Paying for game sessions?!?

[Lela]

oops, accidentally deleted the first line of mine...

Actually, we’ve been paying to play for a while now. The DM in our group does not want us buying a lot of extra books for us to get possible campaign enlightening ideas from, so he buys them himself. And, he also buys a lot of terrain – including a good portion of the Dwarven Forge stuff, and the Mage Knight stuff as well. Plus, he gets miniatures, and sometimes has them professionally painted. So, we contribute towards his massive amounts of purchases. I would guess he has just about every non-adventure module d20 product on the market, and had a similar collection of 2E stuff.

And, it doesn’t stop us from buying books for our own collection, as I have quite a few of the WotC hardcover books, and all of the Kenzer-Kalamar related non-module product. But, I think we’re generally pretty honest about not looking into stuff. Plus, some of the guys in the group don’t make a lot of money, and now don’t feel like they have to keep up with the guys that have better paying jobs.

I'm seeing two sides to this.

oops, accidentally deleted the first line of mine...

Actually, we’ve been paying to play for a while now. The DM in our group does not want us buying a lot of extra books for us to get possible campaign enlightening ideas from, so he buys them himself.

This I see as controlling. It's for this reason I come up with campaigns myself. It can be more work, but it's more fun for me too.

Then, I don't tell the players not to look at stuff, just that they can't use it w/o permission. And I don't hesitate to say, flat out, "No." They know this and don't mind.

And, it doesn’t stop us from buying books for our own collection, as I have quite a few of the WotC hardcover books, and all of the Kenzer-Kalamar related non-module product. But, I think we’re generally pretty honest about not looking into stuff.

So it doesn't make much of a difference anyway. Like those DMs who don't mind if their players buy all the books they want, they have to rely on hoensty and "Player Knowlege" vs. "Character Knowlege."

Plus, some of the guys in the group don’t make a lot of money, and now don’t feel like they have to keep up with the guys that have better paying jobs.

Here's where I see the up side.

Of course, I would hope those guys don't think they need to have anything other than the PHB (and in some cases, not even that) to play. They're just as welcome as the guy who's rich enough to buy Pizza for the group every time (not that I've ever seen that happen). That should be very clear to everyone. If it's not, take steps yourself (whether you're DM or not) to make it so. Even if those steps are simply talking to the DM and letting him handle it, it still counts.

If, by what I hope is a longshot, one player is showing off his books enough to make the poorer guys uncomfortable, you have another problem entirely.

 

[JDeMobray]

NEVAR!

It might just be my age / upbringing / inherent cheapness talking but no frickin' way. Not in a million, billion, gajillion years.

Of course, I've been playing with largely the same group of people for nearly 13 years now and it's never been an issue. The host (usually me & my roommate any more, but back in high school it rotated a bunch) buys a hefty bounty of snacks, drinks and provides the space. Everyone is more or less on their own for meals; we usually end up taking at least one dinner break and either going somewhere or ordering in. We also all buy our own dice, books and other gaming paraphenalia (y'know, Goats Blood, Beeswax, Ceremonial knives. . .)

But more importantly, we all take turns wearing the GM hat. I've ben doing it this way for so long that I've developed an innate, irrational suspicion of people who "only DM" or "only Play". It's not just me, either. Pretty much everyone in the group would react with a ". . . Why?" when confronted with somebody who only sits on one side of the table.

 

[Heathen72]

Feed me !!

Everyone in my group finds it very hard to find time to even play at the moment. We all work long hours, and each of have commitments outside of work as well. And it is, of course, harder still to find time to prepare for a game, so generally we would prefer to play. It isn't that we don't enjoy GMing (or even preparing for the games, really) just that the time we need to invest in preparation can be prohibitive - and we are all the sort of GM's who put a lot of work into our campaigns.
There are two consequences to this
1) We don't play as much as we might like
2) We tend to rotate the GMing.

Now, we don't pay our GM (whichever of us it is ) to run a game per se, but it is a standing rule in my group that the players pay for the GM's dinner (and nibblies and drinks etc) It's just a small token of our appreciation for the work that the GM has put into preparing. In another group we were in, we would every so often get small gifts for the GM - a miniature, perhaps, or some chocolate. It's not money; but it does go a long way to making the GM know we are aware of the work he or she has put into the game.

I wonder what would happen if there was a "Dial a GM"?
If the GM was good enough, it might be nice to simply ring them and say "We feel like a dungeon bash, thanks."
Then our little group could enjoy the pleasure of playing together for a change!!
Sure, it wouldn't be the most original of games - "Dial a GM" would be a bit like a Pizza Parlour, with a brochure listing all the available games- but how would that be different from playing a module?
Besides, you could customize...
"Hi, is that Dial a GM?"
"Yes"
" Could we please have a Medium level dungeon bash with goblins, and extra traps, but hold the undead?"
"Sure,"
"Oh and no TPK's, please. "
"Uh-huh"
"And Gerard, he's our fighter, he wants magical items"
"Will that be balanced or unbalanced?
"Balanced, please"
"Would you like XP with that?"

and so on...

