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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 3299772" data-attributes="member: 22424">My analysis is based, in part, on my experiences with being hired to play the bagipes at folks' weddings. One of the pieces of advice I was given was, "if you're not good enough to charge the going rate, you're not good enough to charge."So, a "starting DM" has no business charging others for his services in the first place. Instead, what he needs to be doing is DMing for various groups to build up his skill level and rules-mastery, until he gets to the point where he is good enough to charge. IMO, of course.If there were a formal DM ranking system, one that was accurate and well-regarded, and one that covered not just rules-mastery but the whole spectrum of DM requirements, then I would expect to be sitting comfortably in one of the top grades before I would consider charging. Basically, I would have to be able to give a guarantee of keeping customers "mostly entertained for the whole time". If I'm not in one of those bands, then the first thing I'll do is work at my game until I get to that point, and then I'll consider charging.Hypothetically, I would be willing to pay one of the top DMs to run a game for my group. But if I'm paying at all, I want to guarantee a good time. That being the case, I simply won't employ someone who isn't charging the full rate - if it's a beginner DM then I can do the job better myself. If it's one of the top top DMs, I have no problem paying his $400 asking price. Hypothetically.The same applies in piping - if you hire a piper at a very cheap rate, chances are you're going to be disappointed (and, if played badly, the pipes can sound really terrible). But the top pipers, the guys who charge you $1,000+ for a wedding, have no difficulty finding people who will pay. The quality of the service has to warrant it, of course... but that's why they're the top guys.Possibly. I suspect you're over-estimating the size of the gamer community, and probably also how much cash people would be willing to part with. However, I never claim to be infallible.My gut feeling is if we had a really thorough and well-respected ranking system for DMs* then it might be possible for some really good DMs to make a little extra money through offering a service. As I mentioned in my previous post, the only way I can see it working is if a group is getting together for a one-off, for a celebration or for old-times' sake, and want to game, but no-one wants to DM.* It would be very important that this rating system covers not just rules-mastery, which is actually a very small part of the DMing skill-set, but also storytelling, table control, and overall enjoyment. The intangibles are far more important to the whole experience than just knowing that Power Attack is doubled with a two-handed weapon, IMO. As such, when I took the RPGA Herald-level test, I was immediately struck by how utterly useless it would be as a rating system. Sadly, I have no idea how you actually would create such a system... I suspect the only means of rating that could work would be through DM feedback at conventions... but that only works for those few DMs who could attend cons with any regularity.</blockquote>

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