Professional GM Diary: Final Preparations

[CaptainCommando]

For those of you who don't know about "Caravan of Blades", it is a pioneer pay-for-play DnD 4e campaign that I'm planning to run as a part-time income supplement from March into August.

I've had to delay it alot but I'm doing this in four days from now no matter what.

Day #1 is going to be next Monday, March 9. The website support should be ready by tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow I'm going to be putting out flyers for the campaign. There are two locations for the campaign that I've narrowed the list down to. I'm making my final decision tomorrow after I check out both places one last time before Monday. They're Cafe 28 and the South Street Seaport shopping area food court (NYC). I'm leaning more towards Cafe 28 though because it has a good reputation among local gamers as a place to meet up.

The sessions are going to be 4 hours long, with an entry fee per player of $12. The price is equivalent to the average movie ticket price in Manhattan. Considering this is a city where paying $35 for a bowl of soup or $60 for an off-broadway ticket is not unheard of, it seems like a good target price.

Earlier I had considered 2-1/2 to 3 hour sessions but the quality of the sessions would have suffered from the time constraint. 4 hours is a good number especially if I organize all the paperwork well and avoid common problems that produce time lag in gameplay.

There will be 2 sessions per day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 1 session on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Each session will have a maximum of 7 players at the table but I expect an average of 5 at least after the first couple of weeks.

Entry fee is going to be paid up front but I'm making refunds available during the first hour of a session so I have that first hour to convince the players that my work and performance as a game master are worth paying for.

So challenge of sudden death right off the bat with the first session.

I've had a couple of months to figure out how to make my game mastering unique and professionally entertaining compared to most free campaign game masters. There are some game mastering techniques that only a rare few game masters can pull off successfully. I'll be describing some of what I'm going to be doing at the end of the first week in a new thread (Saturday or Sunday of that week). Why I can't reveal my special techniques now is because they may be difficult to take seriously until successfully used. I'll be chronicling my exploits in a series of weekly threads.

I'm designing the flyers tonight after I finish setting up the web support. I'll post a description here later.

[CaptainCommando]

Posting on the support site for the campaign has taken longer than I thought it would. There's still a bit more but I've got the bare essentials up and the rest will be up hopefully by noon tomorrow.

I'm actually putting out the flyers tomorrow as I've had to go over and edit the online support content a lot. It's fine though. Even if just 1 player shows up I can run with it. I don't expect much on the first day or even the first week.

You can see what I've got up so far in the Crystal Core Campaign Setting board at:

http://ffd20.orgfree.com/phpBB2/index.php

[Zincorium]

Heh, performance anxiety would be my personal biggest issue if I wanted to do something like this. I agonise enough about whether people will like my games when it's free- the added pressure of my actually owing them would send me over the top.

[Gamgee]

This seems... I don't know. Not right. I can't stop you of course, but I also can't agree with you. I just don't like the concept of selling ones services as a DM. It just feels... wrong. Anyways best of luck in your... performance.

[CaptainCommando]

(sigh)

Anyway, I've realized that there are more things that I want to post up on the site than two days will allow so I'm pushing to Wednesday, March 11. That's the date I'm putting on the advertisements.

Keep in mind how populous Manhattan is and how much of that population is college students, gamers with families, and businessmen in need of a gaming fix. Remember how many seats I actually need to fill, the fact that the high price is average price for the local area, and the fact that none of the players have to be committed/regular.

[CaptainCommando]

I've just revamped multiclassing one last time for the purpose of the campaign. Once I finish up with the new swordmage multiclassing feats, the Character Creation Guidelines thread will be ready. Afterwards, I'm going to finish up the gameplay rules thread and add more lore to the setting. Within the next couple of weeks, I'm adding a lot of goodies such as fiction, setting lore, and two new classes: the dark knight and the dragoon.

I'm also adding some more info about Café 28 later. The place is incredible for gaming purposes. Every kind of food and snack you could want, relatively quiet table area (surprisingly large seating area), and the service is very casual (pay for your food at the counter and sit down at any unoccupied table). Having been there myself, I don't think there is any other place in the city where I could do better. It's perfect.

