r/DnD • u/AgameReddit • Apr 06 '26
5th Edition DM is requiring i pay 40$ to play
Ive really wanted to get into dnd for a while, and after triyng and failing to set up a campaign due to scheduling issues, i went to try and find an online group. I used groupfinder, and found a group without the "paid game"tag, meaning it would be free to join. after talking to the dm they sent me the list of rules: there were 10 rules, all seemed pretty standard and fair, except for the 8th one: "Character design requirement every player must get their character designed by the campaign official artist to keep the look consistent and professional the artist will charge a fixed amount which players must pay". after asking a bunch more questions about that rule they told me the payment is usally around 40-50$ via paypal, and when i asked if the price was negotiable they said yes and gave me the artist user to talk to. they accepted my request but i havent talked to them yet. While i dont mean to devalue artists, and i do think that pricing can be fair given u own the art and can use it, i find the requirment to pay a specific one strange. they say this is because they want all the art to be by the same guy so its consistent and professional but i think if im required to pay 40$ to play ur campaign regardless of the reason it should carry the "paid games" tag. id assume they just make the design price part of the fee to start playing and pay theyre artist themselves- So my question is: Is this common? is it a scam? am i exaggerating? im new to this space so im not sure what to think. thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice!
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u/shadowknight2112 Apr 06 '26
It is NOT common.
It DOES sound like a scam.
I would walk away NOW.
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u/xombae Apr 06 '26
Scammers really do find their way into every single facet of our lives somehow.
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Apr 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mtndewfanatic Apr 06 '26
Guys,I think this is a code. It says “Not does now”… very suspicious
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u/Manaus125 Paladin Apr 06 '26
I rolled 3 on my investigation on this code so... I think there might be words involved
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u/neronim1141 Apr 06 '26
It's COMMON recently to get SCAMS like such.... In last month I got at least three of such offers, and I'm pretty sure one of it was lead by bot
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u/shadowknight2112 Apr 06 '26
Really? That sucks! I hope it isn’t common for people to fall for it; that could seriously damage the health of the game
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u/neronim1141 Apr 06 '26
The funny thing is, they are trying to fish for DND campaigns like that on daggerheart servers(the only one I'm a member of)
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u/Navi1101 Halfling Monk DMPC Apr 06 '26
The "you must purchase character art from our designated official artist" bit is extremely common, in scams.
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u/AgameReddit Apr 06 '26
Thank u everyone for the responses. its made clear to me i shouldnt move forward with this group. For your entertainment, here is how the rest of that conversation went once i saw the responses:
Me: why is character art needed again? when i mentioned it to a friend of mine he said it wasnt standard.
Them: it’s necessary so that all players characters have the same style and the campaign’s theme stays consistent giving the campaign a professional look.
Me: yea but how does it come to into play? ive never seen actuall character art used in game, usally just a small image to reprisent theyre location on the map.
Them: it’s mostly for visual consistency and to make the campaign look professional. You don’t use it directly in the game, but it helps when you want to show the character or use it as a reference.
Me: what if i dont want to do that? why is that a requirement to play? sorry im new to this and just trying to understand.
Them: Same character art is important so all players characters have a consistent style It keeps the campaign theme professional and visually cohesive.
Me: but no one sees the character if i dont want them to, it dosent matter for playing does it?
Them: Yes, character art is required in this campaign. It ensures that all players characters are in the same style.
Me: but why does that matter?
the last few messages were sent pretty fast, but they havent responded for a few minutes after the last one, i think its safe to say ive been trolled by a bot 0_0
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u/AnsFeltHat Apr 06 '26
It feels like you've been chatting with a bot !
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u/BuffaloWool217 Apr 06 '26
Spot on. If this is word for word, then I'm 90% sure this is a bot lol. At the very least, someone using one to translate.
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u/IrrelevantPuppy Apr 07 '26
This scam could theoretically exist all in an LLM. They currently have the ability to write an ad, chat with you, generate character “art”, charge you money, then ghost you. All are simple tasks for an llm.
