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From: Spawn <tates@leather.pants>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: [NBC Miami] 36-year-old makes $37,000 a year leading Dungeons &
 Dragons games
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2024 18:43:18 +1000
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 27/04/2024 1:22 am, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> 
>>> On 4/25/2024 10:49 AM, Kyonshi wrote:

> Personally, I can't imagine anything worse than making my hobby my
> job. It turns the thing I enjoy most into something I /have/ to do.
> One of the reasons I enjoy the things I do is that I /don't/ have to
> them. The worst parts of DMing are that feeling of obligation trying
> to pump out the next adventure; that you're players are waiting on you
> to create another interesting and fun experience. Especially when
> there's a deadline ("Oh god, we're meeting up to play in TWO days and
> I haven't even started the final dungeon!!!").
> 
> Throw in the idea that people are PAYING me for the privilege? I'd go
> nuts. Not to mention, I'm sure quality and experimentalism would go
> down. Can't take risks, not if you want that filthy lucre to keep
> coming in; just pump out pablum.
> 
> DM for money? No thank you. Not me.


Yeah, it just sounds kind of stressful to me. I have been running games 
for so many decades that it's kind of just second nature for me, with 
lots of winging it and flying by the seat of my pants. If I was getting 
paid for it I'd feel obliged to bring some kind of level of 
professionalism to proceedings which would just kind of kill the reason 
I do it, ie, to relax and have fun with my wife and my mates - no 
glasses of wine behind the DM's screen if I feel like it, taking 
exhaustive notes rather than mostly leaving that to my players and 
asking them to recap for me at the start of every session (haha), etc, 
etc, etc. As you say, all more in the name of trying for an acceptable 
level of consistency rather than taking risks, taking the game to crazy 
and unexpected places and so forth.

That said if people want to do this and others want to pay, more power 
to them I guess. But the best payment for me will always be everyone 
around the table having a good time and, ideally, getting really into 
the adventure.

-- 
As always, I remain...
Spawn