Hello! Ever since I started playing D&D I've been hooked and even tried DMing here and there. However, there are a few problems I've come across both as a player and a DM that I want to try to fix. I have some ideas to try and fix these before I do another campaign, but I'd like to hear your thoughts as wells. So here's what I've got. Please read and give me your thoughts/opinions!
Problems:
Player Commitment - I personally want a group where it's rare to see a player miss a session. My solution? I'd like to try interviewing people before starting the campaign, but I don't know if that's too cumbersome
Pay to Play or No? - I'm currently working on making a fleshed out homebrew world and think it would really be worth peoples time. My worldbuilding skills and game mechanics can be a little rough, but I think I really shine in storytelling and roleplay. I think charging $5 per player per session is a good place to start. However, rather than paying before the session, I'd have the pay at the end. It would symbolize their satisfaction with the current session and serve as their 'ticket' to the next session. Essentially "wow that was awesome! I can't wait to come next week". Additionally, I would try to incentivize players to play through the entire campaign by awarding them at the end of the campaign. You earn a dollar back for each session you showed up for. Quitting early doesn't count.
Bad Players - You can end up with a really awesome group of friends or with a group that's really toxic and annoying. I'd like to play with a group of people who are there to have fun instead of knit picking over their min-max character their just to hear their own story and no one else. The solution I think I have is also to interview individuals or groups before playing. I don't even know if I should look for a group or just individuals.
D&D online - I'd like to include music, maps, battle maps, video, character sheets, and lore all into an online platform. I don't know if I'll need a beefy computer to keep up with all the systems I'd be running. I'm thinking about using google youtube party (mucis), Inkarnate (maps), Owlbear rodeo (battlemaps), google meets (video), google docs (lore), and I don't really know about character sheets since most websites require payments to unlock all the options (dndbeyond for example. No hate, just looking to save some cash)
I think that's mostly it. You don't have to answer all of these problems, just whatever sticks out to you the most! I'd really appreciate the feedback because I really want to create an awesome story for some awesome people and maybe make a living off of it one day! Peace!
Is your primary goal finding players you like who will be committed to the game, or making money off DMing?
If the former, you really should be looking at folks you personally know or folks who come highly recommended by people you know. No matter how much you vet strangers, you can always still have problems - not only might they be more problematic in games than they appeared during the vetting process, they also are more inclined to think “I do not know any of these people; I can leave the campaign without any social depreciations.”
Even if most of your friends do not play D&D, it isn’t that hard to convince new people to play - you just need to sell it as a casual social event rather than the intimidatingly (and overstated) complicated game it has a reputation for. In person is easier, since you can make it like a soirée with a game component, though online is not all that difficult either.
However, asking your friends or friends of friends for money to engage in a social event would come off as rather passé, so if your goal is making money, that is not really on the table.
Personally, I do not play with strangers and only play with folks I know rather well or who are recommended by folks who I have previously played with and trust. So, while I could come up with some thoughts on the interview process and vetting strangers, such thoughts would be academic and applying non-D&D vetting to D&D party creation, so I will defer to others with more relevant experience on answering those questions.
Player Commitment - I personally want a group where it's rare to see a player miss a session. My solution? I'd like to try interviewing people before starting the campaign, but I don't know if that's too cumbersome
Bad Players - You can end up with a really awesome group of friends or with a group that's really toxic and annoying. I'd like to play with a group of people who are there to have fun instead of knit picking over their min-max character their just to hear their own story and no one else. The solution I think I have is also to interview individuals or groups before playing. I don't even know if I should look for a group or just individuals.
I interview all of my prospective players before I make selections. Not a formal interview, per se, but I usually exchange about 4 in-depth private messages asking about their play style, DM expectations, character concept, and preferences. I only extend invitations to people I think would gel with my DM style and the play styles of the other candidates.
Then again...I spent about ten years doing recruiting and hiring in my day job, so reading people and knowing what I need to build a good team is a bit of a specialty. Still, it works. It takes effort, time, and knowing what you're looking for, but it definitely helps you mitigate bad DM-player matchups. It's also not uncommon for DMs to ask prospective players to fill out surveys or applications that serve the same function as an interview. Some people will be turned off by this process, but on the whole it does tend to weed out people who wouldn't be a good fit for your table.
