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

[Creamsteak]

Players should help pay for food, hands down.

I definitely can see why players would chip in to buy a big module that will be played through by everyone.

I tell my players that, "I'll use my splatbooks, and you use yours."
It's an ironic concept that the more money they spend on books,
the more things I will let them do. If they buy all the books, then
they can use all the classes contained in them, but I don't let
them see my books, as I like to keep them in the dark. Don't think
that I don't let them use my other materials, but if I own a book
with a particular prestige class, they will need to find that PRC in
order to gain it. It makes things a little more fun, and it helps
them to buy more books. They are all first or second year gamers
now, so this is helping us to build up our mutual collection.

Paying for my time would be fine, if I was a better DM. I'm good at
ad-hocking, but I can't plan for the life of me. My players won't
follow a consistent character, let alone plot. If I charged, it would
be for the time spent.

 

[tburdett]

I don't charge my players. Each of them is expected, but not required, to buy a copy of the PHB. I have one spare copy and those players who do not have their own copy have to share it. Each player is required to buy their own dice and miniatures after a few sessions.

If they want to run a prestige class they need to have the product that it came out of and they need to be willing to let me spend a week inbetween game sessions reading it if I don't already own the product. Fair use is a DM's best friend.

Each person is required to bring something to eat or drink if they plan to eat or drink. I'm not a soup kitchen. The group voted early on to exempt me from this rule out of gratitude. I like my players.

If they decide to order pizza they always order one for me. I've never asked for them to do this, but I certainly appreciate it. If they did not do it, I would not complain.

I buy all of my own gaming material.

 

[mythago]

Geez. So I'm the only GM who takes it out in trade?

 

[sellars]

Back in highschool (or the dutch variant anyway) we would put money together to buy for instance the warhammer starterbox, or the ADD rulebooks, but nowadays everybody is either a college student with a job, or a working person, so we don't split the costs for the books. we do for the food and drinks however

 

[Lela]

So, is anyone interested in a "Will DM For Food" bumper sticker?

Yes. Very much so.

Then I'll just need a car to go with it.

You are lucky you got all of your stuff back. I have loaned stuff out a few times and the record is closer to 50-50 with the guy who the stuff was loaned to moving unexpectedly on 2 seperate occassions (2 differn't guys, 2 differn't times)

Too me it doesn't matter how unexpectedly he moves. If he knows where your house is, he drives by and hands it to you on the way out of town. Or leves in leaning against your door or under your paper or something (properly wrapped in a plastic bag or something of course). He should at least try.

And that goes for all the things you barrow. They're not yours, someone let you use them out of hte goodness of their hearts, you return them. Even if you have to mail them back later. It's good people skills.

 

[C. Baize]

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

If so, how does it work?

For a slightly different angle, if you are just starting a group and (which includes people who are not close friends) and your priority is to get a group going that will last, how would you handle money?

Never.

C. Baize

 

[Left-handed Hummingbird]

I really can't see why it is acceptable to charge for the food you provide as a host to your friends, yet unacceptable to split the other gaming expenses.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

So, is anyone interested in a "Will DM For Food" bumper sticker?

http://skipoholic.com/geekz/geekz1.GIF

 

[Zarthon]

I would never think of charging my players for the games I DM (and I DM most of the time), what we do is everybody has to have their own PHB & dice and if they want to DM then they have to have their own DMG & MM (duh!). As far as supplements go anybody who wants to buy one can go ahead (and they can use it with the ok of the majority of the group) as long as they agree to let the other players use it as well (that includes taking the book home to read)

As far as food we usally get take out, and the DM never supplies any snacks or drinks

 

[blackshirt5]

I own all my own gaming materials. We all chip in for food. The Players can have their own copies of splatbooks, but aren't required to. IF somebody else we're to DM, they'd probably just borrow my monster manuals, since the idea of buying up that many books when your buddy has em already is insane.

Oh, and the idea of paying to game is abhorrent.