If you were paid to be a GM

[The Hound]

Suppose you had an opportunity to get paid to GM a campaign. How much would you have to be paid *per session* to make it worth your while? Consider the amount of time it takes to think up and plan the adventure up front, the time required to prep for each game, and the hours that you spend running a typical game. If you were using published adventures would that reduce the prep time and the price per session? Assume that there is no travel time or expense involved - you are doing this according to your own schedule, at your own place of residence, online using a virtual tabletop.

PS: I know this topic has been discussed before, but not with this specific scenario.

 

[sheadunne]

Suppose you had an opportunity to get paid to GM a campaign. How much would you have to be paid *per session* to make it worth your while? Consider the amount of time it takes to think up and plan the adventure up front, the time required to prep for each game, and the hours that you spend running a typical game. If you were using published adventures would that reduce the prep time and the price per session? Assume that there is no travel time or expense involved - you are doing this according to your own schedule, at your own place of residence, online using a virtual tabletop.

PS: I know this topic has been discussed before, but not with this specific scenario.

I've seen jobs posted for DMs, usually at youth centers and special facilities. The pay is always minimum wage.

 

[Greg K]

I've seen jobs posted for DMs, usually at youth centers and special facilities. The pay is always minimum wage.

I once saw an ad for an enrichment company seeking instructors. Their enrichment classes paid $40-$60 per class session depending upon experience with kids and the subject (a session lasts 45 min to 1.5hr depending upon the class subject and client location). One of the classes on their website was D&D 4e.

 

[steenan]

Running games is fun for me, a reward in itself.

So, if I could run a game I like, and for sensible people, I'd treat it more as a hobby activity than a job. If they paid me for getting to the session location and back (if it was far from my home), and took care of the snacks, I'd gladly run a session biweekly.

On the other hand, if I had to run a prep-heavy game for a group that approached it as "we're paying, so we're entitled to things", I'd expect them to pay as good as my daily job, with additional compensation for subtracting fun from my hobby. For a 6 hour session (plus probably 3-4 hours of prep), somewhere around 150-200$.

 

[delericho]

£120 for half a day of gaming. I pick the system, the setting, the adventure, and the characters - because if I'm going down that route then I'll prepare half a dozen or so fairly robust and detailed scenarios and then reuse them over and over again.

If you want something bespoke, double the cost to allow for preparation work. And if you want me to run a regular campaign, rather than a one-shot, you need to pay me enough to give up my job - meaning you can't afford me.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

The question isn't as easy to answer as it looks like. When I'd ask/accept money for running a game, I would treat it as a job. As such it has to be able to support me.

For a one-shot (2 hours prep, 4 hours play), it would have to be €200-250.

For a campaign the rate would actually be higher, as adapting to the characters and maintaining continuity means additional pre work. Because this sounds bad, one could ask for a fixed sum for set-up (basic campaign fee), a yearly continuation fee, and a lower session rate.

I'm so happy that I can treat running games as a hobby. not as a job!

 

[Ahnehnois]

Honestly, I don't think I'd accept it. D&D is a form of recreation, and money has a way of taking the fun out of things.

 

[Teataine]

Consider the amount of time it takes to think up and plan the adventure up front

I think and plan in-between or during other tasks. I just consume fiction and non-fiction for its own sake. Getting inspired for games is a byproduct, so I don't think it counts as time.

the time required to prep for each game

30 minutes or less

and the hours that you spend running a typical game

2-4 hours

If you were using published adventures would that reduce the prep time and the price per session?

It would increase both significantly. Published adventures mean I actually have to read through the damn thing and be bored out of my mind during it, as well as probably purchasing the adventure.

So basically you're paying me for a maximum of 5 hours of "work" per week, that I gladly do for free, because it's fun. Getting paid for it would probably just make me resent the whole thing. But if I had to, I'd ask for 20-30$ per week, 75% of which I'd spend on making/printing props and handouts for the game and food and beer for the table.

 

[Morrus]

The reason it could never work is because the amount of prep required increases the time, but the 'customer' is only getting a few hours' entertainment. I'd peg it close to a movie price per hour; the amount of preparation on the part of the cinema or filmmaker doesn't come into it - you pay for two hours' entertainment. A kid's magician at birthday parties may have spent months perfecting his act, but he only gets paid for a couple of hours' work; you don't pay him for 8 months. They make it work because they have lots of customers; an individual GM doesn't. Unless you could run the same game for a hundred groups, which could make it feasible, I suppose. Otherwise it's a fundamentally broken business model.

Nobody is going to pay someone for an entertainment service based on how long it takes the provider to prepare it. They'll pay what it's worth to them, and it's competing with movies and other forms of entertainment.

 

[amerigoV]

Honestly, I don't think I'd accept it. D&D is a form of recreation, and money has a way of taking the fun out of things.

Agreed. Presuming as a player I am directly funding the event, I would expect a damn awesome experience if I am paying anything of substance.