Professional GM: Possible Return

[Dragon Snack]

Aim higher. Charge more and make it worth it.

Realistically, you are only going to max out at one session a day during the week (well, realistically you will be extremely lucky to get that). If they're 5 hours long, that's only 25 hours. If you kill yourself on Saturday and Sunday DMing 12 hour days, there's another 24 hours. Let's be generous and add another hour to make the math easier...

50 hours at $8/hour is only $400 a week for busting your butt (and the hours you aren't getting paid will be going into prep work). Can you live on less than $400 a week in NYC?

That's actually not what you will take home though, since you have expenses. Uncle Sam and Mr Patterson will want their pound of flesh (if I read my tax forms right, it looks like Bloomberg gets a cut as well, but I don't actually live in The City) and to top it off you get to contribute both halves to "your" SS. And if people are paying you to DM, you better have all of the books - especially the newest ones.

BTW, tipping the owner (which you would be) is considered improper by many people, even if it has become more acceptable these days. Don't count on a single penny over what you charge.

Good luck, but I think you would be better served to either do this part time on the weekends (for a little extra spending cash) or put your effort into finding one or two groups who would be willing to pay the big bucks for a DM (maybe some Wall Street fat cats will want to spend their money less conspicuously - on a D&D game!).

 

[unan oranis]

Stratagies for dm'ing professionally I am not interested in/have abandoned for now:

#1 (the king of france strategy)
Lower your cost of living to zero (become homeless bum) and play for fun. This is not a bad option in north america if your zen enough to get over all the cool toys most of society enjoys. You may want to scoot over to canada for the medicare.

You will probably discover that scouring for snacks in back alleys is very simular to larping, and perhaps a greater level of play will be unveiled to thee.


#2 (the depressingly viable strategy)
Study assorted snake oil new age medicine websites. Borrow some of their language and put together a "mind altering psychic healing circle" or some such; practice pretending to talk to the dead. Charge at least 20,000 per session, you only need one a year.

Might have to establish voodoo cred by mutilating yourself or getting a bizarre tattoo.


#3 (the shamwow strategy)
Claim to have found a way to make money as a dm. Sell a guide on how to do it. The guide is mostly filler centered around advice for creating and selling guides on how to make money dm'ing.

Be wary of releasing your guide as a pdf, and if you do for gawdz sake don't pull it and then claim to be fighting piracy.


#4 (the next generation strategy)
Patiently await the society engulfing ramifications of holo-deck style virtual reality. WOW has demonstrated that dnd will conquer the landscape of shared imagination, which will become the defacto universe as sentient beings know it.

Possible danger/awesomeness of dm's hunting each other down and wizard battling for each others souls ala highlander. I'm coming for your ass by the way ~ best up your game before we meet.


If any of these strategies seems ridiculous your imagination is too weak for the job you're after.

 

[Jack99]

I don't know I'd want to hire a GM who couldn't get a job at Burger King.

-O

I am not sure I'd want to hire one that applies for a job at BK.

It's only been one day since the interview so I don't know for sure if they're not going to hire me.

I think a problem came when I informed them that I wasn't looking for something long-term. The mood of the conversation seemed to change for the worse at that point.

Again, it might be a false alarm but it doesn't feel like one.

Why on earth would you tell them that? Has no one told you how/what to say at an interview?

Okay, aside from the above, I do have two questions.
1) $8 an hour? It sounds insanely low to me, but I know we have it good over here. To compare, what does BK pay?

2) What are your credentials as a 4e DM? How many hours have you had of actual DM'ing so far? Also, what are your credentials from the prior editions?

 

[aboyd]

Tav_Behemoth's post is great because he talks about real people who actually do GM for money. However, I don't think a guy who flubs a Burger King interview can pull together anything close to what Tav_Behemoth outlined. So...

If you do want to do gaming professionally, maybe you could work something out with a game store or something. Hold popular events at a gamestore, be responsibile for all the advertising and bringing in of new people.

That is a great "fourth type of professional gamer" to add to Tav_Behemoth's list. And importantly, this is something I suspect the OP can do. Head to every gaming store in the region that has a table for gamers, and vow to fill seats around the table, constantly. Have the game store owner pay you as a normal employee, but your job is to get butts in the seats, get gamers walking around the store, get gamers buying sodas & candy bars from the vending machines, get gamers feeling enthusiastic about hanging out there, etc.

It's not only possible, it's plausible for an enthusiastic, charismatic GM who hasn't been able to land "normal" work.