[Lupy]

I agree... Selling your services as a GM doesn't feel right.

But I think you'll make money.

[Tsotha-lanti]

This seems... I don't know. Not right. I can't stop you of course, but I also can't agree with you. I just don't like the concept of selling ones services as a DM. It just feels... wrong. Anyways best of luck in your... performance.

What the eff? "No, don't sell your skills and time, it's wrong!" Are you serious?

If people are willing to pay for something, there is nothing wrong with selling it, unless it somehow infringes on other people.

A good GM puts a ridiculous amount of work, effort, and creative power into a game. If one can get paid for it, that's absolutely awesome for them.

CaptainCommando could be charging $10,000 a pop for admission, and it'd still be fine and dandy - people who want to and can afford to will pay and play.

Arrg, ninja'd by incomprehensible foolishness. What is your damage, people?

[Tengu_temp]

I agree with Tsotha-lanti: there is nothing wrong in selling your abilities. I don't like the way CaptainCommando handles his game, but it's because its episodic nature and limited player options (both detailed on in his previous thread) are completely against my playing style, not because those games are paid.

[CaptainCommando]

I agree with Tsotha-lanti: there is nothing wrong in selling your abilities. I don't like the way CaptainCommando handles his game, but it's because its episodic nature and limited player options (both detailed on in his previous thread) are completely against my playing style, not because those games are paid.

You might have read one of the older threads. I've been posting for feedback on multiple forums so I might not have updated as much here.

The sessions are now sandbox style with hot spots noted on the map but nothing railroaded. Players can do anything or go anywhere within the map that they can think of. Each session's consequences will carry on into the next. There will be a number of optional missions that players can go on or not if they just want to explore. If the players take one mission and complete it, then the same mission will not likely show up in the next session because story-wise, it's done.

Every session will have a possible impact on the main story depending on what the players decide to do. The hot spot labels give them the most obvious ideas (not the only though) that will have an impact on certain aspects of the story and helps keep them from blanking out as it happens in many sandbox games.

There will be updates on the website that will detail the impact that each session makes on the story.

There may be a big surprise depending on the actions that the players take. There is a secret that may be uncovered only through the combined consequences of multiple parties...

The end of week #2 may have a story turn of epic proportions or everything may be normal with the caravan moving on to the next location, which will be very different and possibly even more exciting than the previous.

[Gamgee]

What the eff? "No, don't sell your skills and time, it's wrong!" Are you serious?

If people are willing to pay for something, there is nothing wrong with selling it, unless it somehow infringes on other people.

A good GM puts a ridiculous amount of work, effort, and creative power into a game. If one can get paid for it, that's absolutely awesome for them.

CaptainCommando could be charging $10,000 a pop for admission, and it'd still be fine and dandy - people who want to and can afford to will pay and play.

Arrg, ninja'd by incomprehensible foolishness. What is your damage, people?
Sell it, but don't call it a campaign. It isn't real DnD. The spirit has been lost. I'm not saying it wouldn't be enjoyable, but as soon as you put a price on something like this and open it up to the public it isn't the same. It changes on so many levels it's just a big... joke to call it DnD. Maybe in name only.

Ill remind you again. This is not dissing your skills or even the moral of this. In the end there is nothing wrong with it other than the fact it just no longer feels like DnD. It's become a mere service... just a god damn service. Everything that comes with turning something into a service comes along for the ride now. It just isn't the same. It doesn't feel right. That's all I can say.

P.S
I am also not your traditional Human being. Let's put it this way I don't really make a big deal out of money. I'm also not rich. It's hard to explain to most people so I won't bother. Also this P.S comment was directed at Tsotha.

P.P.S
It just makes me feel a little sad. Like something died a little on the inside... that's all.

Edit
It's like humans just can't do anything for the sake of personal mastery anymore. People can't simply strive... there needs to be incentive. There is no point doing something other than making money. I just can't describe it well.

