Pay to Play

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alcyone
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Pay to Play

Post by alcyone »

I've noticed some games on Roll20 are Pay-to-Play; the DM charges a fee to run a game.

I can see the DM's point of view. It's a lot of work putting adventures together, and I guess it's a service someone might consider paying for. A DM who runs the same campaign or modules for multiple groups will inevitably end up with a pretty smooth game he or she is familiar enough to take in any direction without fear of screwing it up. And paying players are potentially a more attentive group (though you owe them their money's worth.) It's not for me; I wouldn't charge to run C&C any more than I'd charge to be the banker in Monopoly. I guess I wouldn't think less of anyone doing it as a side gig, but I think it's kinda weird.

As a player, I doubt I'd ever pay for a game as long as I have friends and online acquaintances. As game stores disappear and forums give way to other things I don't participate in, maybe then I'd have to consider it. Right now I can't imagine paying to play, unless there was charity involved, or it was an entrance fee for a convention or something.

Does anyone here pay to play C&C or another tabletop RPG? Or sell your own DMing services?
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Treebore
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by Treebore »

Well, its becoming more and more common to pay to play at conventions, even though I am not sure who gets those funds. I presume the convention group. I don't like that either. I refuse to pay additoinal fee's at conventions, considering how expensive the badges are by themselves, plus all the other costs involved in going to conventions. So I see a future where I simply won't go to conventions, because as expensive as they already are to attend, making it even more expensive by making us pay to play games, is just going to turn me away from them.

So I imagine this tendency at conventions is making more and more people who DM/GM think its OK for them to charge for their services. I won't pay for their games either. The only time I was OK with donating money to a GM was when we played at their house, and it was to fund drinks, snacks, and maybe even home cooked meals.
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Penny-Whistle
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by Penny-Whistle »

Could it be that Rick Perry is running all those games? haha

alcyone
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by alcyone »

Treebore wrote:The only time I was OK with donating money to a GM was when we played at their house, and it was to fund drinks, snacks, and maybe even home cooked meals.
Yes, and this I will do wholeheartedly. Even chipping in for a module, or for a book that has a class I want to play or something, no problem. My friends don't have to bear the whole burden. I've bought tokens or books for some of the CKs I play with online. That's different from this pay-for-play model. (For one thing, no one asked me to pay, I just did it to be nice.)
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DMMike
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by DMMike »

Well, to be fair I believe both GenCon and Origins did that (pay to enter, then pay for individual games) as far back as the 1980s. Not saying its good or bad, just noting the history. :) I personally can't see myself paying for a regular (ie non-Con) game. Most of the time people bring food, snakcs, or drinks and they inevitably get left at the DM's house.

As for Roll 20; well... I feel odd about it, like doing a patreon for a podcast. This is something you enjoy doing, so why charge for it?

On the other hand, we are all grownups. If people want to do that with their money, who am I to tell them they shouldn't?

Penny; OMG...now I have a mental image of the Rick Perry behind a DM screen! :lol:

;)
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maximus
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by maximus »

I haven't seen this yet, as so far I've only been on roll20 for our last Traveler and current A&8 games. I can't see wanting to play bad enough to participate in a pay to play session, especially since there are alternatives, but to each his own.

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Kayolan
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by Kayolan »

Paying to attend a convention is one thing, I get that, but paying for a "professional" game master?

Giant2005
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by Giant2005 »

I would never pay for a game, not so much because I wouldn't be willing to (I would if the right conditions were met) but because the GM wouldn't agree to my terms.
If I were paying for the services of a GM, that GM would have to work for it to a greater degree than they would be willing - as the employer, they would work under my terms and it would absolutely destroy the hobby for them.

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Go0gleplex
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by Go0gleplex »

I have chosen to not attend several conventions that became pay to play on top of the convention fee, which is already crazy enough in some cases. Nor would I have condoned it at any convention I organized were I still doing so.
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Rigon
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Re: Pay to Play

Post by Rigon »

I just figure that there are enough free games out there that it makes no sense to pay for one. Now, I would see if it was for charity or something like that, but not just to play. And as someone (Tree, I think) said up thread, the best way to pay a DM is to help out with food, drinks, etc.

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