this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
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Paid...DMing? (beehaw.org)
submitted 5 days ago by its_me_xiphos@beehaw.org to c/chat@beehaw.org
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I've been enjoying TTRPGs for some time. A means to meet people. Have some fun. Escape the drudgery of life and get creative. Perhaps I've lived under a rock, or a boulder, but I've come across an entire ecosystem of Professional DMs selling table time. Literal pay to play in a creative world. Where, even with the cash grab of wizards of the coast or the negation of imagination in place of 3D extravagence, we now monetize play, too. Perhaps play isn't the right word. Something that combines camaraderie, enjoyment, a third space, imagination, and kindred spirits. Whatever that is, its monetization of the experience by a for profit dungeon master feels wrong in some way I can't quite place.

Why must everything devolve into this? What do we loose when we monetize creativity, community, meeting people to such a degree?

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[โ€“] djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

One of my friends actually does this as a side-gig. She's a very experienced DM for many different game systems, and I'd say consistently offers a great experience. She mostly gets hired to do events though, like running tables for MagicCon or the local queer tabletop society. I've never personally heard of someone like posting up at a lgs and offering to DM for strangers in exchange for money, but sounds fine to me. DMing is a lot of hard work, there's absolutely no incentive to be good at it for strangers, and demand for super casual but professionally led tabletop experiences seems to be at an all time high. You're still allowed to do things the traditional way and have a friend DM for your group, this is just an option for the tourists who want to spend an afternoon together having a TTRPG experience.

[โ€“] its_me_xiphos@beehaw.org 1 points 5 days ago

Fair and appreciate the response. Kudos to your friend too!