DMs: Do you ask players to contribute money for materials?

[Ashrum the Black]

Never, what I want to use I buy. As other have said though if I don't own it, you can't use it.

All in all it just makes fights over what belongs to who so much easier to deal with. Besides, I like to read and read the books over and over and I can't do that if somebody else has got the thing.

 

[Thorntangle]

For the love of god - why doesn't Bugaboo post anymore?

 

[the Jester]

Well, other than snacks, I never ask anyone to pay for materials.

However, I do charge my players to play in my game. After all, it takes a lot of time and effort for me to work up my campaign and a good adventure week after week. In fact, I had to go to part time work in order to ensure that I could run a good game- otherwise I wouldn't have the time to pour into my campaign.

The problem lies in the fact that some players are wealthier than others, some are too young to work, and one is unemployed. But it all works out in the end- the guy we have who's most wealthy has volunteered to cover the kids (a set of twins, currently 15) and the unemployed lady. (I think he's trying to make time with her.)

 

[jgbrowning]

nope. i have too much stuff already.

joe b.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

However, I do charge my players to play in my game.

really? how much do you charge?

the closest i've been to money contributions by players is when one player bought a module and then handed it over to me to run it (and i gave it back after the mod was completed)

 

[Shallown]

I don't ask for money but it is often offered. I mentioned I needed to get a new Combat map (I use a 50 sheet easel tablet marked off in 1 inch squares, cost like 13 bucks) and the group said hey we can get that for you. May also be becuase I am jobless right now as well. But since I host the game and always have 3 gallons of tea to drink and ice, cups etc. They usually cover me for supper like pizza or chinese, though I contribute when I do have money.

I buy most of the supplements and they tend to buy them when needed so a tome and blood when they play a mage etc.

Later

 

[Vocenoctum]

Back in the day when I had a real life group, I got tired of buying everything and the players just using my books and beating the hell out of them. So I told them that they couldn't use my books anymore. It cut down on the amount of extra rules I had to approve too.
The Complete Books we bought among 3-4 of us, but when arguements broke out over who owned what, we stopped that practice.

I like the idea of players contributing though, since being a DM is expensive.

My current games are all online, so there's no sharing books. (Except once, we play tested Rigger 3 for Shadowrun, but even then I had to send the books out to them, so I still didn't get anything

 

[Wicht]

really? how much do you charge?

There are as far as I can tell, two approaches to determining rate of pay. The most basic is to charge your players by the hour. If doing this, you must calculate how much time you invest into planning a session, whether or not you are providing the snacks, and how much you think the players can afford. Or alternatively you can simply charge an annual fee for a preset gaming schedule. Personally I think the by the hour plan works out better for most players as that way they do not feel cheated if they miss a session. Also the DM, if he is good can make that time fly and thereby earn more through longer sessions. I think that $3 - $5 an hour per player is a fairly low rate but in some areas where the players are older and have better incomes themselves, $5-10 would not be outrageous.

 

[Dagger75]

I have never asked for money for D&D stuff. Just snacks and such. Although every player has the PHB, DMG, MM and I think we now have 3 Forgotten Realms, 2 Magic of Faurun and 3 Epic Level Handbooks.

I own most of the books so most everybody uses my stuff. The druid player bought his own master wild.



Wouldn't know how to ask for money from strangers. RPGA cons are really the only type of game I have to pay for each game but I expected that.



[edit] Added a missing word.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I don't even require that they own the PHB. I just send them a link to the SRD.

That being said, they're pretty good about bringing over snacks and sodas.