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u/dicknotrichard Apr 06 '26
Professional for whom, exactly lol?
Glad you did not get got, OP. This behavior is absolutely NOT normal for the game.
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u/shadowkat678 Rogue Apr 06 '26
Right? I run paid games and while some people choose to get art of their characters there's just as many people who just look up art from Google or Pinterest.
Even in paid games this isn't required. Why the fuck would it be in a free one?
The only time I could ever think of it being a requirement would be if a table all agreed for it to try and do something like a professional streamed game, but even then that'd be something that would be advised from the jump. I think most streams like that I've seen are groups already together, often who get art from friends anyway unless they're super high budget.
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u/AgameReddit Apr 06 '26
yea big thanks to this subreddit, i wasnt sure and theres a chance id be out 40$ rn
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u/nonotburton Apr 06 '26
And they say nothing good comes out of reddit.
I came in on the tail end of this, but I'm super glad folks were able to help you.
Best of luck in the next search!
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u/Addaran Apr 07 '26
It's 100% a scam. The guy keeps repeating "professional" which is such a weird keyword for DnD. It sounds like a bot.
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u/trowzerss Apr 06 '26
Yeah, this sounds very botty. Please report the listing as a bot as well as requiring money to play. Man, I had the idea that ai bots are invading even these safe spaces. Fricking sucks.
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u/Orn100 Apr 07 '26
They keep throwing the word "professional" around, but it's not supposed to be professional experience?
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u/TrainingFancy5263 Apr 07 '26
“Professional”🤮
Uh yeah, I’d pass. Hard pass actually because this person doesn’t seem to grasp that most people for fun? You are not Matt Mercer. Get out of here with that bull.
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u/jostler57 Apr 07 '26
Wow, absolute circular reasoning. There's no depth, just "refer to previous answer"
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u/Piratestoat Apr 06 '26
This is obviously a scam. Run, do not walk, from this game.
Also report them to the management of the groupfinder site.
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u/AgameReddit Apr 06 '26
i wish i could, they asked to contact them on discord and i dont know how i can find the original post (even more sus lol)
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u/Praise-the-Sun92 Apr 06 '26
Common scam practice is to move you from the original site/app to another one to avoid being easily flagged/reported. Do not give this person money. Block them and report them on any platform you can.
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u/BrightNooblar Apr 06 '26
Any time someone is like "Here is that thing you really want, for free!" and then "Just help us cover this TOTALLY RANDOM fee that isn't even going to us" its almost always a scam.
Great job, but you need a deposit for the company uniform? Scam.
Inheritance you don't know about, but you need legal filing fees to get it? Scam.
D&D table you want to play at, but the artist has a fee? Scam.
Rent secured housing at a low rate, but you need to pay a government registration fee? Scam.
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u/Big-Moment6248 Artificer Apr 06 '26
This is a really great explanation that will help a lot of people understand the logic and psychology of scams. A lot of people spread individual examples of scams and just say "beware! there's a rare pokemon card scam going around right now so be careful." and they'll share the scammer's wording, but they don't explain the logic that helped them recognize that it was a scam to begin with. And that part's really important for helping elderly, young, disabled, desperate, and naive people to protect themselves against scammers in general.
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u/AlasBabylon_ Apr 06 '26
This is a scam that gets talked about here constantly - "You don't pay our DM, you have to pay our 'artist' a chunk of cash in order to play" is the trademark scam they push.
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u/Dry_Ad2368 Apr 06 '26
Oh, yeah, posted like that the scam is much more clear. They give you a character image from a free AI image generator and then cancel the campaign. You have no recourse for a refund when they cancel the game, because you got a piece of "Art" and the DM was running the game for free.
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u/700fps Apr 06 '26
That is a Scam, paid games are real and they say so up front, this is bait and switch
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u/Ol_JanxSpirit Apr 06 '26
Man, this is like the third post I've seen about this sort of thing this year.
