Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 8642413" data-attributes="member: 6796661">x3, so $6.  Very low. In my experience, especially at the lower price points, most paid DMs would want a minimum of 4 players.  I was a bit surprised he went forward with just 3. Even with 4, though, that's only $8 and hour, which is still lower than minimum wage in most states in the US (but higher than in a number of them), and far below the proposed federal minimum wage ($15/hour).  At 6 players you still don't get to the proposed federal minimum wage. Going back to the Start Playing site, I'm surprise at how many are charging $10 per session, but most are 15 to 30 per session. The highest that can be charged is $50, but there are very few at that rate and many that were at $50, have been slashed 50% to $25. Doesn't look like customers are willing to pay $50. But $25 to $30 seems to be a sweet spot.  Those charging $10 are likely new and trying to gain customers.One annoying thing with the site is that it is not at all clear HOW long the sessions are for. You have to click on the session to see the details and the search function doesn't allow you search/filter on length of time slot.  Randomly clicking on some:$25 per seat for 3.5 to 4 hours, 6 seats available (if all seats filled that's $37.50 an hour if all 4 hours played). A $10 session I clicked on is 3 to 4 hours, 6 seats available. It seems most are for 3-4 hours, 3-7 seats. I see a number that were originally at $20, that now have the $20 crossed out in red and are going for 12.50 now and some that were $50, now slashed to $25.$50 is interesting, because at an online convention I attended a while ago, I payed $50 for a set on game run by the game designer. For me, paying up to $30 would be a no second-thoughts payment for a set at a 4-hour game. $50 would give me pause.  But I would likely pay that for a GM who I have experience with and like or am otherwise confident that it will be a well run game. But that is still only $50 an hour to the GM for a 4 person game that runs for four hours.  I'm surprised that Start Playing doesn't allow GMs to charge higher rates.  It will drive the best away from the platform. We have to remember that the time spent by the GM is not just the time running the game. There is the prep time. There is some time needed for set up, etc. There is overhead for VTTs, buying digital assets, buying adventures (or spending A LOT of time making your own), taxes, a good Internet connection, etc.  Obviously, savvy GMs are going to re-run the same adventures for many groups and will set things up to reduce prep time, and many of the utilities and software may be things they would be paying for anyway, but all-in-all, it seems you need to charge no less than $25, live in an inexpensive area, and put in A LOT of time to make a living doing this full-time.</blockquote>

Verification