Rules for Paid Games and hiring a Games Master

[ddavison]

Some players like that there are games they can join and play even if that means paying for each session. Other people dislike the thought of paid GMs entirely. We allow paid GMs to post and recruit for their games here but we have a few new ground rules that we are laying out.

Please follow these basic rules before posting any paid games.

Your games should obviously use Fantasy Grounds. Please do not post if your game won't be using Fantasy Grounds as the VTT for your game!
You should not attempt to get users to sign up to an alternate forum and calendar system
Your games should be clearly advertised as Paid Games within the title and in the description of any listing
If you are streaming the game or recording it to stream please state this in your post/ad
The price should be clearly listed. Payment method should be something safe like Paypal.
You should post your own threads for this and not post into everyone's LFG threads directly. Let them find you as opposed to actively recruiting across all other game threads.
All paid games should be posted in the Paid Games forum


This is a new policy and it may be subject to change over time based on feedback from our community.

If you do not like Paid Games, please do not go into the Paid Games forum. Posting negative opinions about paid games in the Paid Games forum will not be allowed and will be moderated.

[LordEntrails]

Thanks for addressing this. Good gaming everyone!

[JohnD]

Good rules. There's some feedback.

[dulux-oz]

For the record:

All of the DORs (Dulux-Oz Rulesets) and DOEs (Dulux-Oz Extensions) have a specific clause in their Licenses stating:



(4)(a)(i) You May use this Program and the Accompanying Materials for personal, non-commercial use only.


Use of any of the DORs or DOEs by a paid-GM in a paid-game would constitute non-personal, commercial use and would therefore be in violation of the License (ie is not permitted).

Also for the record:

Explicit permission to use any of the DORs or DOEs in a paid-game will not be given.

Why I Oppose Paid Games (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/entry.php?303-Why-I-Oppose-Paid-Games)

[Mgrancey]

Just to clarify, as I was thinking of getting back into running but using already constructed modules; how would asking Players to contribute to cost of Modules or Extras they agree on count. I had planned on pretty much everything listed in post #1, so didn't think it would be an issue but since I saw this figured I should to double check anyways.

[damned]

I personally have no issue with someone running Pay to Play.
And i think that it is quite fair for you to ask your players to share the cost of the adventure module.

[ddavison]

I think there is also a difference if these are players that you already game with regularly versus you recruiting players you've never met. If you don't really know the players at all then I consider this to be a clear pay-to-play game and it should be advertised appropriately.

[dulux-oz]

I personally have no issue with someone running Pay to Play.

And I respect your right to hold the view that you do, even though I don't respect the view itself and I hold the opposite view. This is one of the great things about this Community - the fact that people can have a discussion such as this and not have it degenerate into a "slinging match" :)


And i think that it is quite fair for you to ask your players to share the cost of the adventure module.

I agree (and have said as much in my Blog Post), but this is, I consider, a different issue.

[LordEntrails]

Asking for financial support and requiring it in order to play are distinct for me. Though I admit their is a wide grey area.

Friends would not expect a friend to bear all of the cost or burden. This is why we have potlucks, or why it is customary to bring a bottle of wine or other token gift for the host of a dinner party. But going to a restaurant is different. It is a business arrangement and not a social one. Paid games are the same, they are a business, not a social arrangement.

[PhorgottenSon]

This is a stickied thread about the rules for posting Paid Games and postings for hiring a paid Game Master. Please take the debate on the rightness or wrongness of this activity elsewhere and leave this thread to those asking about something they don't see in the rules, making suggestions to the rules, and/or looking for clarification on the rules that are there.

Thanks.

[dulux-oz]

This is a stickied thread about the rules for posting Paid Games and postings for hiring a paid Game Master. Please take the debate on the rightness or wrongness of this activity elsewhere and leave this thread to those asking about something they don't see in the rules, making suggestions to the rules, and/or looking for clarification on the rules that are there.

Thanks.

Its also about feedback on the those Rules and the Policy as a whole - and this Community's attitude and concern about this subject (positive or negative) has and should have an impact on the topic.

Its also appropriate to point out to those who are using this thread to gather information about such rules, etc, to be informed that there are alternatives to the activity, especially if those individuals happen to be relatively new to the hobby and/or to VTTs in general and may not be aware that there is a body of knowledge and opinion (positive and negative) about the practice and how their participation may effect their enjoyment of the hobby in both the short and long term.

