D&D 5E How many players would use a service like this

[Audiomancer]

I wouldn’t pay for it. Personally, I’m not a fan of online play, but I think the option is good for people having a hard time finding a local group.

I don’t really have an issue with somebody else making money DMing or somebody else paying for it. It’s their choice and their money.

Pretty much this. For me, D&D is a hobby, and I’m not interested in paying someone else for the opportunity to do it. Nor do I expect anyone to pay me to play at their table.

That said… DM-ing is a skill, acquired through time and practice. Like hitting a baseball, writing computer code, or playing an instrument. I’ve also seen it reported that the number of people trying to get into the game exceeds the capacity of the available DMs. In that scenario, it’s understandable that some DMs see an opportunity to charge for the level skill they’ve acquired.

And as others have stated, if somebody else has enough cash sitting around that they want to blow it on a paid DM, that’s really none of my business. Sounds dumb to me, but I’m sure I’ve spent plenty of money on dumb stuff, too.

 

[el-remmen]

The few times I've run D&D for pay (as a team-building exercise for a friend and co-workers), I charged 10 bucks per person per hour for a three to four hour session, with an option for a fifth hour. If they had not been people I had a previous connection with I might have charged $12-$15 per person per hour.

 

[J.Quondam]

Welcome to the gig economy, I guess?
I don't begrudge musicians, artists or actors getting paid for their work, so why begrudge DMs getting paid for theirs? If someone can earn money doing something they enjoy, more power to them.

 

[billd91]

I don't want to promote these clowns, so not giving the website link, but it promotes itself as: "the largest online platform for players to find tabletop roleplaying games and professional GMs for any game system and any virtual tabletop! " I scrolled through their various GM's, and found one guy who thinks he is worth 40 bucks US a session, per player. At those rates, it is almost a gig that pays the mortgage. The average rate seems to be 25 bucks per player per session.

Personally, I'm not interested in paying for games in this mode (getting tickets for a convention game is different, and a lot cheaper) nor DMing for hire. But...

I can see $25 per person per session if the sessions are 4-5 hours isn't exactly unfair. It looks like a high pay rate for the DM, sure, but it's not a ridiculous amount for an individual to pay for gaming entertainment of a reasonable duration - and that's probably the more appropriate perspective to consider here.
Hell, if someone can pay their rent on the DMing by selling their services to people willing to pay and do a decent job of it, GOOD ON THEM.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

When I first got into D&D, I spent years looking for a group. In the interim, I basically only studied the rule books or participated in online forums like this. If I had an option to pay a DM to play, I absolutely would have. Obviously free is always better, but still I don't think its a bad thing to pay especially if people feel like they are getting their money's worth.

 

[Laurefindel]

My first D&D game was with a paid DM as one of the town-sponsored activities. Town would provide a room (and transportation from school) in the community center/town hall, and the DM provided books and dice and minis and whatnots. I must have been 14-ish at the time.

A year later my friends and I would host our own game for "free". I use "free" in quotation marks because the town-games' fees transformed into other expenses; books, dice, food, snacks, and gas for commuting (I come from a place where your closest friend is 1h away on a bike through hilly roads). Later in college I would pay a yearly membership to be part of the gaming club and have access to game rooms, tables, and whatever boardgame or RPG the club owned. Then there were many LARP where i would pay to play, etc. All that to say that paying to be able to RP is nothing new.

Paying a DM for material, a place to play, and the expertise of a good DM is something I'm willing to do (perhaps less so for an online game however). Through these games you meet other people and typically end up starting your own private game, but it's a good springboard toward something else. I know one or two DMs who DM "professionally" for high school kids and one that DMed adult games. But even at $40 per game per player (which is more expensive than what I see in my area) , that's $40/hour (assuming a 4-hour long 4-player game) for a few hours, at best a few times per week, not counting all the prep time that players expect (with reasons) from a professional DM, the expenses you have to do for your player and typically, the rental of the playroom. If you could cram 8 hours of this 5 times a week, perhaps you could pay your mortgage but looking at my friends, it's not very lucrative once you've covered all your expenses.

The way I see it, it's not very different from paying to see a concert - even if I have enough musician friends that I could listen to their music every week.

 

[MarkB]

Most of my time in the hobby has been spent as a member of a D&D club that meets weekly at a local hall. We don't directly pay DMs, but players all pay an up-front membership fee plus a weekly fee that goes towards the costs of running the club (mainly hall hire). Whoever is DMing is exempted from paying the weekly fee.

 

[DND_Reborn]

For games where the DM actually creates materials, and maybe $20 per session (minimum 4-6 hours), is reasonable. For entertainment, you would pay that or more going out anyway. But IMO these should be DMs who consider this a job and it should be professional, accurate, etc. If a group requested an adventure, like Curse of Strahd or something, then that is ok; but if the DM just uses them to run something, it does seem kind of lame to pay for a DM.

Of course, experience counts. I just joined a group of newbies (they've played maybe two months?) and there is so much that (understandably) they don't know or understand. I spoke to one of the players yesterday at work, and he said everyone thought it was really cool to have an experienced player/DM who can help them learn the game. Now, of course, I told him that even with the mistakes, as long as they have fun that is most important.

So, I can see people paying to play and gain experience, etc., but unless it is top notch I can't see people coming back to pay to play again.

 

[Shiroiken]

It does not change the fact this is a blight on the D&D community.

Why? Some DMs put a lot of time and effort into their work, and if they can find players willing to pay for the service, it's good for everyone involved. Of course, some DMs are going to put out a crappy product (including ones who run for free), so let the buyer beware. Hopefully the site sets up a rating system so those DMs can't continue to screw over different players, but that's a site based issue.

Edit: I forgot to add that some players are toxic, generally getting kicked out of regular games. They can often only find a game in this way.

 

[Thomas Rainsborough]

In response to a couple of the posts, I find the analogy to concerts or movies wrong. Does the DM run the show? Yes. But is the DM there to "entertain" the players? I don't think so, not in the direct sense.

I just find the whole concept of paying a DM wrong. That said, when I DM, I do get a discount on my food and drink that night, albeit a tiny one, and that is the cafe essentially paying me for bringing in traffic. But still, I simply cannot believe that many people are so desperate for a DM that they will pay for one instead of the group having someone step up and do it.