It sounds like you've been in groups with people whose playstyles didn't mesh well with yours. It happens, and we've all been there. Just keep in mind that, although being selective about your players can help likeminded people come together, there's no such thing as a perfect group. People disagree, life happens, priorities change, interests wane, etc. If you're open with your communication and maintain good interpersonal awareness, you can find a way to work through it.
From what I understand, the real benefit of a pay-to-play session isn't necessarily the profit potential... 5 dollars a player for a 4 player group is just $20 for at minimum two hours of DM'ing, and that doesn't include the time you spent creating the world, prepping the table, designing encounters, etc. The main benefit of pay-to-play is that it helps to enforce commitment from the players... if I paid any amount of money to get into a session, then I'm going to be extra attentive because I don't want that money to go to waste.
Still, it is a bit of a gamble. For some players the money just helps to reinforce their commitment... others might see it as an excuse to be disruptive or to dominate the table. After all, they paid for the DM's time, therefore the DM works for them. I think interviews beforehand will reduce the odds of this happening, but it's still a possibility.
The other thing that paying the DM does is makes sure that they have access to resources. If everyone's pitching in, that means the DM can afford all the D&D Beyond content, or that they can pay for a higher quality VTT, or maybe they can commission artists for original artwork of major NPCs and Monsters. I think if you frame it that way... not as them paying you for your profit, but rather, paying in to elevate the quality of the game, it can be a positive thing for the table. It's almost like the virtual version of bringing snacks to the DM's house for the game.
While an interview can help it is not foolproof. I think you would get a better idea running oneshots, as an "interview" process, ask for Players interested in a campaign but say you will start with one or two oneshots, to ensure the players gel with your style.
I am not sure you get better quality games with pay to play, I have not noticed much difference with things like player commitment. The majority of players want to play for post an ad for a free campaign and you might get 30 applicants ask them to pay even $5 a session and that might go down to 5. If your sole incentive is game quality you might be better off not charging so you can pick the players you want.
I am ok with pay to play for those who do bring in a lot of experience, time and effort. Have a full and rich homebrew world? Custom artwork and maps/tokens for your homebrewed NPCs, locations and monsters? Paying for all books, VTT services/hiring the store or whatever, and other costs?
Sure, you deserve something for floating all that. Plus as has been said, when people are paying they are typically a bit more likely to attend consistently and be more attentive when there.
That being said, a paying customer can be more demanding and often expects a much higher quality of DMing. I don't pay for D&D games but if I did, I would expect that DM to be a genuine pro - a lot of experience, very knowledgeable, and able to handle almost anything the players throw at them without any hissy fits or usual DM vs Player bullcrap. Its a high bar, and honestly not many can reach it - which is why I avoid paying.
Theres pros and cons from either side. It can be successful in that you can do it and make some profit. However, it is unlikely this is going to make much for you. Great for a little extra money, though. It doesnt hurt to give it a go if you want. Just be prepared.
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As far as money making goes, you'll probably find that the market for paid DMing is incredibly niche, and it caters more to special events, dming one shots for birthday parties or bachelor/ette parties rather than regular campaigns for steady streams of income.
The more common way people tend to make money in the hobby, which has more of a market to back it up, is by publishing third party material on sites like dmsguild or drivethrurpg. If you have any homebrew setting stuff or adventures you think you might want to publish, websites like the homebrewery can help with the formatting. Like I said, that's the more common way people try to make money off the hobby.
As far as money making goes, you'll probably find that the market for paid DMing is incredibly niche, and it caters more to special events, dming one shots for birthday parties or bachelor/ette parties rather than regular campaigns for steady streams of income.
The more common way people tend to make money in the hobby, which has more of a market to back it up, is by publishing third party material on sites like dmsguild or drivethrurpg. If you have any homebrew setting stuff or adventures you think you might want to publish, websites like the homebrewery can help with the formatting. Like I said, that's the more common way people try to make money off the hobby.
Gotcha. I wasn't sure since I ran into that website 'startplaying' where it seems like there are hundereds of DMs.
I interview all of my prospective players before I make selections. Not a formal interview, per se, but I usually exchange about 4 in-depth private messages asking about their play style, DM expectations, character concept, and preferences. I only extend invitations to people I think would gel with my DM style and the play styles of the other candidates.