[SirGraystone]

Just to clarify, as I was thinking of getting back into running but using already constructed modules; how would asking Players to contribute to cost of Modules or Extras they agree on count. I had planned on pretty much everything listed in post #1, so didn't think it would be an issue but since I saw this figured I should to double check anyways.

I don't think anyone have a problem with players sharing the cost of modules if they agree to it, it's more about DM asking to be paid for their time. Even then if someone start a LFP thread asking the players to paid to play the rules allow it, as long as it follows the rules. What was more a problem is someone starting posting in many LFG threads offering his paid games as many noticed lately.

[Black Hammer]

I think points 2 and 5 are especially important.

[Waldbaer]

Its also about feedback on the those Rules and the Policy as a whole - and this Community's attitude and concern about this subject (positive or negative) has and should have an impact on the topic.

Its also appropriate to point out to those who are using this thread to gather information about such rules, etc, to be informed that there are alternatives to the activity, especially if those individuals happen to be relatively new to the hobby and/or to VTTs in general and may not be aware that there is a body of knowledge and opinion (positive and negative) about the practice and how their participation may effect their enjoyment of the hobby in both the short and long term.

That's why I like this community a lot and I have to absolutely say YES to what Dulux-Oz said. I think the same - I have paid quite a bit to get FG running and so on. It's something I do because I like to do online gaming like FG allows me to do. I do have experience of roleplaying for more than 20 years and it never came to me to be paid for what I do. This is about fun together and learning new faces. And out of my perspective bringing the money in harms this part of the deal. What happens if you do not like the events of an evening? Do you get a refund?

Really, I think the money should stay out of the game here and I would wish that this is simply about having fun together and a good time!

Take care,
Waldbaer

[Waldbaer]

...and I did a lot of GMing and stuff...I have been on both sides of the table many times.

[Full Bleed]

Really, I think the money should stay out of the game here and I would wish that this is simply about having fun together and a good time!
People pay for things they "Love" all the time. In fact, it's a time-honored tradition to support the things you love and respect with financial compensation.

And some people are fortunate enough to make money doing things they "Love". As opposed to making a living (or paying a bill) doing something you don't.

The peanut gallery's negative opinion of Paid Games and those willing to Pay for them smacks of envy, lack of understanding, and irrelevance with regard to the participants.

Frankly, the hostile environment on Smitework's site against paid games is dissuasive enough that if I was going to run one I wouldn't bother using this platform, or this forum, at all. You think you're doing Smiteworks any favors by ostracizing those people?

I applaud Smiteworks for instituting some guidelines to try to herd this particular cat (since it appears one scratched some people the wrong way)... but I hope they can mange the niche with the neutrality it deserves.

If anything, Smiteworks should consider opening up a dedicated subforum for paid games where players and GM's can publicly solicit and discuss their experiences without having unwanted aspersions cast at them. Nothing protects a consumer, or exposes a fraud, more than transparency.

[Waldbaer]

Frankly, the hostile environment on Smitework's site against paid games is dissuasive enough that if I was going to run one I wouldn't bother using this platform, or this forum, at all. You think you're doing Smiteworks any favors by ostracizing those people?

I see and understand your side of the table - but I think it is far away from being a hostile environment here. This is just about my opinion and yours and there we seem to have a large gap in the middle. I do not prevent anyone to host paid games - but I wonder why the world needs something like that? And I really keep asking people to participate in campaign costs far away from someone who would take money to entertain his/her DM skills.

It occurs to me that neither I can convince you of my opponion nor the other way around. Probably it's just because in my life the idea of getting paid for doing something which I do as a hobby privately for a long time now is simply corrupting the idea of such games for me.

On the other hand if a paid DM gets things done which you never could do privately this may be worth a price. But I myself more or less feature the nostalgic idea that a DM gives something to the players and the players give something back to him/her. And I do not mean a money transaction.

[Zacchaeus]

I think we are straying from the point of the thread here which is to lay out some ground rules for DMs recruiting for games that they charge for. I don't think we need any more opinions expressed as to whether paying to play is good or bad.

[vodokar]

I don't personally have an opinion on the subject one way or the other. I do have an opinion regarding ensuring that such GM's and players who deem to participate in such activity are not looked down upon or ostracised in any way. That I will fight strongly for. All players have a right to choose or not to choose such an activity. It's no one else's business.