EDIT: everything that you do at that table should be for sale. If you use a Battlemat, at the end of the game you should say, "We sell these, $30 each." If you're running a module, you should say at the outset, "We're running this module, we have 6 copies if any of you enjoy it." You know?

And be prepared to suck it up a little bit. Owners of real small stores are going to expect you to do a bit of everything. You may spend some days standing at the register, looking at the gaming table longingly. There are ways around that, though. For example, if you get a confirmed 6 players for a 4 hour game, the store owner is going to have a real hard time sending 6 people away so you can audit the inventory or something.

Also, probably best to keep games short or have intermissions, so you can rotate people in & out, get them up and walking around the store. I'm thinking 3 or 4 hour games straight through, or 5 or 6 hour games with a good 20 minute break in the middle. Never end a game as the store is closing. Always end at least 30 minutes before closing, so the group has time to mill about and flip through some books (or whatever might perk up their wallets).

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

Good post, aboyd. In Korea there are game cafes that work on this model. My hosts took me to one in a mall in Seoul. It's kind of like a Starbucks, except that the walls are lined with shelves of games. You order drinks from a menu, buy table time (about the price of a fancy coffee for one hour IIRC), and then request games (also listed on the menu, with descriptions of their playing time, complexity, age range, etc.) The staff will then bring you the game, and if you don't know how to play they teach you.

Part of why this works is that boardgames are a new thing in Korea - Eurogames started the game cafe mania, but even games like Life are a novelty there. Another reason is that most Koreans live under the same roof as other members of their family; renting table space at a cafe is a nice way to get out of the house & have a place to play with your friends. Both of these factors are less true in the US, although the not having a basement that can be dedicated to gaming is certainly something most folks in NYC and Seoul share.

Some things to add to this idea:

- RPGs aren't popular enough in Korea to make it work, but I think they'd be a great fit for a game cafe here. One of the problems that a cafe owner told me about was that he basically spends most of his store's expenses on personnel salaries teaching people to become gamers, and once they do so those gamers are ready to go buy games at a discount on the Internet and play them on their own; just having the table space isn't enough to keep them coming back to the cafe. An ongoing RPG campaign is a great return-business generator, and if you do living-campaign stuff (like having different groups exploring & changing the world all together) it could offer exciting advantages over playing a RPG at home that wouldn't depend on you needing to convince existing gamers that your GMing is superior to what they can do for themselves.

- Nevertheless, the Seoul model implies that you should be available to run as many different kinds of games as the store carries. Part of what you offer the store could be the fact that you're a member of every game company's demo program, like the Looney Labs team or Steve Jackson's MIB, and you bust your butt getting those companies to support gaming at the store. You might also be able to get some support (financial or barter) from those companies.

- To get your foot in the door, you might offer to work on commission for the game store - they don't have to pay you out of their budget, but if you create $200 of sales in an afternoon they ought to be willing to give you $20 or $40 of that. Again, you're not going to be able to make a living this way, but it'd build up your experience, demonstrate the possibilities to the game store, and be a fun way to spend a weekend.

 

[Captain_Commando]

I've decided to try the business out. Other jobs will be pursued as the business is underway. Flexible hours for the GMing service will make it possible to pursue other sources of income.

I've collected both positive and negative criticism from each of the 6 forums on which I posted this brainstorming thread. A lot of insults but also a lot of insight, even from some of the insults.

There are profound differences between a pay-for-play campaign and a paid-by-the-hour GMing service. Perhaps the most important difference is flexibility.

Here's a new list. This might not be everything but it's a few steps forward from the first brainstorming list. Keep the comments and the suggestions coming.