Then again...I spent about ten years doing recruiting and hiring in my day job, so reading people and knowing what I need to build a good team is a bit of a specialty. Still, it works. It takes effort, time, and knowing what you're looking for, but it definitely helps you mitigate bad DM-player matchups. It's also not uncommon for DMs to ask prospective players to fill out surveys or applications that serve the same function as an interview. Some people will be turned off by this process, but on the whole it does tend to weed out people who wouldn't be a good fit for your table.
It sounds like you've been in groups with people whose playstyles didn't mesh well with yours. It happens, and we've all been there. Just keep in mind that, although being selective about your players can help likeminded people come together, there's no such thing as a perfect group. People disagree, life happens, priorities change, interests wane, etc. If you're open with your communication and maintain good interpersonal awareness, you can find a way to work through it.
Right, I completely agree that there's not a perfect group. I've just seen the much rougher side of group problems. Had a guy I played with a couple years ago who was on his phone often, only cared about his character, and nearly started crying because a powerful item he was rewarded didn't match the 'aesthetic' of his character. That's not to say I don't think he deserves to play D&D. He was just a much more difficult person to play with.
Also, I graduated with a communications degree and have been curious about recruiting and hiring. If you know any good jobs out there let me know.
1) I've never interviewed my players - I tell them what I'm looking for and what's expected of them (generally it's come to the sessions and if you can't make it let me know in plenty of time) - so I don't know how it would work. It is really hard to commit to a single time nearly every week for some people - life's busy - my general solution is to play with large groups (like 7 or 8 people) and as long as half (like 3 or 4) the players are there we'll play (if that poses combat issue, I'll bring a PC in as an NPC or weaken the combat). It works well for me and my players are happy to come when they can.
2) I personally am not willing to pay play the game. It's a great game, but it's a hobby that costs me enough money as it and there are lots of free games out there ... having said that $5 is not an excessive amount at all - if the game was really good, I had no other options, and I really liked the group I might be willing to pay, but there are so many free games out there, so it'd be very unlikely for me. Having said all that, if you do play a paid game, I'd run a few free sessions at the start just to give people a taste and then they can tell you if they think it's a game worth paying for.
3) I play dnd both with friends I've known for a long time or friends of friends, but I also play with random people I've met on the Internet and I've met good and bad. What I try to do is look through the dndbeyond forums and see what people I think will mesh with me and my group (there are always so many of them and you can judge them based on the volume they write, what they say, etc and try and choose the ones you feel fit). I reach out, talk to them some more, as I said above, and if we like each other then we try playing together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You could let them know your expectations and let them know in advance that if people can't meet those expectations too many times, they'll be asked to leave the group ... that might rub some potential people up the wrong way, however, so phrasing would be important.
I have heard of DMs who run a series of one-shots with new players first as a kind of in-game interview; that might be a method you could use.
I've never tried starting for a group so I can't say if it's good or bad, but the advantage of individuals is you can pick and choose in a way you can't if you find a group.
4) I don't have as much to say here, but I know there are various bots for music, dice rolling and more on discord which could be useful.
I would never pay for a game. It's a weird concept for me, because I don't think the perfect game is created by the DM and for the players.
The perfect game is IMO created in collaboration between everyone involved. It's a social construct. The DM is there to have a good time too in my book. 😅
It would be very strange to have that kind of a power dynamic in a game. Maybe if the DM was a professional actor like Mercer or something like that or had some serious starpower, so I would be paying for a memorable experience like going to Broadway.
So I'd skip the payment bit. I think you'd lose lots of experienced and nice people with a paid game just because they don't a) have the money b) trust a stranger enough to pay them.
Also. Rather than interview people, I'd probably make a simple mini-campaign of maybe 1-2 sessions. Then just have a casual conversation with the people and use the Mini as a tryout for those who seem nice based on the chat.
And the tryout is not just for you to see who they are, but for them to see who you are too.
IMO the DM is an equal member of the party too. The usual player-DM ratio often creates a power position for DMs. And I think that sucks. The players should be able to choose their DM as much as the DMs get to choose their players.
