A quick survey of fellow DM's and DM's to be...

[warlordgdx]

Good day folks,

I've got a few off-handed questions to ask fellow gamers and I thought this would be a good place to start. Some background info to my questions: I'm a seasoned DM that is looking to turn his favorite hobby into a profession of sorts - I was thinking of offering an E-course on dungeon mastering, with step by step guides through each defined function of DM'ing. I was thinking of framing the course in the context of a mini-campaign that would conclude at the end of the course. There would be options to play with me via webinar or RPGnet over the 'net in three hour sessions, as well as lectures on DM'ing topics with question and answer sessions.

My questions to you guys:

would any of you be interested in a service such as this?

How much would you be willing to pay for such a service? Would you prefer a monthly subscription, or pay for each service or course individually?

Do any of the services above strike you as being worthless to you? What kind of topics would you like to see in a D&D E-course with full material?

Thanks in advance for any answers! This is not a solicitation to sign up or anything, I'm just getting an idea of what my customers would want per chance I decided to try my hand at turning my favorite hobby into a business!

Chris aka welock

 

[DaveMage]

No interest here - and I doubt you'll find much on EN World since many of us are "seasoned" DMs as well.

You may want to try your FLGS - they may have need of such services.

Edit - Do you have any RPG credits to your name? If so, then that may give people an idea of what type of game you run, and it may show the value of your counsel.

 

[Mark]

I'm a seasoned DM

Please elaborate on your credentials, both in regard to the actual game and in regard to non-gaming but related skills.

 

[Crothian]

would any of you be interested in a service such as this?

Only if it was being offered by someone I knew and respected as a DM. Just because someone claims they are an expert DM doesn't mean anything especially on the net. Just like I wouldn't pay to take classes from just anyone, there better be same damn fine credentials.

How much would you be willing to pay for such a service? Would you prefer a monthly subscription, or pay for each service or course individually?

I depends on your street credit.

Do any of the services above strike you as being worthless to you? What kind of topics would you like to see in a D&D E-course with full material?

To attract the widest amount of people you'd need to be able to cover lots of different ways to play and approach the game. But doing so makes it less worthwhile for the individuals. If I want old school teachings when you cover the new philosophies it will not be worth my time and money.

 

[aboyd]

Not interested. You might want to take note of another thread here, by another DM. He not only wanted to start a service, but did it. And abandoned it. And then redid it. And got a whopping 1 client.

What you're wanting to do isn't entirely plausible. You're going to endure grief from some here if you really want to have a dialogue in the forum.

A common reason cited for why the other guy wouldn't succeed was that he was a no-name. He isn't Piratecat. He isn't Harlan. He isn't a famous D&D author. Because of this, there is no draw to the service aside from D&D itself. And unfortunately, D&D itself is something you can pick up with a $20 starter kit.

Having said all that, I would note that about 20 years ago when I lived in Carmel California, I hooked up with "Lyceum" -- a training center for kids -- and taught probably 30 kids a week how to play D&D. I did it for years. But I got paid nothing.

So I suppose it's possible that you could get a course going. But you're not a recognized celebrity in the community, so you have no compelling reason for people to fork over $$$.

 

[warlordgdx]

Thanks for the replies guys.

As for credentials - About 14 years experience dungeon mastering, 20 years playing RPGs in general. Experience in 1st ed., 2nd ed., 3rd ed., and 4th ed systems as well as the design philosophies implied for each edition. I am not a published DM, but do have a homebrew world that the mini-campaign would take place in that I have been cooking for several years - I mention that because I may make a case of displaying the many subleties of creating your own campaign world as part of the course.

In regards to non-gaming skills? I'm an IT network coordinator and web designer. As a web designer, I've learned the importance of breaking big ideas down into their core concepts or conceptional pieces if you will. I've also had experience as a software trainer in my line of work.

While those points may not sound so impressive, It's my hope to host a blog and free articles that would introduce would be buyers to my content and my teaching points, and let them decide if my course would be worth their hard-earned money

The price point comparison to Monte's subscription service was a great suggestion, thanks a bunch!