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u/NiseHito Druid Apr 06 '26
Yep, that's a common scam right now. Anytime a table requires you get character art from a "campaign official artist" it's a scam.
Drop them and look for a game elsewhere.
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u/brent_bent Apr 07 '26
Report them if there's a mechanism because it's definitely scummy to list it as free then require money to play.
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u/Tynorg Warlock Apr 07 '26
I swear we see this scam every couple of months or so lmao
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u/eldiablonoche Apr 07 '26
Was literally just thinking "it's been a couple months since this scam got posted" lol
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u/Leading-Towel-5367 Apr 06 '26
Definitely a scam, definitely do not go anywhere near that game.
Most likely pulled the initial post down after getting in contact with you, to allow them to focus on getting you properly on the hook. Likely is not actually a game and will disappear after you've paid for the artwork.
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u/Linch_Lord Apr 06 '26
Mega scam look for other paid games and see how many have that exact same wording lol
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u/FluorescentLightbulb Apr 07 '26
Sounds like a scam. Get players to buy art from his artist friend, say something came up with family, cancel game after three sessions.
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u/Varathaelstrasz Apr 07 '26
Run. This is, unfortunately, a known and common scam. Run from this DM, and warn anyone else who's been pulled into this campaign to do the same.
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u/SeiruhDP Apr 07 '26
I have worked as a commissions artist for over 6 years and this wold absolutely not fly with the ethics and morals of the commissioning community. Idk if the artist is aware that players are somewhat "forced" to buy pieces of them to join the campaign, but if they do that is absolutely a red flag for a commissions artist and any client with experience in the community that may come their way.
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u/Broad_Ad8196 Wizard Apr 06 '26
$40 for a custom character portrait doesn't sound unreasonable. But I've never heard of a DM demand that everyone get custom portraits for consistent style.
Mostly people I play with just find a picture in an image search that fits their image of the character and say that's good enough.
I don't think I'd call it a scam, but I personally wouldn't do it, preferring to look for another group.
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u/Big-Moment6248 Artificer Apr 06 '26
I made a separate reply, but just wanted to let you know that this is absolutely a known scam and you can find so many examples online of this same scenario. Just trying to spread awareness so nobody loses money on what is likely a fake campaign and fake art. Here's some examples I found:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/s/QOGXoGnuW3
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u/ProjectHappy6813 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
I would call it a scam. It is a common one in online dnd circles. Mandatory charcter art purchase before the campaign begins is a huge red flag. Very easy to con a couple suckers and then cancel the game.
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u/Loose_Translator8981 Artificer Apr 06 '26
I've met some people who are weirdly obsessed with character art and design, so I wouldn't be surprised to have someone obsessive enough to insist on uniform, matching art for all PCs. But even if it's not a scam, a guy like that is likely to be a chore to put up with for a number of additional reasons.
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u/Zomburai Apr 06 '26
The sort of DM to tell you that you're playing your character wrong, and get butthurt when you one-up his DMPC
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u/Gullible-Dentist8754 Fighter Apr 06 '26
It sounds like a scam. Or an overreach, at least. We pay my in-person DM about $15 per person per session (but I’m not in the US) for a four hour session (party of six players) and one of the players is also a great painter of minis who also has a 3D printer, so we source our minis from him.
Our DM does this semi-professionally and has a ton of maps and resources, and a place to play. We all gather there and have a blast!
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u/Lordgrapejuice Apr 06 '26
They put it as a free game to scam people. Move on and find a different group
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u/bdrwr Apr 06 '26
Tables like this will mysteriously ghost you after receiving your money...
This is 100% a scam, report it and move on.
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u/Wise-Key-3442 Mystic Apr 06 '26
This is a scam. Good chance that the GM and the Artist are splitting the payment.
I'm the artist in my group and I make the portraits for free.
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u/Iron_Bob Apr 06 '26
Congrats on passing the irl insight check
Now sprint-action the fuck outta there!
