Anyone ever GM'd for Money?

[Eric A. Smith]

Please tell me about it. I was considering, once I get back up to speed.....

 

[pogre]

The Adventure League is done with D.M store credit, but I know that is not what you are really asking about...

I have not done it, but I am told it is getting quite common for online games.

I have a couple of cautions though.

I think I am a great Dungeon Master, but I think a big part of what makes my games successful is I choose players that mesh well with my style. I don't doubt there are players, perhaps many players, who would not find me great.

I am a very solid miniature painter. Decent enough to command solid money for my work, and I have done commission painting in the past. It burned me out - charging money and the expectations that went with it sucked a lot of the joy out of painting. I had to weigh whether that last level of highlighting or detailing on the base was worth the time vs. money. I went back to just painting for myself and enjoy it more than ever.

Not saying that will happen to you - just a couple of things to consider.

 

[Zhaleskra]

Thought about it, but I don't think it's lucrative. Increasing my prices to allow stuff I don't really want to deal with in the first place would lead to low demand to hire me as the GM.

 

[Blue]

I've DMed for pizza, but never for money.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I was a grade school student. I was assigned a SF book I had already read twice and enjoyed for a school project. I didn't enjoy reading it that third time, when I had to.

Paid DMing seems like it would have a different dynamic and different expectations, even if they are just ones I'm imposing on myself. And that stress would impede my enjoyment. While I'm for the concept, I don't think it's something I would do myself.

But who knows. I've DMed at conventions, and there wasn't a "performance anxiety" stress. Maybe it would be the same. But DMing is fun for me, and a big part of that is my group(s) of players, and I'm good with the dynamic.

 

[Legatus Legionis]

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[Ath'kethin]

A friend of mine taught a D&D class at a school local to him and was paid as a teacher; he also taught a physics class there as I recall. I don't know how much he made at it, though. Dunno if that helps.

 

[D351]

I've participated in pay-for-store-credit situations, and those are pretty chill, especially if you already run a public game and don't have to change anything. I currently run a weekly Call of Cthulhu game like that.