[magellan]

My objections are the following:

a) You are using a system that has a reputation for being easy to DM
b) Wether your mad DM Skills are actually mad DM skills or not is mainly a matter of taste.
c) Even if you used another system (a): lets face it: a trained cocker spaniel can DM, its not half as artistic and hard to do as we like to convince ourselves now and then.
d) I think there is a law somewere that DM services may only be payed in pizzas or beer
e) Making money out of something that you are doing for fun takes a considerable chunk of fun out of it (believe me, i know what i am talking about)
f) your competitors have a way better price scheme (they usually do it for free) and better QoS (since they are friends with their players they can cater to their needs better)

Except from that: good luck! :smallsmile:

[Narmoth]

I'd be very interested in hearing how the session went.
The idea is rather interesting, even if I don't like it.

By the way, did you know that in Norway, the organizers of LARPs don't earn any money on it? The attendance fee of a game that last several days, and has months of preparation, and a few days of rigging, behind it, is only to cover the costs for food, renting of the area where the LARP is held, and other such expences, like pyroeffects.

[The Neoclassic]

Sell it, but don't call it a campaign. It isn't real DnD. The spirit has been lost. I'm not saying it wouldn't be enjoyable, but as soon as you put a price on something like this and open it up to the public it isn't the same. It changes on so many levels it's just a big... joke to call it DnD. Maybe in name only.

Frankly that sounds rather ridiculous. D&D is a game, not a religious experience. I understand if you would never pay for a game or want to be a paid DM, but to say that somehow it isn't D&D because there is an exchange of money... That's like saying that Mrs. Field's doesn't make cookies because they are baked so you can pay for them rather than solely out of the goodness of Mrs. Field's heart. "Sell them, but don't call them cookies." Or me saying that because I don't like oatmeal raisin cookies, finding them too healthy and boring, that they are somehow less of a cookie. I mean, they just don't feel like a cookie to me.

As a poor college student, I wouldn't pay for a game, but seriously, guys, if you want to debate whether a paid DM is a good idea or not, start a new thread. CaptainCommando is trying to tell us about his experiences, and it's already been made more than clear that some of you don't agree with what he's doing or think it to be a foolish plan for any number of reasons. If his plan is really so bad, he will fail and you can all go about feeling how right you were. In the meantime, consistently dragging the thread back to the same complaints of "I wouldn't pay for a game," "You don't sound like my ideal DM," and "Paying for things lessens their value," gets kind of old and off-topic. It's like if you started a thread about your Forgotten Realms campaign progress and some new things you were trying out with it and people kept coming in merely to talk about how Forgotten Realms is a bad system, your players won't like it, and your approach to the campaign is all wrong.

EDIT: I realize that a lot of you won't listen to me and that I really can't just tell you what to post or not to post, but I have sympathy for people whose threads get seriously derailed/ I don't see what you guys are gaining by posting your complaints here rather than starting a new thread about paid DMs or DM'ing styles if you feel so strongly about it.

[Tsotha-lanti]

The de-rails lead here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106640).

[SydneyLosstarot]

Good luck!

my friend and I have been putting quite a lot of effort into DMing a campaign, and we dreamed of having a gamemastering job.

's great to know someone might succeed in that)

[CaptainCommando]

My objections are the following:

a) You are using a system that has a reputation for being easy to DM
b) Wether your mad DM Skills are actually mad DM skills or not is mainly a matter of taste.
c) Even if you used another system (a): lets face it: a trained cocker spaniel can DM, its not half as artistic and hard to do as we like to convince ourselves now and then.
d) I think there is a law somewere that DM services may only be payed in pizzas or beer
e) Making money out of something that you are doing for fun takes a considerable chunk of fun out of it (believe me, i know what i am talking about)
f) your competitors have a way better price scheme (they usually do it for free) and better QoS (since they are friends with their players they can cater to their needs better)