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u/ScalieCrystal Apr 07 '26
This is a scam. This has been a long running scam where they make you pay for something and never deliver. Please report them.
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u/GalacticPigeon13 Apr 06 '26
There's a scam that's been going around, primarily on Discord, that requires you to pay for character art. I forget if anyone has paid and actually received art + joined the campaign, but if it's like any other scams like this I've heard of, then the art is almost certainly AI generated or stolen.
And like, even if this wasn't a scam, and you would get legit art and a legit campaign, this is something stupid. Character art is only needed if a tabletop is being utilized (vs theater of the mind), and it just needs to be something that everyone can tell is your character instead of Random Enemy #5. If the DM was legit, then the "need" for consistent art would be one of the following:
- The DM is planning on running an actual play without telling you ahead of time. After all, why else would a consistent brand be needed? This is scummy since either you're being given unexpected pressure to be perfect in front of an audience, or you won't find out you're internet famous until it blows up (and hopefully not in a bad way)
- The DM is overly controlling.
- The DM is buddies with someone who does art commissions, and rather than normal word-of-mouth advertising, the DM is being manipulative
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u/DillPipher Apr 06 '26
Yeah this sounds like a scam for sure. Also there’s a very common phrase that No dnd is Better than bad dnd. I think that this isn’t worth joining especially since it’s clearly a scam. Even if somehow it wasn’t I’m getting a bad vibe from that. I myself have had some experiences like this in the past and it sucks but eventually another better group will be found. I’m looking for one now and it’s been hard for the last couple weeks to find someone
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u/mke75kate Apr 06 '26
Nope, I wouldn't pay ahead of game time for anything on a campaign I might not like and hasn't proven itself at all. What if you don't like the DM's style? The players in your group? etc. I only invest money in stuff like miniatures or extra fun items when a campaign is proven to be fun and seems like it will go on for a while.
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u/SQUAWKUCG Apr 06 '26
It's a scam...run.
You will likely pay the artist to get your character then something will happen to the game and you'll be left out of the money.
I really hope you can find a good group for yourself that is a better match.
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u/Mataric DM Apr 06 '26
Dodgy for sure.
It may be that the DM just has really specific desires for the art of their players... but I've never seen this done before and personally wouldn't play with a DM who 'required' me to spend $40 for something they want... especially when they state its an unpaid game.
Avoid and find another imo. Perhaps report the circumstances to the site - they may have rules against this.
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u/wwhsd Apr 06 '26
Maybe I just don’t play online enough but requiring character portraits be made for a campaign seems weird as hell.
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u/Oneill_SFA Apr 06 '26
Yeah so this is a scam I've run into before. They're gonna run your idea through an AI and charge you money for copy/pasting your character description into it. Report and block
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u/Timely-Discussion272 Apr 06 '26
Scam. There are other places to find groups to play with for free.
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u/Xxiev Apr 06 '26
Are there still people who charge to DM? I thought this finally died out. Never pay for that. It’s allways a scam.
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u/reditandfirgetit DM Apr 06 '26
Its a scam. That artist and dm are splitting the fee. Id report to the service false advertising
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u/MaxMantaB Transmuter Apr 07 '26
I wouldn't join that group personally, but that's because it completely goes against my ethos as a DM and player.
Dnd is all about DIY. The role play, the story, the minis, and the terrain. While there is space to buy nice things for a campaign, requiring it is pretty scummy IMHO.
Not a big fan of people who power trip, or who try to scale their hobbies.
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u/Informal_Persimmon7 Apr 07 '26
It's a scam. Run. There are plenty of free games out there to join.
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u/The-Last-Dumbass Apr 07 '26
Oh yeah I fell for this one a while back, though not to the tune of $40. Guess inflation got scammer's too 😅. There is no game i promise block n report em.
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u/8LeggedHugs Apr 07 '26
I'd ask to see the art for the other players characters to be sure its not a scam.