[PhorgottenSon]

I have a note or suggestion about Rule 4.
"The price should be clearly listed."

I think this should include the GM's refund policy for sessions paid for but not played or used, as well as refunds for dissatisfaction if any refunds are to be given for that at all.

[Mgrancey]

While I agree that would be a good idea, I don't think Smiteworks should require that as that would put them in the position of trying to regulate it, which then require enforcement.

Which I don't think Smiteworks should or have responsibility or authority for.

[Mellock]

I don't think they're hostile at all. They can just see it happen already: a disgruntled player posts about the horrible misadventure with a paid DM and how does Smiteworks dare to harbor these fiends, these virtual scum?! Surely *someone* must be held accountable, and since the DM absconded with the precious moolah, it will be the blasted company that fosters this kind of vile misconduct!

I personally don't care either way. To each their own. If I would have been in a physical game, I would bring snacks and drinks, and chip in for DM product. SW have provided a gift option, which takes care of that in a way. Although most DMs I've gamed with actually stalwartly refuse to accept anything. There's also "paid" and "paid" in my mind: if you run an adventure that costs $20 and lasts about 20 sessions, and you charge $1 per session. Is that really all that horrible? If you charge a hefty premium, promising the world? Is one person's king's ransom a pittance to someone else? I think they're definitely onto something making a few basic rules at this point and proceeding carefully without actually disallowing it.

[Andraax]

I accept "GM bribes" - an old tradition in gaming - but no one is required to pay *anything* to play in my games. This is something I do for enjoyment, if I had to keep track of the finances it would become work.

[PhorgottenSon]

While I agree that would be a good idea, I don't think Smiteworks should require that as that would put them in the position of trying to regulate it, which then require enforcement.

Which I don't think Smiteworks should or have responsibility or authority for.

I am not saying that Smiteworks or the rules should require paid GMs to accept refunds. I am stating they should make the GM state in the post about the paid game what their personal refund policy is even if that policy is No Refunds. This way everyone knows exactly what they are getting into up front.

[michaelzep]

I DM all the time in real life and use the program to help me make it more interactive. I want to join a game that I am NOT the DM and would pay a small fee if the group was also paying. I wish there was a "looking for group" in the program.

[Andraax]

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?40-LFG-Looking-for-Group

[michaelzep]

Ya posted and been reposting for weeks.
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?40119-LFG-D-amp-D-5e-after-midnight-EST

It don't help when you have nothing to do but big on the forms for weeks and months.

[damned]

michaelzep consider signing up for a session or two at https://www.fg-con.com/events and this may lead to new opportunities.

[Andraax]

Ya posted and been reposting for weeks.

Well, it doesn't help when you are only available one night and only want to play one game system. Kinda limits your choices.

[michaelzep]

Well, it doesn't help when you are only available one night and only want to play one game system. Kinda limits your choices.

Sorry that I work and have other commitments. It still doesn't take away from the idea of having a looking for group in the program for jump in players.

Thanks Damned, I will.

[Waldbaer]

Hi michaelzep - I have a game running there and one slot opened recently. It is a Saturday though, but time could be working for you. Please check the link in my signature if you would like to find out.
Thanks and good luck to find a group for you.

[Ludus Dominus]

I have a good question in regards to rule numero 2. Can you use other media to direct people to paid gaming use on FG? Like using reddit or meetup as an example to direct people to fantasy grounds where you use FG for paid gaming?

[ddavison]

Yes. The rules are just for our forums and our official discord channel.

[DM Patrick]

I don't intend to DM for money, but what does rule 2 mean?

"You should not attempt to get users to sign up to an alternate forum and calendar system"

I don't understand the term "calendar system."

[damned]

I don't intend to DM for money, but what does rule 2 mean?

"You should not attempt to get users to sign up to an alternate forum and calendar system"

I don't understand the term "calendar system."

There is a fantasy grounds game calendar you can use for posting and organising games
If you are going to advertise paid games here you need to use these forums and calendar system for running the game
If you are advertising elsewhere and not here you can do as you please

[Flyndad123]

WOW,.. really hate to feel like such an idiot, but are there supposed to be "paid" game listings here, or is that in another thread I am having a hard time finding? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Trenloe]

WOW,.. really hate to feel like such an idiot, but are there supposed to be "paid" game listings here, or is that in another thread I am having a hard time finding? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Just like most other GM looking for group threads, they should be in the "LFG - Looking for Group" forum, in their own thread. But clearly marked as paid. I've only seen a handful over the last few months, they aren't common.