 

[Sanackranib]

Re: Feed me !!

Everyone in my group finds it very hard to find time to even play at the moment. We all work long hours, and each of have commitments outside of work as well. And it is, of course, harder still to find time to prepare for a game, so generally we would prefer to play. It isn't that we don't enjoy GMing (or even preparing for the games, really) just that the time we need to invest in preparation can be prohibitive - and we are all the sort of GM's who put a lot of work into our campaigns.
There are two consequences to this
1) We don't play as much as we might like
2) We tend to rotate the GMing.

Now, we don't pay our GM (whichever of us it is ) to run a game per se, but it is a standing rule in my group that the players pay for the GM's dinner (and nibblies and drinks etc) It's just a small token of our appreciation for the work that the GM has put into preparing. In another group we were in, we would every so often get small gifts for the GM - a miniature, perhaps, or some chocolate. It's not money; but it does go a long way to making the GM know we are aware of the work he or she has put into the game.

I wonder what would happen if there was a "Dial a GM"?
If the GM was good enough, it might be nice to simply ring them and say "We feel like a dungeon bash, thanks."
Then our little group could enjoy the pleasure of playing together for a change!!
Sure, it wouldn't be the most original of games - "Dial a GM" would be a bit like a Pizza Parlour, with a brochure listing all the available games- but how would that be different from playing a module?
Besides, you could customize...
"Hi, is that Dial a GM?"
"Yes"
" Could we please have a Medium level dungeon bash with goblins, and extra traps, but hold the undead?"
"Sure,"
"Oh and no TPK's, please. "
"Uh-huh"
"And Gerard, he's our fighter, he wants magical items"
"Will that be balanced or unbalanced?
"Balanced, please"
"Would you like XP with that?"

and so on...

I can't help wondering what the world is comming to next we're gonna want a drive through then it will be delivery. I think when that time finally comes I'm gonna hang up my dice for good!

 

[TalonComics]

I'm not saying this is a troll, but making players pay to play was one of the most explosive subjects for EN World's long-time troll-in-residence, Bugaboo. Actually, he was around before EN World, at Eric's old site, which eventually became EN World. You'll still find long-time posters here who will remember the brouhaha caused by this subject. I didn't always get along with Bugaboo, but he was a very good writer and rabble-rouser, and really knew the game and its players really well.

Not really on-topic, but it struck me how some subjects seem to come up again if you wait long enough.

Yeah, amusing the night I'm posting on a regular basis again this topic is floating around... Again.

I guess what I find most bizarre about this topic is the number of people who think the concept of rewarding a person who has potentially put in blood, sweat and tears plus who knows how many hours of time, just down right repulsive.

As a long time GM/DM that attitude kind of makes me feel the players don't care about the work that I put into running a game much less the books that are purchased to continue adding new things to that game. It's no wonder many GMs suffer burnout as they're not being appreciated.

Please don't take this as me saying a GM *should* be paid money to run a game but at least give the GM some props that they could be potentially rewarded.

~Derek

 

[Sanackranib]

DM's

what has really surprised me is not that most of the players are saying I would never pay but are surprised and repulsed by the concept, but by the number of DM's who are.

 

[TalonComics]

Yeah, that's weird too. Maybe it's jsut ingrained into their heads that they don't deserve anything for running a game? Of course we've all played in games where the GM *didn't* deserve to be compensated.

Heck, I've played in some RPGA games where I paid to play and it wasn't worth it.

~D

 

[Sanackranib]

pay to play

Yeah, that's weird too. Maybe it's jsut ingrained into their heads that they don't deserve anything for running a game? Of course we've all played in games where the GM *didn't* deserve to be compensated.

Heck, I've played in some RPGA games where I paid to play and it wasn't worth it.

~D

aint that the truth though!

 

[Azure Trance]

What I'd like to know is if there are any DM's out there who have to pay their players to show up every week.

Any one willing to confess?

When Winter Break comes I'm willing to help pay two really good players for their train fare do a 3 hour commute from Westchester, NY to Long Island. $18.50 round trip, once a week, or $37 for the both of them. Spread between 3 people though it's only $12 a week, though I would be happy if any other players would chip in.

 

[Wicht]

Yeah, amusing the night I'm posting on a regular basis again this topic is floating around... Again.

Good Trolls never die. They regenerate...

...again and again and again.