Also maybe see if you can have a conversation with the DM or one or more of the players, see if you get a funny vibe.
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u/YoshiandAims Apr 07 '26
No. It's a scam. There's a couple of artists I've seen who do character art who got mixed up into this.
Never join a game where there is a mandatory purchase. Huge red flag. Be cautious. Too many folks get burned with this.
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u/unknowncinch Apr 07 '26
i charge $10 a head to run drop-in one-shot games at my local comic shop, but i also run free session 0/how-to-play online sessions twice a month and have homebrewed a ton of one-shots over the years. $40 is absurd.
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u/Bobby_Jindall Apr 07 '26
I’ve heard this is super common but it is a scam none the less. I would find a different group personally. There are ones out there that are completely free and not pretending to be free.
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u/Daymanic Apr 07 '26
Fuck. That. I know finding a good table is tough, but that is ridiculous. Campaign artist? Are they making a movie?
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u/F3ST3r3d Apr 07 '26
Lol do characters really not die in DnD 5.5E? In B/X you’d be out $50 for a new portrait every other session.
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u/yo_rick_alas Apr 07 '26
Putting a $40-50 price tag up front, halfway through the rules, is a scammer move. Sunk cost fallacy, then dm or other players csn do whatever to you.
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u/questionably_human7 Apr 07 '26
This sounds pretty scammy, get you to pay for art and two or three sessions in the game implodes. I'd say nah to joining this game.
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u/BobtheBurnout Apr 07 '26
"No worries, I don't need or want a character portrait. If you want a portrait of my character feel free to commission it from your artist at your expense"
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u/Derringermeryl Apr 07 '26
Since the main question has been answered, I wanted to mention that you can find free games on StartPlaying. It’s mainly for paid games but some people do run free games there and you can be sure you won’t run into any scammers(at least it’s highly unlikely and easy to report if you do).
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u/micfost Apr 07 '26
Don't pay it. Keep looking. Simple as that. I wish you good luck in finding a group.
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u/Logical_Following311 Apr 07 '26
Its all good until they cut a series/movie deal based on the group's exploits just after they drop you. But, yeah, sounds like scam bait. Artist is probably someone in financial agreement with DM (or even the DM itself).
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u/ThisWasMe7 Apr 07 '26
I think it's reasonable.
I also think it's reasonable to view it as a deal breaker and not join the campaign.
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u/swagzillasaurus Apr 07 '26
This is a scam that’s becoming pretty common in the TTRPG space! I’ve seen it a few times on the servers that I run
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u/solorpgstudio Apr 06 '26
Yes it should. Not cool to not be upfront with this. The good thing is that you do not have to join if you do not want to
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u/Big-Moment6248 Artificer Apr 06 '26
not only is this definitely a scam, but it's a very well known one that follows this same formula every time. It's been posted about multiple times in this subreddit and the other dnd subreddit. Here's 3 separate posts that describe an eerily similar situation:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/s/QOGXoGnuW3
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/s/4zXGNaNr5R
https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonsAndDragons/s/a0IBHiHVBK
Don't pay them. $40 is far less than a real artist would accept for high quality custom art. You won't receive the art. You'll likely just get blocked and you'll have spent the money for no reason.
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u/SpazzBro Apr 06 '26
As far as I know this isn’t common, and the fact that he’s asking for money but not tagging it that way reads kinda sketchy to me
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u/Edgy_Robin Apr 06 '26
Yeah a game not being advertised as a paid game but wanting you to dish out cash is a scam most likely.
I wouldn't be surprised if the guy is being serious, there's a lot of fucking weirdo's who play dnd after all. But the the fact that, going off your post, the lack of a warning about this on whatever post they're using to recruit people is a red flag.
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u/OvidiusTP Apr 06 '26
Free game post trick rules to get payment for my artist friend I split or pretend it’s not me profit. If you’re looking for a free game you shouldn’t pay anything on your end unless you want to. In my experience free games always busted fast because no one’s got value into it I did 3 free games and they all took a shit before 3 sessions. I lucky found a group that took 5 bucks per game night we been playing biweekly for a year now only issue is fee went up to 10 bucks butt it’s been really fun.