[Mgrancey]

This thread got started after someone posted about a "paid" game and there was a big discussion over it and the rules.

[spoofer]

What is the definition of a paid game? If a game master requires a one time fee of a small amount (for example, 10$) to offset her costs, is that considered a paid game and must follow these rules?
If yes, then please explain why (in my opinion, that is not a paid game)? If no, then please explain what us then minimum charge to be considered a paid game?

Thanks,
K.

[ddavison]

What is the definition of a paid game? If a game master requires a one time fee of a small amount (for example, 10$) to offset her costs, is that considered a paid game and must follow these rules?
If yes, then please explain why (in my opinion, that is not a paid game)? If no, then please explain what us then minimum charge to be considered a paid game?

Thanks,
K.

I think the simplest way to define it is to call it a paid game if your game requires any amount of money before you are allowed to join or play.

[spoofer]

But do you mean per session? The OP states "per session".

[ddavison]

Any session. If money is "required" to be exchanged before play, then that pretty much sounds like "paid game" to me. The frequency and amount of payment doesn't change whether or not it is a paid game, it just means whether or not people will think that it is a fairly assessed.

[spoofer]

Thanks for the clarification. You might want to update the OP to clearly define "paid game".

[ddavison]

The OP is correctly worded as-is. The per session was an example of how a paid game might be, not a definition. Are you asking to be paid by players? That pretty much defines it right there.

[damned]

In spoofers game players are asked to contribute towards the cost of the next adventure, one time, on joining the group.

[ddavison]

In spoofers game players are asked to contribute towards the cost of the next adventure, one time, on joining the group.

I understand. That is a paid game. An inexpensive paid game, but still a paid game. If it is a request for funds to help out but not a hard requirement before joining, then you could probably skirt the "paid game" label if that is the concern.

[esmdev]

Sounds like the difference is pretty simple:

1) Paid = Everyone is required to pay to play.
2) Unpaid = Donations are accepted but not mandatory.

[Ram Tyr]

Sounds like the difference is pretty simple:

1) Paid = Everyone is required to pay to play.
2) Unpaid = Donations are accepted but not mandatory.

As long as we are spitballing... if I may make an amendment...

1) Paid Game: Any game where anyone is required to pay anything to play.
2) Unpaid Game: Any game that is not a paid game.

Comment on 1): Anyone instead of everyone because I shouldn't be able to skirt the rule by inviting a friend along and not charging her. Also, shouldn't be able to skirt the rule by having one person pay the cost for the group.

Comment on 2): Having created the universe of games I want the rule to apply to, I can simply exclude the rest of the universe from the rule. The definition of unpaid games is, strictly speaking, unnecessary. The rule and who (in this case, what) it applies to is all that is needed. A game where donations are accepted but not required (and payment is not required) is an example of an unpaid game. A game where neither payment nor donations are accepted would also be an example.

[spoofer]

Thank you all for the clarifications.
I will make sure to follow these rules when recruiting for a paid game.

K.

[Aniond]

I prefer to play "paid games" because money tends to make people more willing to show up and be responsible. I have had more positive gaming experience then free games. I don't charge when I DM but I am considering it because how often players just leave.

[dulux-oz]

I prefer to play "paid games" because money tends to make people more willing to show up and be responsible. I have had more positive gaming experience then free games. I don't charge when I DM but I am considering it because how often players just leave.

That's a fair comment.

I, on the other-hand, have only had 3 people drop out of my games since I started running them on FG, so I suppose I've been "lucky" - mind you, I tend to run "less popular" games (ie non-DnD, non-SW, non-PF) and I go through a reasonably rigourous recruitment/vetting process, so I suppose that cuts down on the pool of "drop-outs" to begin with.

But whatever works for people.

(FTR: As is fairly well know, I am firmly in the anti-paid-games camp.)

[spoofer]

Dlaselle, I could not agree with you more. That is exactly why I charge a one-time fee. I only recently started this, but so far my experience has been very good. It takes longer to find a player, but the players who join seem to be very committed to the game, show up regularly, and email me when they cannot.