Except from that: good luck! :smallsmile:

a) Whether or not the system is easy to DM is not the point to players. It's whether or not the storytelling and preparation and production value is of such quality that it is worth paying for.
b) All potential customers are pointed to the website where I write the main story and lore and session diaries for the campaign. Players come in with educated guesses as to the style of storytelling I offer. If they still come, then it's likely that they get what they want.
c) DMing or even good DMing is not hard. Great Dming is. I'm going to take it to a higher level than most because that is what I will be paid to do.
d) Please direct us to that law if possible. I would love to see it. And is it a product of federal or state legislation? Readers want to know. :smallsmile:
e) Fun GMing largely depends on the individual GM. I know I will have fun if I see green. This campaign lets me express myself artistically in many different ways. It will be hard not to have fun.
f) My competitors are not going to have what I bring to the table. The payment is for convenience, quality, and professionalism. I even give refunds during the first entire hour of a session if anyone thinks they can get equal or better service for free. Few can say they are confident enough to get paid for GMing much less offer refunds after the players have had plenty of time to assess the GM's storytelling ability.

Thank you very much.

[Oslecamo]

d) Please direct us to that law if possible. I would love to see it. And is it a product of federal or state legislation? Readers want to know. :smallsmile:


I'm no lawyer but:

1-First, since I doubt you have a DMing license(if there's such a thing), you can't get paid for it. Whitout the bureaucracy, you're geting tax-free money and stealing the government, wich is ilegal.

2-You're not even geting that money from something you do. You're gaining that money from a copyrighted game. Just like you can't go around selling homebrewed material based on 4e D&D whitout the proper paperwork, you can't go around geting yourself paid for DMing a game wich you didn't create.


So, if you actually start making serious money, prepare to receive a visit from Wotc ninja lawyers who managed to silence even Gygax before he could say anything about 4e's previews.

[Saintjebus]

I just have to say: Congrats, CaptainCommando. This is the kind of spirit that America is built on. You have a skill/ability you want to market? Go right ahead. If there is no demand, you will fail. If there is a demand, and you capitalize on it, congratulations. I salute you, sir.

Keep up the good work!

[MartinHarper]

I'm looking forward to reading about these games. Certainly I'd be interested in paying for a quality gaming experience, if I was in the right area. It could be both enjoyable and educational.

Replied to the non-lawyer's comments on the other thread.

[lisiecki]

I have no actual problem with some one charging money to run DandD.

The question i have is "whos going to pay for it?"
I honestly don't understand where some one is going to find people who need a dandd fix where there not going to find other players.

Ive never been to NYC, but i assume there are hobbyshops.
I have never been to a hobby shop in NYC, but i assume there are flyers on the wall for games that have an opening.

I'm even going to go so far as to assume that most of these people who want to play, can read these flyers.

Also the RPGA is free, and a membership in the Camarillia is $25 a year.

Also, from the previous thread about this, I dont think i could ever play, in a game where my actions don't have a direct effect on the story line of the game.

"Hey Lisiecki, remember how you killed that BBG last week in a way that he will never, ever come back from? ya well 3/4 of the groups DIDNT kill him so hes back"

[The Neoclassic]

1-First, since I doubt you have a DMing license(if there's such a thing), you can't get paid for it. Whitout the bureaucracy, you're geting tax-free money and stealing the government, wich is ilegal.

Nope. Just like the government isn't going to arrest a fourteen-year-old for making $100/year from babysitting, earning petty cash isn't really a big deal. A license has nothing to do with this; as long as he reports on his tax return "Oh, by the way, I made x amount of money from providing this service during last year" I'm fairly certain he's done nothing wrong. As long as you report your income to the government, you aren't stealing or getting tax-free money.


2-You're not even geting that money from something you do.

What, is he not DMing? That's not a major part of what he's doing?


You're gaining that money from a copyrighted game. Just like you can't go around selling homebrewed material based on 4e D&D whitout the proper paperwork, you can't go around geting yourself paid for DMing a game wich you didn't create.

I'm not certain about this. If it was 3.5 and he was using his own setting, you'd be almost certainly wrong, but I don't know as much about 4.0 and all. However, I'm fairly certain that WotC isn't supposed to be copywriting rules in and of themselves anyway (game rules can't be copyrighted, I think) and they aren't going to go after him unless he starts making a lot of money in some way that they notice.


So, if you actually start making serious money, prepare to receive a visit from Wotc ninja lawyers who managed to silence even Gygax before he could say anything about 4e's previews.

Considering that this is more of a part-time job for a little extra cash, I doubt he'll hit the "serious money" point.

