helps if you have control over the table and can reject people for being disruptive, but a lot of the time the issue is not “that guys”, but people being way, way too shy to DM.
I’d totally be down for a club, at least then you can vet members
So didn’t read Scott’s article but have seen articles about a Brooklyn man getting paid to GM before and from what I remember, in their interview with him he mentioned that the people who retained his services were generally not pathetic or too shy, they were just paying for like a “premium dnd experience”. Sure they could just do it themselves and get a skirt steak experience but every now and then they wanted to splurge for the filet mignon.
My understanding at the time was he basically made the graphics of DnD super amazing with his kit of minis and playmats and environments, etc. While also having really robust and engaging campaigns, as well as being like a charismatic and outgoing GM who really encouraged people to get into the role play aspects.
I remember thinking it wasn’t for me but I could see it as a thing people would pay to experience.
My problem with that is that money doesn’t buy you a “premium dnd experience”, no DM can do that, free or paid as optimal rpg play is always group effort. Good DM can do a lot, but nothing can save a bad group of players.
Perfectly fair criticism.
edit: wow Scott’s story is a nothingbuger. Here’s the one about the guy I remember reading a few years ago. As I suspected it’s the same guy.
The few times I’ve seen this, it’s the group pooling money to pay for the GM. It’s not a GM running game for group of randos.
It can work, and it’s not all that weird.
I feel like that’s different. I’ve had games where everyone went out of their way to buy food, drinks, dinner, books, dice, miniatures for the DM/group. That’s just like… normal friend stuff. I still have a stuffed Trigun black cat from one of my players in highschool… somewhere. Hell, I’ll buy things for someone else’s dog/cat or significant other for appreciation of allowing us to game in a space or something.
I’m not talking about friends supporting a GM—which I assume is super common—but literally hiring a GM for for the group’s sessions. The players already know each other and want a particular GM to run games for them, one who isn’t a friend, in exchange for money.
What’s the break point? Is it someone literally giving someone else cash?
Yeah, I think the distinction is “This person runs games for us who otherwise would not unless we give them money.”
In the scenario I’m most familiar with, the players know the GM because he volunteers at game days at their gaming store, and they wanted him to run a private game.
I think players also spending money this way actually make it more of a commitment for the players, so that they actually show up and are ready to game.
Fair enough. If it literally boils down to an income/job, it is what it is.
Just play games that don’t require some person to learn a fuckton of rules, operate as a human computer, and prepare a pile of content. Congrats, now you don’t need to hire a GM.