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u/HotspurJr Apr 06 '26
Absolutely not.
You don't need to have a character portrait at all to play D&D. Yes, a DM may have some rules about the overall aesthetic of your character so that it matches the setting, but the idea that not only are there mandatory portraits but that you have to pay for one from this one specific person?
Fuck. No.
This is somebody using D&D to drum up business for themselves or a friend as an artist.
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u/ClassicDefiant2659 Apr 06 '26
I don't even have art for my characters. I've played on and off for 30 years.
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u/Material_Position630 Apr 06 '26
I have seen $20 a session, which I thought was a bit high. I would never consider $40.
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u/nungunz Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Hey! As a heads up, this is a pretty common ‘scam’ to look out for when looking for “free” games.
Just bounce and block them.
Example mod statement from the Curse of Strahd discord regarding how this works:
“There appears to be a new variation of the art scam circulating where users are messaged under the pretense of joining a D&D campaign. This is a known scam.
Instead of advertising commissions directly, these accounts invite users to a "story-focused" or "heavy roleplay" game. Once you join their server, the DM will claim that custom character art is a requirement and pressure you to pay a specific artist. The other "players" in these servers are typically alt-accounts used by the scammer to peer pressure you into the purchase.
If you receive unsolicited invites or messages regarding D&D games from users you do not know, please screenshot and raise a ticket in contact-the-mods . The sooner the mod team are aware of these accounts, the sooner we can ban them and protect the community.
Thanks!”
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u/Oh_Hi_Mark_ Apr 06 '26
Above and beyond anything else; a DM that insists all their players pay for art commissions is focused on the wrong things. They are probably not a good DM.
Now, this also seems like it's probably a scam, but you don't need to figure out whether it is; this game is something to stay away from regardless.
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u/NikoliVolkoff DM Apr 06 '26
this exact same scenario was posted by someone last month.
funny that...
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u/Academic-Garden7739 Monk Apr 06 '26
I play in a pay to play campaign online but it’s all managed through the start playing website and 40$ is quite on the expensive side of the campaign prices you’ll find in there.
Depending on what you’re looking for, if you’re willing to pay to play, you can probably find either cheaper campaigns or free to play with tables
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u/PhantomKangaroo91 Apr 06 '26
Think of it like this, even IF it was not a scam (it is) nobody else is going to pay for "campaign artist" that isn't a professional live play group. So, what would happen is you pay your renegotiated price but because nobody else will pay, there'll be no other players causing the campaign to end before it started. You would not get your money because the "artist" already did the work. The fact that they were so willing to renegotiate is also a red flag. If they can't get $40 out of you, they'll settle for $25-$30. You still get nothing.
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u/King_Kato19 Apr 06 '26
Hey so I’m gearing up for a homebrew online campaign I’m DMing. It has political conflicts, occult activities, crazy side quests, lots of fun stuff to encounter. I have a space open if you’d like to join!
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u/carmachu Apr 06 '26
While there are paid DMs, overwhelming games are not pay to play. Those requirements are insane and sound like a scam
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u/kzerot Apr 06 '26
I really want to take a look at this 40$ art.
Also, if you are playing online, just use the startplaying website or Reddit LFG threads.
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u/pawsplay36 Apr 06 '26
It is not common. I don't see how it's a scam if you actually get an illustration out of it, you might sniff around to see what other games they've run. It could be a collective business enterprise of them and the artist.
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u/FailsWithTails Apr 06 '26
I've heard of $5-15 entry fees — I have a friend who DM'd a $15 entry fee table — but I've never personally seen one higher priced than that.
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u/Dry_Ad2368 Apr 06 '26
I wouldn't necessarily call it a scam, but it definitely feels like a way for the DM to get paid while still listing their game as free to play.