[Leewei]

I've got zero problem with anyone selling their time as a DM, player or facilitator for gaming. They shouldn't do it here, though.

[tsuuga]

I hope you've gotten OKed by the management of Cafe 28. You'll be using their premises to do business, which means they're owed some sort of consideration. Even if they say they don't care, they're free to change their mind later as a contract without consideration is always invalid. I suggest getting them to agree to something like "enforcing a no-outside-food-or-drink policy" if they don't already. IANAL.

[Colmarr]

I hope you've gotten OKed by the management of Cafe 28.

I second this.

Even putting aside the issue of use of their premises to run a business, I imagine that the drinks and nibblies proclivities of a group of gamers would not satisfactorily compensate them for the loss of table/seating space for 4 straight hours.

[Wystrell]

I saw the topic and thought, "wow, nice job!" I am fascinated by the idea and the history behind the bard, so any kind of storytelling, paid or no, continuous or not, has my fancy. You've done a lot of great detailing, so I can only commend you for all the effort. Are you using the FFd20 system, or no? The forum location tells me yes, but nothing within your campaign setting info (that I have seen thus far) says "yes, this is Final Fantasy, kids, get ready to rumba." If it is, I'd be more worried about Square-Enix rearing its scaly head, but if you're making a small amount of money it's hardly noticable.

I second Tsuuga and Colmarr; but, if the place is known to be nice to gamers, perhaps they're easier on you. I suppose it depends on how often you've known the cafe to hit full capacity.

I liked the leadership training bit under "why pay for this?" Leadership training is always a good reason, and even if a lot of people think it's bunk, you can really uncover some personality flaws with these sorts of exercises. And I'd say it's more fun than the rope games or balancing acts they normally have you do.

And if it's Final Fantasy, you're bound to get some geeks, just by default. :D

[CaptainCommando]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy.

The sessions are currently 5 hours (30 minute intermission in between) and $20 per player. I offer refunds during the first half (2 1/2 hours). It's pricey for most but it's Manhattan (big population and big expenses), and I'm not filling up a whole gaming store's number of seats, just 1 table for up to 7.

If you look carefully at the top of the rules primer, I am technically not using WotC's IP since game rules are not protected by copyright and Dnd is not patented. That would have prevented me from even thinking about dong this since I need players new to the game perhaps more than existing gamers.

I've figured out how to do the dark knight that doesn't make it a blackguard ripoff. I'm about an hour of design work away from putting it up, but I'll probably hold off on it until Thursday or Friday. I need to concentrate on my session material and performance technique now that the basic online stuff is up and the first real session is 1 to 3 days way (allowing for the possibility that no one shows up on Wednesday or Thursday). I'll be ready on Wednesday though. My current hours (Not changing this) give me a bit more prep time than my last version of the schedule.

Anyway, I'm rushing to get ready for day 1. The site has all the basic info right now necessary to start the business. I'm adding more everyday and I'll be advertising everyday (except Sunday for obvious reasons). The first few days are supposed to be slow. I'm hoping at least 2 or 3 players this first week so I can prove my theories about GMing methodology correct. Heck, even if just 1 player shows up, It'll be a good indicator if that person doesn't ask for a refund.

Next week will be the real litmus test because everything will be set up completely and I'll hopefully have had at least 1 session where players showed up on my belt to drive me forward.

I actually wanted to move it further to Friday but I'll be ready to go with a first session by Wednesday so what the heck. If no one shows up tomorrow then I'll at least put up more flyers or go home and finish up the site some more.

In the morning (Tuesday) I'm going to hand out flyers at the NYU campus and leave a stack at the Compleat Strategist. I left late today because I wanted to get the picture on the flyer just right. I'm also going to post the pregen list.

[CaptainCommando]

Ugh. I got up late (11 AM). I'm heading out now. I put up an abridged version of About Caravan of Blades on the site.

I originally started setting up as a full-time deal, but then I thought I'd found something more stable so I made it part-time, then that fell through so I re-worked it so I work everyday but have time during the day to find a better job. My mother was able to rent out empty rooms in the house so we're sort of okay as long as I can find a better job. This campaign will hoepfully bring some income in to help out while I'm job-hunting.

