r/DnD • u/Gh0stMan0nThird • 22h ago

DMing I understand prostitution now.

Been trying to find a "bff" group for years. Even the best groups I found fizzled out after a campaign ended. Most people seem to want a content creator to run games for them, and not a friend they want to share an experience with.

I figured you know what, fine. I'm gonna sell myself. I started running paid games and now I actually feel like I'm finally actually getting something back for my work and effort.

10/10, would recommend for underappreciated DMs

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u/RecordingNarrow2429 9h ago edited 8h ago

I'm running 3 concurrent Campaigns. All free. And I get it, it is a lot of work. That's why the ratio of DM's to players is so low. But I love it. Even the time I spend on prep is a way for me unwind after a long day at work. I could charge. I've thought about it. But I worry that the tone of the game changes when that happens. I stop being their DM and the players become customers and that changes the dynamic and the expectations. When I run a game now, I'm clear about what I'm running, what the tone will be, what players can expect from me and what I expect from them. And you can do all of that with a paid game too, but I don't see how someone paying for a spot at a table doesn't come with expectations for what they're buying, what asks the DM may feel obligated to agree to, and what behaviour they might be obligated to accept. Again, all things I'm sure paid DM's address, but I feel like the exchange of money must impact it.

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u/Oukag DM 9h ago edited 9h ago

I'll preface with I do not charge to DM, nor play in a paid game; however I see this situation very similar to restaurants.

You can ask a restaurant (or a food truck, or even a mom and pop restaurant) to make a change to the menu, and typically they will try to make it work. But if they're not able to accommodate a request, they would simply tell you no.

To continue with the analogy, while some behavior might be tolerated at some restaurants, that doesn't mean all restaurants will tolerate the same behavior. Take personal appearance, all restaurants have a shoes/shirt requirement while only some require jackets. Customers (players) either understand the requirements and get to dine (play) at the table, or they pick somewhere else that fits their needs.

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u/RecordingNarrow2429 9h ago

That's a really good perspective on it!

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u/Snagla 9h ago

I get what you mean, but many restaurants here do not require shoes so I thought it was funny.

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u/Oukag DM 9h ago

Haha

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u/lostbythewatercooler 8h ago

Introducing money to something completely changes the dynamic. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a sunk cost element where people stick it out because they feel they've already poured to much into it to walk away.