These are just my thoughts. I know there are lots of different cultures and I'm only representing mine. 😄
I hate to say it, but phone use, flaking, and emotional outbursts aren't uncommon. There are plenty of immature and problematic players out there. I've played with some of them, and I've heard horror stories about others who have far, far worse traits than main character syndrome or rudeness. That said, I can totally understand wanting to limit that at your own table. Being choosy about your players and being exceedingly clear about what you expect from players and what you will provide players helps a lot. Boundaries and open dialogues are a DM's best friend.
Interviews are definitely fine. If a player can't make time for a brief interview, they're not gonna be able to make time for D&D. I don't have any advice for how exactly to do those interviews though. Best I can do, is try to get an idea of the person's sense of humor and politics; and if they have things in their life that often conflict with regular D&D (ex: shift work, lots of traveling for work, hard partying, childcare), and if they know how/want to work around those things or not.
As you can see from other comments, charging money is a bit controversial. I asked my players for regular donations for a while, in order to buy miniatures that I then gave out at the end of the campaign. It was kinda awkward even though everyone agreed to it at the start. Props to you if you have the confidence to ask for money. Prepare yourself for situations like someone showing up but refusing to pay, or someone demanding a refund for some reason. Also, don't rely on tools like discord bots and YouTube music playlists. Those things get struck down and altered or deleted all the time. Imagine if Netflix was like, hey, you've been subscribed for a month, we're removing background music from our shows and movies now. Not great. Think I'll unsubscribe actually.
Even using these methods you will need to check in every so often and do some management of your group, unless you're unbelievably lucky and everyone just vibes perfectly forever. That's not to say you shouldn't try to preempt problems though. But get comfortable with being the mediator, the responsible adult of the situation, because problems will come up. There's nothing you can do before the campaign begins that will exempt you from this fact.
The #1 thing that will make players want to come back week after week is that they feel like you're a fan of them and their character. You're on their side, you're paying attention and you're making decisions based on them. Your world can be derivative garbage*, and your encounters can be unbalanced and illogical, and your presentation can be sloppy -- if you make the players feel seen and heard, and appreciated, none of that matters. And if you don't, it's unlikely that any amount of awesomeness in the previously mentioned areas will save you.
*I would suggest that it should be, even. Get too self-satisfied with how good it is, and you're not gonna be willing to smash it into pieces when doing so would make your players happy.
Interviews are definitely fine. If a player can't make time for a brief interview, they're not gonna be able to make time for D&D. I don't have any advice for how exactly to do those interviews though. Best I can do, is try to get an idea of the person's sense of humor and politics; and if they have things in their life that often conflict with regular D&D (ex: shift work, lots of traveling for work, hard partying, childcare), and if they know how/want to work around those things or not.
As you can see from other comments, charging money is a bit controversial. I asked my players for regular donations for a while, in order to buy miniatures that I then gave out at the end of the campaign. It was kinda awkward even though everyone agreed to it at the start. Props to you if you have the confidence to ask for money. Prepare yourself for situations like someone showing up but refusing to pay, or someone demanding a refund for some reason. Also, don't rely on tools like discord bots and YouTube music playlists. Those things get struck down and altered or deleted all the time. Imagine if Netflix was like, hey, you've been subscribed for a month, we're removing background music from our shows and movies now. Not great. Think I'll unsubscribe actually.
Even using these methods you will need to check in every so often and do some management of your group, unless you're unbelievably lucky and everyone just vibes perfectly forever. That's not to say you shouldn't try to preempt problems though. But get comfortable with being the mediator, the responsible adult of the situation, because problems will come up. There's nothing you can do before the campaign begins that will exempt you from this fact.
The #1 thing that will make players want to come back week after week is that they feel like you're a fan of them and their character. You're on their side, you're paying attention and you're making decisions based on them. Your world can be derivative garbage*, and your encounters can be unbalanced and illogical, and your presentation can be sloppy -- if you make the players feel seen and heard, and appreciated, none of that matters. And if you don't, it's unlikely that any amount of awesomeness in the previously mentioned areas will save you.
*I would suggest that it should be, even. Get too self-satisfied with how good it is, and you're not gonna be willing to smash it into pieces when doing so would make your players happy.
Haha. The last bit. Made this mistake a lot when I was younger. Not even a lot younger, I have to admit..
So I made these amazing settings and gods and a ton of lore. I was really happy with it.