[Ludus Dominus]

I am on the FG Discord server and I just had a thought... Now granted I am sure the same rules apply, are you allowed to post in the LFG/LFP channels provided you follow the rules as described for paid games??? The reason I ask is I definitely have no want to make waves as people like to troll and rage... I was just wondering if it is aloud on the discord server???

[ddavison]

Discord should follow the same rules. Paid games are fine as long as everyone follows the same rules. They are less popular than free games, but they are preferred by a percentage of the community and GMs. On Discord, please listen to the moderators as they have final say on what you can or can't do there.

[malbranque]

Discord should follow the same rules. Paid games are fine as long as everyone follows the same rules. They are less popular than free games, but they are preferred by a percentage of the community and GMs. On Discord, please listen to the moderators as they have final say on what you can or check this out (https://gonzosquest-slot.com/) there.

Agree.

[damned]

Agree.

Bye bye.

[Granamere]

Method of payment should be listed and it should not be giving anyone your credit card number or other account information. Maybe paypal, zelle, etc. It would be real bad if someone considered this a safe space and did provide credit card information and was ripped off because of it. If you are spelling out the rules forms of payment is not a bad thing to require.

Also if the DM is planning to post the session online or stream it players should know in advance and have to give consent.

[JohnD]

Method of payment should be listed and it should not be giving anyone your credit card number or other account information. Maybe paypal, zelle, etc. It would be real bad if someone considered this a safe space and did provide credit card information and was ripped off because of it. If you are spelling out the rules forms of payment is not a bad thing to require.

Also if the DM is planning to post the session online or stream it players should know in advance and have to give consent.

Very good, salient points.

[Frunobulax]

People pay for things they "Love" all the time. In fact, it's a time-honored tradition to support the things you love and respect with financial compensation.

This. This is what so many "anti-paid-game" people don't seem to understand. We pay for things we love all the time. We pay DJs and bands to play music, we pay artists for art, we pay TV channels for shows, we pay for that kind of stuff constantly every day. There is no difference between that and gaming. If someone does something very well and is willing to do it for me, then I have zero problem paying them. I view it as not only fair (given all the work involved) but a great deal for me. And the second most important point is, who cares what someone else does? If people pay to play, it does no harm whatsoever to the free-to-play community. I find the "none of your business" argument to be so obvious that I'm surprised it isn't made more in discussion on this topic. I just don't understand... when "anti pay-to-play" people start writing a post on that topic, what outcome are they hoping for? Who are they trying to help? In what way do they think they are helping the community? It seems very paternalistic to me (Sorry, Dulux-OZ, I respect you greatly, but we definitely disagree on this, and I think your extension restrictions are a little unfair.)

I mean, if the anti-paid-games people are so passionate about this, then I assume they are all against the existence of Patreon, too, right? Of supporting the creation of things you like? Patronage has been a part of the creation of art almost since art has existed. Without some folks paying creative people to do their thing, the world would lack most of its artistic treasures. Artists have to eat, too.

I think looking at it from - of all things! - the viewpoint of an economist explains it best. The thing to recognize is that the most important commodity in the world, the most valuable thing there is, the thing you can never buy more of, is time. None of us has enough of it. None of us want to waste it - with the exception, of course, as the old saying goes, that "time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time". So gaming is definitely not wasting time unless you don't enjoy the game you're in. Now, looking at it from the perspective of time as a valuable commodity, let's see how it affects both sides.

As a gamer, I want to play. I want the most fun game I can get. I want a great GM, I want great companions, I want a good experience. Is it possible to get that from free-to-play games? Of course. Absolutely. People do it here hundreds of times a day. But let's be honest - anyone who does much gaming knows darn well that there's a difference between joining any old game and joining a great one. We all have bad experiences from time to time - maybe as bad as a Fascist GM From Hell, or maybe as small as a game just being "meh" - not terrible but not great either. We know there are crappy players and crappy GMs out there. To say otherwise is silly. So, let's face it - while finding a free game is easy, sometimes finding a really great free game can take a long time. It can certainly be done, but after spending years with FG and these forums I can honestly say that of the maybe 15-20 games I've been in, while only a few were awful, also only a few were wonderful. Most were pretty "meh". So, what we take away is that finding really good free games is possible but can take up a lot of time. I don't want to have to spend a long time finding my great games, and I want to play them now, not a long time from now when someday I have a big enough network of GMs and friends to be in mostly great games.

