If DMing was a job, how much should you get paid?

[Mark CMG]

Pardon me for thinking that being a DM is a privilege.
Yeah it can be a lot of work, but if you're good at it the return you get from your players is worth the trouble.

I've had good DMs and bad. I've ran great games and pathetic ones.
Never would I pay or expect to be paid a penny for any of it.

But it would be nice, eh?

 

[BlueBlackRed]

But it would be nice, eh?

Actually no.
It would ruin it for me.
I'd go from looking at the game as a game to looking at it as an obligation. And eventually I'd lose interest in it, if not get burnt out.

I don't want to come to ENWorld and do a post like I've seen recently about how D&D is bad in this way or that and that I'm done with it.

 

[The Hound]

I voted "other." I am assuming that I would be a very talented professional GM with a strong enough reputation to convince people to pay to be entertained at my table, and that I would be charging the players directly. I'd charge per person and therefore the per hour take depends on the number of people playing - I would be providing an evening of quality entertainment to a small group of people. As near as I can figure, going to see a movie comes out to a cost of about $3 per hour per person, not counting the overpriced popcorn and soda. That is about the only form of out of house entertainment that I regularly have experience with so I'll just go with that, though I suppose the theater and opera are more expensive, as are ridiculously overpriced rock conerts. An average group of 5 people would wind up collectively paying me $15 per hour. A large-ish group of eight would pay $24/hour.

Unfortunately, if you consider the prep time for each game, expecially if it is done very professionally, the hourly rate that I would see for the amount of work that I actually put in might be less than half of that. As a result, I would no doubt promptly start seeking some other, more lucrative line of work.

Which brings us to the question of how much players would be willing to pay for a professional GM, and how many people would be willing to pay anything. Unfortunately, the answer to those questions are probably close to $0 and 0 people. I've even heard of people wanting to charge for GM services in a few contexts, but as far as I know, none of it has ever gotten off the ground.

 

[Mark CMG]

Actually no.
It would ruin it for me.
I'd go from looking at the game as a game to looking at it as an obligation. And eventually I'd lose interest in it, if not get burnt out.

I don't want to come to ENWorld and do a post like I've seen recently about how D&D is bad in this way or that and that I'm done with it.

How often do you DM, anyway?

 

[Severion]

Other; $20 for parts (books and such) $1/level for labor, plus tip.

 

[Thetford]

Other hand

I think it depends on who's DMing, Some I've played with should pay me while others I could not afford.

 

[Agent Oracle]

Man, when i voted "oter" and suggested being paid in dice, i was joking. So many people are asking for real money, or saying their time is worth so much more...

Listen, I had a DM who charged me to play, once. I left after it became apparent that there was no output for my input.

 

[ssampier]

Will Game for Food

Snacks mostly, but a meal of burgers, pizza, chinese, or other good food is appreciated.

Frankly, I don't think I am good enough to charge for my DM skills. But free -- I'm usually all you got, so you like it and shut up about it

 

[Flyspeck23]

If GMing was a job, it should pay quite well if you're a good GM. The amount of experience and studying needed is quite high...

I voted $12-15, because then I'd be willing to GM for strangers (something I normally wouldn't do, as I consider it less fun, if fun at all). But they better don't complain if I re-use the material designed for my private group.

 

[amethal]

I'd do it for minimum wage, assuming the players were going to regulate themselves.

i.e. if they want to spend two hours talking about football instead of gaming, its their problem.

If I was expected to bribe, threaten and cajole everybody into getting the maximum roleplaying done in the session then I'd want a lot more.

PS - any money I did get would get spent on gaming products anyway, same as with my regular job.