As far as the breadth of the course material, it's going to be my intention to distill the functions of the DM down to several core concepts that may be elaborated upon - kind of an 'object oriented' approach to learning to DM. Those core concepts would be expanded upon with future content. Of course, as part of the core rulebooks for the current edition, I would like to offer up unique monsters, items, etc., or perhaps challenge my advanced classes to design a dungeon composed entirely of player-created monsters or content.

In retrospect, I agree that ENWorld may not be the perfect place to survey for a beginner's D&D course, but I respect it's members' opinions above all else out there for sure - thanks for the replies guys.

Chris aka Welock

 

[Bumbles]

Here's my suggestion...give something away to start, then find other ways to make a profit. Set up a web page, have referral links, some advertising, and give away some of your content for free.

If you get enough regular interest, then you may be able to publish something, even e-publish it and then sell it, but that may or may not happen, and you may never get anywhere with a service-approach.

I'm sure there's some fancy language that describes this form of content-making, but I don't know it.

 

[warlordgdx]

Not interested. You might want to take note of another thread here, by another DM. He not only wanted to start a service, but did it. And abandoned it. And then redid it. And got a whopping 1 client.

This is the kind of feedback I'm looking for. Thanks man.

Yeah, that's exactly why I wanted to survey two of the biggest gaming communities out there before I invested - ANY - time in truly working on this. This kind of info is golden - I'll keep playing D&D instead of trying to make a living off of it. And what you say is definitely true of me - I'm a 'nobody', in the gaming/writer celebrity tradition, and that's why I wanted to do my research first.

Thanks again, and no worries about the grief - I can take it, but the heads up is totally appreciated.

Chris aka welock

 

[Wormwood]

Teh Intarwabs offer such a surplus of free DMing advice that I find utterly no reason to pay for more of the same.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I think one of the larger challenges in your endeavor is that people serious enough to pay for a course (at ANY rate) are going to be people who take D&D quite seriously (in the sense that they REALLY want to learn it).


I don't personally see a market for new DMs.


Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook (open design and dungeon a day) both post regular essays to paying customers (well, patrons are their names for Mr. Baur). There are also the Kobold's guides available from Wolfgang.


So, I'd say that the market is saturated and the bar too high for the "expert DMs who want a bit more". At the same time, I think that these are the people who WANT to spend money on a service like what you are suggesting.


The hardest part, I think, in your endeavor, is that there isn't a market for newbie DMs that isn't met by the DMG (or older DMGs). It's a great idea, but there isn't a market currently.


I agree with a prior poster that giving away tidbits for free could be a way to generate such a market (and place yourself at the center). Show newbie dms what you can offer...hint at "just a few dollars and you can get the REAL gems of wisdom from you"...and get them to buy in.

I'd suggest a price of approximately $5 to buy in (as a one time purchase). This is low enough for people to take a chance, but not so low that people will dismiss it as worthless (Only a dollar? Probably not even worth that...sorta thoughts. A little social psychology/marketing there.)

If they buy in to the initial non free component (which is the biggest hurdle, since it involves a level of trust with e-payments and online security)...and your stuff is good...then give them the "UBER GOOD ONE ON ONE SUPER DUPER SALES PRODUCT!!!!" for a reasonable price, depending on quality, size, and demand.



In all, my answer is: not interested, and I don't think there is really a market that will be. I'm not trying to be a jerk at all...but I do want to be clear that I don't think that newbie DMs are going to be leaping to sign up without some clever incentives or marketing.

I consider myself an expert DM as well, and perhaps that's why I'm not interested. When I was a new DM, I would likely have gone to a friend who was a better DM and to my group than to some stranger on the internet. If you don't want that to be the case, you'll have to convince people en masse that there is a reason they should trust you, oh "stranger on the internet without clear quantifiable credentials, no matter how awesome you may be...and you COULD be totally awesome" over their alternatives.

With true sincerity, the best of luck to you. However, I wouldn't quit your day job if I were you.