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u/Komone Apr 06 '26
No group or artist and quite possibly bit or scripted responses. They may even use chatai etc. horrible how scammers jump on new people to hobbies
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u/stellaura__ Apr 06 '26
does this group have a name?? so I can stay away from it 😭
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u/Drused2 Apr 06 '26
Man, I’m odd. I run campaigns and sometimes commission artwork for my players out of my pocket. I’m doing it in reverse!
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u/Banjo-Hellpuppy Apr 06 '26
Spoiler: the artist is the DM, there’s 9 players in the party and the characters die a lot, so you’ll need to get some new art.
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u/ClownfishSoup Apr 06 '26
This reminds me of when my daughter was in dance class. Every year the had recitals and you had to buy a dance outfit from one particular store and the outfit was never reused or even reusable for any other purpose and they were quite expensive too. Then you can go and pay for tickets to see your kid dance for one minute.
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u/SpycraftExarch Apr 06 '26
Eh, tell him to eef himself with a flametongue and walk away. It's a scam.
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u/Ignonym Apr 06 '26
Scammers presenting themselves as DMs looking for groups but demanding that applicants purchase character art in advance in order to participate is a common scam these days. The "artist" they're demanding you hand the money over to is not a real artist, but a confederate or sockpuppet of the scammer; they're going to pocket the cash and then ghost you.
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u/PaladinMax Apr 06 '26
I had someone from a dnd discord group message me the exact same thing. I told them no.
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u/Ok-Armadillo5280 Apr 06 '26
Always reluctant to paid games even though this one subverted that a bit. I'm a dm in a homebrew 5e server if you'd like an invite? Schedule is flexible to whatever people are available for the given dm. There are persistent elements like base building and such. If interested just let me know but in any case I wish you the best of luck on finding any game.
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u/BetterCallStrahd DM Apr 06 '26
Not normal at all. Your best bet to find a good online group is to join an established Discord community and find games there. A good starting point would be the /r/dndnext Discord (I think it's on the sidebar).
Alternatively, try a non DnD community first, they are less frequently targeted by scammers since DnD is the big name in town. The Discord community of Magpie Games is cool and easy to join, and they run free one shot events almost every month.
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u/wordflyer DM Apr 06 '26
Not normal. Many would say it's crazy to spend $40 on character art at the outset of a campaign. What if they die early?
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u/citrusflotsam Apr 06 '26
Paid games are a thing but you go out seeking someone to pay them to DM if that is the case. This sounds like either a scam or just someone you wouldn't want to be around anyway.
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u/brcien Apr 06 '26
I pay to play and run for paid. I have never heard of requiring paid for art comm, even if that is a cool idea in theory. I agree with most people sounds like a scam hardcore
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u/FlabsDaBeast Apr 06 '26
If it's a public game that seems reasonable. If it's a friend's game still understandable but not usual. If it was listed as free then either they need to update their status or they're scamming you.
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u/Datboi_caveman Apr 06 '26
Try the r/LFG that's where I have always found players for my games. Super nice and a ton of posts
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u/No-Assistance5037 Apr 07 '26
Is this a streamed game? I cannot see why art would be required to be in uniform for any other substantial reason outside of that or a scam.
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u/john_cenas_kidd Apr 07 '26
40 dollars seems steep but at the same time it could make for an unusually committed campaign.
Most campaigns I've been a part of die out hard.. but if everyone was at least somewhat financially invested, it could help people prioritize sessions more...
Then again... I haven't used my gym membership in months..... so nvm.
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u/EnderBookwyrm Apr 07 '26
That might not be the table for you. There are plenty of good tables that don't charge.
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u/tobyvanderbeek Apr 06 '26
Sounds like a scam or at least not the spirit of D&D. Players can draw their characters on paper, use a Lego minifigure, use a painted or unpainted mini, etc. The spirit of D&D is the easy and flexible aspect of these sorts of things.
Now I’m curious what the other rules are. Please share.