1. The business is a DnD 4e GMing service paid by the hour. DnD 3.5e or Pathfinder service might be offered as well though 4e will remain the primary rules system used.
2. The cost might be $15/hour. <no tip mentioned> Too little or too much can drive away clients. The existence of a mandatory tip may cause problematic expectations. A 4-hour session split between 5 players would thus be the equivalent of a movie ticket in Manhattan. Special session packages may be offered at higher or lower rates.
3. The service offers 1-shot adventures (original pre-written, published, or custom). Custom adventures may have free prep or prep at an additional charge based on the amount of time and effort required to fulfill the client's request.
4. The service offers teaching games. This may include rules tutorials, game design tutorials (including monster and NPC design), plot writing tutorials, and at-table performance tutorials. Good for both players and aspiring game masters. Special games for math, science, or history tutoring could be offered.
5. The service offers special cooperative war games with DnD miniatures.
6. The service is sold on time and convenience as well as guaranteed quality.
7. Role-playing products could be sold or advertised at the end or during each session.
8. Snacks could be sold during sessions depending on the gaming location.
9. The service will have its own web site, not part of someone else's.
10. All original adventures are tested through the local DnD meetup group.
11. Local comic and gaming stores should be approached for cooperation. Product discounts, coupons for clients, store and service advertisement, and space reservation/rental may be discussed.
12. A menu of [gaming locations + location details] will be on the web site.
13. Special packages could be offered that may include food or renting a conference room at a hotel or space at a store.
14. Gaming products may be sold or advertised on the service website for extra income.
15. A standard survey should be prepared to find out client preferences and maximize their enjoyment. All sessions should be adapted or suggested based on the survey.
16. Breaks for bathroom or food will not be included in the bill. An itemized billing summary indicating time consumption might be necessary.
17. Extra effort must be taken to memorize story elements to provide a more professional level of performance.
18. Attire and behavior should be professional. A nice shirt and slacks if not a suit and tie.
19. A feedback or evaluation survey form could be given to willing clients with space for writing suggestions on how to improve the service or business model.
20. A minimum 24-hour notice will be given if I have to cancel a session. Any less and the next gaming session is offered for free.
21. Character generation will be offered as pregens, partially constructed characters, or up to the client to create. A character creation tutorial could be offered as part of the session.
22. Business networking is crucial to the service's success. Some companies might hire a known professional game master to run team-building exercises. Local Meetup groups will be marketed to including NYC DnD, Board Games and Card Games, SciFi Fantasy, and BizNet. New groups and companies should be marketed to every month if not daily/weekly. The previous attempt at marketing focused on college students and the marketed product was unmarketable.
23. Copies of all receipts for the service should be kept for tax purposes.
24. A contract with carefully written terms of agreement should be issued at the beginning of a session to prevent certain legal problems.
25. All gaming materials will be provided by me (clients can still bring their own though). This will include dungeon master's screen, dice, pencils, paper, dungeon tiles, printed handouts (including reference sheets), cinema stand, action tokens, and washable battle mat. Reference sheets should be no more than 5 pages. Cinema stand is yet to be tested but holds promise. Meticulous memorization of details/rules and innovative use of pre-tested game design tools (ex. battle challenges and moving terrain) will likely enhance the value of the service.
26. RPGA certification as a judge should be pursued. I'll be registering as a member on Wednesday, and the Herald test has been quickened. Higher level judge certification should be pursued as soon as possible. Having DMing experience recorded on the NYC DnD Meetup site is also helpful for attracting clients.
27. A compilation of play tested and refined adventures from the service will be offered to a game company for increased income.
28. A business relationship with a game company might be possible based on how much attention the service gains.
29. For packages including food, perhaps culinary/baking students might be approached for the promise of a share of the haul and/or in some cases a seat at the table and/or experience to add to their resumés and/or a free game session or product. NYC is loaded with culinary/baking students.
30. Professional web support may be possible. Web designers also have a meetup group. Web design students can always use more cash. Perhaps someone will trade web service in exchange for free game sessions or morbid curiosity or just for fun/experience.

 

[kitsune9]

For those of you who are unaware, I'm a New Yorker who was about to start a horribly planned business called "Caravan of Blades" back in early March. The business was a pay-for-play Dungeons and Dragons 4e campaign. I wasn't thinking clearly. My father had recently passed away of a heart attack and the experience and aftermath were a bit traumatic (I discovered the body that night). I needed to get a job and picked a bad idea for making money.

Fortunately I put a stop to the horror on the first day when I snapped back to my senses.

Unfortunately despite job-hunting since then I still haven't gotten hired. Yesterday featured an interview at the local Burger King yesterday which I think went very badly. I'm having serious doubts about being able to get a job. My resumé sucks, so much that it might be impossible for me to get anything due to local competition being fierce and better qualified in practically every case.

I'm handing in some more applications over the next couple of weeks, but I'm starting to feel very desperate as well as very pathetic.

I'm contemplating another try with paid game mastering. This time with a plausible sane business plan.

This time practically everything would have to be done differently.

This might be just a false alarm but I'm mulling this over nonetheless.

This will be just brainstorming for now. Actually going through with this would be a last resort. I'm open to suggestions.

So to start things off.

1. This will NOT be a pay-for play campaign. This time I'll be a game master hired by the hour. No sitting around simply hoping for people to show up. I'll be able to cancel in case of emergency.

2. I'll charge $8/hour + tip for my services. It will be relatively inexpensive if my clients are paying as a group. The tip is not mandatory.

3. I'll run 1-shot self-contained adventures for DnD 4e. They can be from a menu of prewritten original adventures I'll offer or published adventures or custom adventures tailored to the clients' preferences (with an extra service charge).