Now look at it from the GM's point of view. If you're a GM, you know that running a great campaign can take a lot of work and a lot of time. Even if you're using a pre-made adventure instead of writing one yourself, the amount of prep work can be staggering, especially if you want your campaign to be really great. There's usually a ton of reading, quite a bit of writing/creation, thought, and planning that goes into it - not to mention the organizational headache of trying to wrangle players into a specific time. It's a lot of work and, frankly, can be a real PITA that outweighs the fun of actually playing. To run a great game, you have to be prepared to dedicate a huge portion of your free time to doing it.

So... players don't want to take the time to find a great game, they want a great one right away. GMs don't want to invest the time unless they are going to have committed players who show up and participate. And when you have one group of people that have something and another group of people who want it, you have a market. And there is definitely a market for paid games. There would be a much better market if people didn't look down on it so much. I personally want a big market in paid games. It would be nice for good GMs to make a little money doing what they love. It would give them incentive to spend more time making their games great. As a player, I would love that market to be huge and active so that I have a whole slew of great games to choose from.

So, in conclusion (finally!) I think everyone should take a look at this from the perspective of what they already do every day. We constantly pay people who are better than us at something to do that thing for us. We pay for entertainment all the time. We watch Hollywood movies when we could watch indy/student films for free. Does that mean there are no good indy/student films? No. It means we don't feel we have the time to watch a lot of them to find the few great ones. Same goes for music, computer games, whatever. As for price, look at what you get for your entertainment dollar. If you go to the movies these days it's hard to get away for less than $20. That's roughly $10 per hour of entertainment - and the movie could suck! If I pay a GM $20 for a 3 or 4 hour game session, I get much better value than from the movie. If the game has five players, the GM makes $100 and the players get a good game. Everyone is happy. Win/win. At that rate a good GM could run a few sessions a week and, maybe not make a living at it, but certainly have some nice extra beer money and have incentive to make their games as awesome as possible. So you might say "$20 for a game session???" I say, "$20 for a movie???" Or $7 for a cup of friggin coffee? Put things in perspective, folks.


I applaud Smiteworks for instituting some guidelines to try to herd this particular cat (since it appears one scratched some people the wrong way)... but I hope they can mange the niche with the neutrality it deserves If anything, Smiteworks should consider opening up a dedicated subforum for paid games where players and GM's can publicly solicit and discuss their experiences without having unwanted aspersions cast at them. Nothing protects a consumer, or exposes a fraud, more than transparency.

I also applaud Smiteworks for intelligently handling this issue by being neutral other than making a few simple rules, and I also think there should be a dedicated subforum for this, with a sticky disclaimer at the top basically saying "We have nothing official to do with any of this."

[ddavison]

I made a sub-form for Paid Games and moved the threads I saw that were obviously paid over to there. That should make it easier to keep the two camps separate. I will add to the first post that if you really don't like paid games, then please stay out of that forum.

[Frunobulax]

I made a sub-form for Paid Games and moved the threads I saw that were obviously paid over to there. That should make it easier to keep the two camps separate. I will add to the first post that if you really don't like paid games, then please stay out of that forum.

Thanks!

[Frodie]

We never thought of doing a paid game, but it might not be a bad idea. Is there a rough going rate and is there a GM rating system? Just looking at it right now to see if we might want to give it a try, maybe a one shot or something.

[Marquis_de_Taigeis]

I like the posted rules for advertising paid games

For me a paid game should not be for trying to make a profit but for covering the cost of purchasing source material / maps / map creation software / time for prep
for example DND 5E essential bundle is ~$200
the ultimate license is ~$149
total ~$350/£250
if you charged say 25pence/50cents per player per session a 4 player game would would pay for both the license and bundle in ~175-250 sessions so roughly the length of a single 4 hour per session level 1-20 campaign

When i see paid games of roughly £15/$20+ per session im going yes thats a good minimum hourly wage for a person if they have a table of 4 for a 4 hour game and it also speaks towards the amount of prep time you would expect to be getting put in, but if im paying these rates for a game then maybe having a refund policy stated, and probably a couple free taster sessions to see if the groups personalitys work together.

When playing pick up games (adventurers league) in cafe/pub in the before times normally players would cover the GMs drinks as a courtesy.

