Jarodemo:
Okay, random question that is purely hypothetical, I’m not planning a new business venture...!
Gaming is, for most of us, an amateur hobby. We play for free in our own time as and when we can. As such we often see games start but burn out as the GM simply doesn’t have the time to commit to running it effectively. So...
Would you pay for a GM to run a game for you, either F2F, line online (e.g. via Discord) or by PBM?
If yes what expectations would you have? What sort of fees would you expect?
Yes. I have paid-to-play once and the experience was okay.
My main motivations were I had just moved to a new city, didn't know anyone, and wanted to meet other gamers. The FLGS where the GM hosted their games was/is billed as a premium gaming experience: interior resembles a medieval castle's hall, rock walls, timber beams, long tables and benches, weapons/armors on the wall, etc. with private gaming rooms with all the bells and whistles (whiteboards, miniatures, game mats, terrain, Syrinscape sound, comfortable chairs, wooden gaming tables, small refrigerator, etc.). Neat experience and was worth the ticket price, which in my case was $10, but the game wasn't something I wanted to continue long term (homebrew GM who seemed more enamored with world-building and voice acting NPCs than he was in facilitating a fun/engaging story).
The Professional GM and Pay-to-play model is actually quite common now and the going rate ranges from $10-$20 per player, per 4-hour session.
As to whether I would pay to play again, sure.
My expectations for Professional GMs: GM either comes prepared to run a fun/engaging session and/or is gifted with the ability to run fun/engaging games through pure improvisation. That's it.
This message was last edited by the user at 16:56, Sun 18 Oct 2020.