4. I'll advertise my services to local meetup groups and specific local businesses. The local DnD Meetup Group for example has over 800 members, many without a regular group or unable to find games that fit their schedules.

5. My primary hook will be convenience. For example, if someone is planning a special birthday party featuring a DnD game, and no one has the time to prepare a game, that's where a hired GM might be considered. I don't have to try to be the best. I just have to run a good fun game and be available. I'll be providing most if not all the gaming materials.

6. I'll have a web site tailored for the business instead of mooching off another website that is focused on something else altogether.

7. I'll scout out every location that I can find that is conducive to gaming to give clients a broad range of places to choose from if they have no specific one in mind.

8. All of my original 1-shots will be tested and refined through the local meetup group's meetup events.

9. I'll create a relationship with the local privately-owned game store(s) and comic shops. Cross advertisement and possible space rental/reservation.

Captain,

Why not run game days and charge for it? For example, when Living Greyhawk was running, several gamers for in the Pale region would run con days at game stores or at a small hotel meeting room. They would get about 30-60 players for a weekend of gaming. The cost of registration would be about $12-$15 if I remember correctly per person, but they'd get in about six games.

Granted, you don't seem like someone who has the kind of money to start this up, but so let's scale it down a bit and make it just one day and see if you can get a meeting room from a community center or a library. Maybe you can partner with someone who can help pay for the costs of the meeting room while you DM.

Order RPGA mods for Living FR or whatever the RPGA is doing these days and charge a flat rate fee for the module. Granted, you're going to be really busy to run three modules back-to-back (that's 12 hours right there with no breaks), but if you can manage it, you can probably get away to charge something like $10 per person for the day.

Go to Costco and buy a mega pack of candy and sodas and charge something ridiculous like $1 a candy bar and $1.50 a soda (Gamers will buy, they always do).

The economies of scale usually work better if you offer more games over the weekend and have more GMs with you; however, crunch the numbers and see if you can make a profit on it out of a single day. If not, good luck and try something else. If so, go for it, because I'm sure there are lots of RPGA players who'd like to get their mods under their belts if they know there are organized events going on in their area (I went to them and so did lots of other players, so I know there was demand).

As for your resume and job hunting, I don't know your skills, but have you gone to your local unemployment office? They usually have an office that offers workshops on polishing your resume, interviewing, and placement services of their own. Another thing is through temp services to take anything. Of course, all levels of government are hiring and I'd check out your city, county, and state government websites, particularly if they got stimulus money for shovel-ready projects.

Good luck.

 

[catsclaw227]

What's the target number of games you want to run in a week and for how many hours? This is an important factor, because you should plan on spending 1:1 prep:gametime if you want a professional and well organized game.

Will you be using preprinted, well-done maps in 1sq scale or just a dry-erase battlemap?

Will you be offering any special rewards for roleplaying or any discount cards for players that are repeat visitors?

What do you plan on budgeting for books and materials each month?

 

[aboyd]

This:

The business was a pay-for-play Dungeons and Dragons 4e campaign. I wasn't thinking clearly.

Has turned into this:

I've decided to try the business out.

Again. And followed by an OCD-like list of ideas/hopes/goals. And yet nowhere in the list is a bullet point for "get hired by someone who pays my wages to do this." It's all freelance or partnerships, still.

Until you acknowledge that you can only pull this off as a day job that some store owner pays you for, you're going to fail. That's just my opinion, and even more cruelly, I wouldn't hold that opinion for others. Just for you. But I'm actually trying to not be cruel, by giving you a sense of harsh reality. If you can man-up to the truth, then you can deal with the truth and find a way to succeed. And that is going to help you & your mom.

People don't show up for free games sometimes. The idea that you can show up in business attire and somehow it compels people to show up and pay you... well... you're going to have the same experience that you had the first time... namely, no one will show up.

You have to get a day job.

You have to get a day job.

You have to get a day job.

Luckily, game stores hire people. Your day job can be at a game store. They may even let you run some sessions while you're on the clock. But it is nonetheless a day job.

You have to get a day job.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

aboyd is spot on the money, you may be able to get paid to DM, but you are not going to make a living at it. Principally because people do it for free and you are competing against them. You are only going to get to do it as a job if you can use DM'ing to add value to a game store or game cafe type establishment. The game cafe is an interesting idea but it would require quite a bit of capital to get it running. Also it would be a lot of non DM work because you are running a business also. Are you prepared for that?


In any case a significant amount of your time would be involved in non DM activity.