For a regular group of friends If we ever get back to being able to play at a physical table then i might put a jar at the side into which 20p could be tossed per session and then this cash would go towards buying / painting minis first of the players characters then of npcs / monsters

[CraigTD]

Question for the team: I'm a registered GM on the Start Playing Games website (not linking it until my question is answered). They function as a discovery engine for paid games as well as payments and scheduling.

Does the scheduling conflict with the Calendar rule here? While I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of purchasing FGU for my games I have to admit that I'm not active in the forum and can't find the calendar that's referred to. I want to be sure I'm respecting all rules before I make a post. Thanks!

[Mgrancey]

Working under you being on a desktop or similar, if you look at top of page you will see a bar with a number of options: Home, New Posts, Forum, Blogs, Store, etc. If you hover over "Find Games", you will get a dropdown with "Recruiting Calendar", "Manage Campaign", and Looking for Group with more stuff.

Recruiting Calendar takes you to the calendar, while Manage Campaign takes you to where you can create, and deal with campaigns you are in or running.

[HywelPhillips]

I had exactly the same question as Craig on posting announcements here for paid games run via StartPlaying. Thus far I've only posted here for free games on there but I am about to start running paid-for games using them as payment provider.

Is posting notifications here about paid games on their system against the fourm rules here, because they have an integrated calendar and scheduling system as well? The games will be run on Fantasy Grounds, and it is nice to be able to announce them on the LFG's here, but with the rules-as-written it is not allowed to post here because we would technically be asking players to sign up to some alternative scheduling system. But we need to do that in order to be able to use it as the payment processor.

Cheers, Hywel

[CraigTD]

Thank you for the walk through to finding the calendar and campaign managers!

[ddavison]

Question for the team: I'm a registered GM on the Start Playing Games website (not linking it until my question is answered). They function as a discovery engine for paid games as well as payments and scheduling.

Does the scheduling conflict with the Calendar rule here? While I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of purchasing FGU for my games I have to admit that I'm not active in the forum and can't find the calendar that's referred to. I want to be sure I'm respecting all rules before I make a post. Thanks!

In general, we don't want posts here that lead users off the site into another site where they have to register. I'm okay with doing a test run to allow linking to Start.playing games as long as they are posted in the Paid forum and it is clearly listed that you also need to sign up at start.playing. If people don't seem to complain about it, then we will continue to allow it. This doesn't mean carte-blanche approval for any and all sites -- just the Start.playing site for now.

[CraigTD]

In general, we don't want posts here that lead users off the site into another site where they have to register. I'm okay with doing a test run to allow linking to Start.playing games as long as they are posted in the Paid forum and it is clearly listed that you also need to sign up at start.playing. If people don't seem to complain about it, then we will continue to allow it. This doesn't mean carte-blanche approval for any and all sites -- just the Start.playing site for now.

Thank you. I have no problem with this setup. I'm a fan of being transparent about the games I intend to run.

[Montis]

In general, we don't want posts here that lead users off the site into another site where they have to register. I'm okay with doing a test run to allow linking to Start.playing games as long as they are posted in the Paid forum and it is clearly listed that you also need to sign up at start.playing. If people don't seem to complain about it, then we will continue to allow it. This doesn't mean carte-blanche approval for any and all sites -- just the Start.playing site for now.

Is there any news on this? I started a paid PF2E FG campaign on StartPlaying and am curious if I'm allowed to advertise that on here. I already advertised the campaign in the FG discord which seems to have no rule against that and StartPlaying seems to be the go-to site for paid games in general, so I feel it should be allowed in this forum as well, as long as everything is made clear.

Edit: I've also seen that many games advertised here actually do link to StartPlaying, so I guess it's just that the rules haven't been updated yet?

[ddavison]

Yes, you can post with clear information identifying it as a paid game that requires registration with Start Playing. It is still in a trial phase to see how it goes and to see if we get any feedback on it.

[Montis]

Yes, you can post with clear information identifying it as a paid game that requires registration with Start Playing. It is still in a trial phase to see how it goes and to see if we get any feedback on it.

Ok, thanks for the response :)

[FredrikVladimir]

Please follow these basic rules before posting any paid games.

[...]
You should not attempt to get users to sign up to an alternate [...] calendar system
[...]




OK, I'm confused. Admittedly I'm new to Fantasy Grounds, but what's an alternate calendar system? In fact, what's the standard FG calendar system?

[Andraax]

That means using a calendar system other then the one linked above (under Find Games).