D&D General My Requirements to Run a 1-20 Adventure.

[Reynard]

$20 (USD) a month for a pre-published adventure is nuts. If you were doing your own prep, I'd argue that is reasonable, but $20 to read out of a book and make tweaks? No. If your going to charge, $10 for a published and $20 for an original is far more in line. Unless your $20 includes a semi-private provided space with it, big miss.

Having done paid GM work, I am not a fan of it and I don't know why anyone would use such a service for a long term campaign that you would likely play online anyway. It is just too easy to find tables and players these day.

Anyway --

I reject the notion that running from a published adventure is easier than making up your own. I personally find it more difficult, because most published adventures are written and designed to be read, not played. Very few publishers do an actual good job of providing format that lets the GM "read and make tweaks." This is especially true of both WotC and Paizo, who know the majority of their customers never actually run the adventures they buy.

 

[Remathilis]

Having done paid GM work, I am not a fan of it and I don't know why anyone would use such a service for a long term campaign that you would likely play online anyway. It is just too easy to find tables and players these day.

Anyway --

I reject the notion that running from a published adventure is easier than making up your own. I personally find it more difficult, because most published adventures are written and designed to be read, not played. Very few publishers do an actual good job of providing format that lets the GM "read and make tweaks." This is especially true of both WotC and Paizo, who know the majority of their customers never actually run the adventures they buy.

I think that depends more on the DM and players tastes. Yes, all modules need some work to get going, but even the worst modules from major companies come with stocked dungeons, interesting encounters and new loot to use. Dragon Heist might be one of the hardest modules to run by the book, but using the book is still far less work than having to make your own dungeons and stock them, for example.

As a DM who has done both, I find the workload for adapting a module far less than making up my own scenarios, especially as age and responsibilities rob me of prep time.

 

[LordEntrails]

$20 (USD) a month for a pre-published adventure is nuts. If you were doing your own prep, I'd argue that is reasonable, but $20 to read out of a book and make tweaks? No. If your going to charge, $10 for a published and $20 for an original is far more in line. Unless your $20 includes a semi-private provided space with it, big miss.

The "quoted" price is per session, not per month

I will say my level 1-20 campaign ran for maybe 5 years, weekly 2-hour sessions. Say 50 per years so somewhere around 50x5x2 >> 500 hours. Give or take a year. Didn't really keep track.
Used parts of several modules,; Dragon Heist, Mad Mage, Beyond Icespire trilogy, City of Brass. With lots of recurring villains from those adventures (i.e. anyone who escaped came back to hound the party in one way or another) and added and filled in with custom content, including an epic level Ebondeath.

 

[Reynard]

. Dragon Heist might be one of the hardest modules to run by the book, but using the book is still far less work than having to make your own dungeons and stock them, for example.

As a DM who has done both, I find the workload for adapting a module far less than making up my own scenarios, especially as age and responsibilities rob me of prep time.

I disagree.

But then, I don't write the module as if I were going to sell it. I develop it exactly as much as is needed to get to the table. And since I already know all the context, the background and connections are built in.

If I use a published module, I have to parse all of that information from the (probably dense and overwritten) text, and still apply all that player, PC and campaign context. Easily double the work.

 

[Zardnaar]

I would never pay a single dollar just to play in any campaign. This new world of GMs for hire is complete madness to me, an unspeakable and unknowable madness from beyond time and space. If I ever got to the point where I felt, either GMing or playing a ttrpg, was like a job to me, I would quit the hobby.

I don't do it.

But if you wanted me to run high level or an edition or campaign I don't really want to do pay up.

If you don't want to pay or run it yourself good luck in your future endeavors.

 

[Zardnaar]

$20 (USD) a month for a pre-published adventure is nuts. If you were doing your own prep, I'd argue that is reasonable, but $20 to read out of a book and make tweaks? No. If your going to charge, $10 for a published and $20 for an original is far more in line. Unless your $20 includes a semi-private provided space with it, big miss.

It's the 1-20 part. If it was 1-10 I would do custom. Or whatever you wanted you're the ones paying.

 

[Zardnaar]

Do we discuss your requirements or do we post ours?

From what you wrote, it's not unreasonable. IDK how rates are going for pay to play games, so can't comment on that one. But other things, like high attendence percentage and playing weekend is spot on. For games that go into high levels, continuity of play is big thing.

The requirements are due to availability.

That's how long it'd going to take at a tough estimate. And it's the only time I'm really available for a 4 hour session.

Timezones as well. Weeknights here are early morning Europe or close to midnight USA time.

Main point is everyone available at the same time is an issue. Some things can be negotiated DM availability isn't one of them most of the time.

 

[ECMO3]

$20 USD per player per session is pretty standard. You can run the same session a few times a week with different players, too. The main problem is vetting players for a looooong time until you've got a nice stable of regulars. Even with heavy vetting things are still going to be rough for a while on the player front, probably a few years to get a rock solid player base.

Playing multiple tables with the same adventure at once certainly means less prep time for each but it also makes it less fun IMO.

If you are doing this as a business and looking to maximize profits while minimizing prep and still turn out a good product, that is probably the way to go. But if you are doing it because you love to play and want to have fun yourself - the $20 fee both provides minimal compensation for the DM and generally results in a better class of players, but in this case I think you want to run different campaigns on different night.

 

[ECMO3]

This is a hypothetical it's not something I'm wanting to do. I'm looking at 300+ hours not including preparation time. This means there's a cost (my personal games are free but capped around level 10 or 12).

Time.
4 hour session.
6pm-10pm East Coast USA Saturday night. Sundays NZ/Australia.
There is a little bit of wiggle room there +/- 1 hour.

Attendance 75% required.
PHB or equivalent is required pdf is fine.

Cost $20 USD a session per player. May require $25+ buy in (buying the material). 4E $30 a session may be required to provide the material. Modern D&D capped at 5 players, pre 3E up to 6 players. 1st session is free.

40 sessions a year weekly. 1 month break late December to late January.
Estimated Length 2 years. 3 years for 4E to 30 or pre 3E.

Offer not available for OD&D or 1E. B/X to level 14 is negotiable. Clones negotiable this includes Pathfinder 1st Edition.

Adventure Options.

5E prepublished adventure
Age of Worms (Greyhawk)
Savage Tide (Greyhawk)
Rise of the Runelords (Golarion)
Kingmaker (Golarion)
Prepublished Megadungeon
Otherwise custom campaign set in FR.

2E
Night Below
Mere of Dead Men (Waterdeep level 1-3)
Then
Into Return to Tomb of Horrors or Labyrinth of Madness.

Negotiable for other adventures cost to aquire will be on the players however. Eg any 5E adventure with level 11+ converted from somewhere else.

The main part that I think you will have trouble with is the up front buy in. I can't think of anyone I have played with that asked for this. Many DMs actually offer 1st session for free or at a deep discount as a test drive to see if it is your style of game.

I am not saying it is unreasonble to ask for money up front and certainly at $20 per player, per session with 5 players you are probably only making about $5 an hour after expenses, prep time and drop outs. That said, I think a lot of people will look for a less expensive alternative.

 

[GrimCo]

Are people really paying 20$ per session to play d&d with strangers online? I mean, that's not cheap. 40 sessions totals to 800 bucks for 160h of gameplay. I guess some people really really love to play.