Here's what I wrote on RPG.net so you guys can get a better idea of the current situation.
That's why the "Caravan of Blades" campaign is modeled like a localized living campaign, where the consequences of the party's actions can have a big effect on the adventures of the party in the next session. No two sessions will have the same adventures. Exploring the same location more than once may yield different challenges and encounters due to the passage of time in-game.

The party is allowed to do whatever they want and given the freedom to explore the current geographical region in the game world that the session is based in.

There are noted areas of interest and optional missions but nothing particularly railroaded. They can catch a show at the local theatre or hunt for story-affecting artifacts in the ancient ruins.

The sessions are also practically free to try out. I offer a full refund within the first 2 and a half hours if my performance and presentation are unsatisfactory or if you have to leave early for some reason.

Anyway, the first few days aren't too big since this is just starting out and a few things are still being set up (all the basic necessities are up on the website though). If only a few players show up, that's fine. If I'm not at 100% then the players will have their refunds and I can fine tune my methods further. Next week's sessions will be the real litmus test because by then a lot more people will know about this campaign.

I'll post again after my first session with actual players. Again, it's practically free to try out the first half of each session so I should expect somebody to show up to see what I'm bringing to the table.

And yeah if nobody shows up or reserves seats for a session next week I will close the business. I will also be looking for something more stable in the hours before sessions. I had changed the times and schedule from what they were last week so I could more easily look for other work.

In any case, if this fails then anyone who wants to try to be a professional GM in the future will be have a precedent business model to analyze for what works and what doesn't.

[CaptainCommando]

I hope you've gotten OKed by the management of Cafe 28. You'll be using their premises to do business, which means they're owed some sort of consideration. Even if they say they don't care, they're free to change their mind later as a contract without consideration is always invalid. I suggest getting them to agree to something like "enforcing a no-outside-food-or-drink policy" if they don't already. IANAL.

They already have a no-outside-food-or-drink-policy. It's on a sign near the stairs.

I forgot to mention: I did indeed get permission to hold my games at Café 28 even though normal limit per table is 2 hours. It's apparently fine since I'm not running them during lunch hours and I asked politely.

I'm going to put the first level of Dark Knight up before I go to sleep (sometime within the next 5 hours). It should capture a good "shadow defender" feel. I'm building it as a defender/secondary controller (sort of). This is also in the same board as the campaign.

I added a significant improvement to the scheduling. If nobody shows up for the full 5-1/2 hour session, I will offer a 3-hour short session for $10 per player 30 minutes after the full session was supposed to begin. 4:30 PM-7:30 PM, before prime time TV and after school hours. Full refund offered within the first hour.

[CaptainCommando]

This is for those planning to try or observe the session today:

Due to physical exhaustion, I will not be able to perform today. I over-stretched myself the past few days so I need some rest. I'm sorry.

Therefore I am cancelling today's session (March 11). I will still be present at Café 28 today at 4:00 PM-4:30 PM in case players come in unaware of this development. You can at least meet me and I'll answer some questions about the first regular session which is moved to tomorrow (March 12).

[CaptainCommando]

I'm in pain right now (my back is killing me) but my suffering has helped me come to an important decision.

When I changed it to a 5 hour session per day 6 days of the week, it was so I'd have the earlier half of the day to get a decent stable job. My mother was able to rent out a couple of empty rooms so I should have enough time to get that job. This campaign is ultimately supposed to buy more time, not solve the problem.

I went through a lot of different price changes over the course of planning this campaign. When I raised the price to $20 per session, I over-exerted myself trying to make the sessions worth that much. I could do so but only at the expense of my health and too much of my time.

Therefore I am halving the entry fees to $10 per full session (5 hours) and eliminating contingency short sessions since no one will come in on the off chance that nobody came in for the $10 entry fee which should be reasonable for the hours of entertainment provided.

I might not give the greatest session in the world but I will perform and prepare professionally to provide a consistently good storytelling and game coordination service.

Oh and the refund time limit is back to first hour of session considering the price now.