And because I was so happy, I wanted ram all that lore down their throats, because I didn't want to be the only one hyping that stuff. 😂
I would never pay for a game. It's a weird concept for me, because I don't think the perfect game is created by the DM and for the players.
The perfect game is IMO created in collaboration between everyone involved. It's a social construct. The DM is there to have a good time too in my book. 😅
It would be very strange to have that kind of a power dynamic in a game. Maybe if the DM was a professional actor like Mercer or something like that or had some serious starpower, so I would be paying for a memorable experience like going to Broadway.
So I'd skip the payment bit. I think you'd lose lots of experienced and nice people with a paid game just because they don't a) have the money b) trust a stranger enough to pay them.
Also. Rather than interview people, I'd probably make a simple mini-campaign of maybe 1-2 sessions. Then just have a casual conversation with the people and use the Mini as a tryout for those who seem nice based on the chat.
And the tryout is not just for you to see who they are, but for them to see who you are too.
IMO the DM is an equal member of the party too. The usual player-DM ratio often creates a power position for DMs. And I think that sucks. The players should be able to choose their DM as much as the DMs get to choose their players.
These are just my thoughts. I know there are lots of different cultures and I'm only representing mine. 😄
I actually fully agree with you on this and feel that maybe I shouldn't go for pay to play now...I'm planning on having fun collaborating more than I'm planning on trying to make dough off of it. I appreciate this!
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Hello! Ever since I started playing D&D I've been hooked and even tried DMing here and there. However, there are a few problems I've come across both as a player and a DM that I want to try to fix. I have some ideas to try and fix these before I do another campaign, but I'd like to hear your thoughts as wells. So here's what I've got. Please read and give me your thoughts/opinions!
Problems:
I think that's mostly it. You don't have to answer all of these problems, just whatever sticks out to you the most! I'd really appreciate the feedback because I really want to create an awesome story for some awesome people and maybe make a living off of it one day! Peace!
Is your primary goal finding players you like who will be committed to the game, or making money off DMing?
If the former, you really should be looking at folks you personally know or folks who come highly recommended by people you know. No matter how much you vet strangers, you can always still have problems - not only might they be more problematic in games than they appeared during the vetting process, they also are more inclined to think “I do not know any of these people; I can leave the campaign without any social depreciations.”
Even if most of your friends do not play D&D, it isn’t that hard to convince new people to play - you just need to sell it as a casual social event rather than the intimidatingly (and overstated) complicated game it has a reputation for. In person is easier, since you can make it like a soirée with a game component, though online is not all that difficult either.
However, asking your friends or friends of friends for money to engage in a social event would come off as rather passé, so if your goal is making money, that is not really on the table.
Personally, I do not play with strangers and only play with folks I know rather well or who are recommended by folks who I have previously played with and trust. So, while I could come up with some thoughts on the interview process and vetting strangers, such thoughts would be academic and applying non-D&D vetting to D&D party creation, so I will defer to others with more relevant experience on answering those questions.
Thanks for the food for thought!
Abandon the money making idea. It won't work.
1 shot dungeon master
Note that music doesn't always work well in online games - it mostly muffles the speaking of players.
I interview all of my prospective players before I make selections. Not a formal interview, per se, but I usually exchange about 4 in-depth private messages asking about their play style, DM expectations, character concept, and preferences. I only extend invitations to people I think would gel with my DM style and the play styles of the other candidates.
Then again...I spent about ten years doing recruiting and hiring in my day job, so reading people and knowing what I need to build a good team is a bit of a specialty. Still, it works. It takes effort, time, and knowing what you're looking for, but it definitely helps you mitigate bad DM-player matchups. It's also not uncommon for DMs to ask prospective players to fill out surveys or applications that serve the same function as an interview. Some people will be turned off by this process, but on the whole it does tend to weed out people who wouldn't be a good fit for your table.
It sounds like you've been in groups with people whose playstyles didn't mesh well with yours. It happens, and we've all been there. Just keep in mind that, although being selective about your players can help likeminded people come together, there's no such thing as a perfect group. People disagree, life happens, priorities change, interests wane, etc. If you're open with your communication and maintain good interpersonal awareness, you can find a way to work through it.
From what I understand, the real benefit of a pay-to-play session isn't necessarily the profit potential... 5 dollars a player for a 4 player group is just $20 for at minimum two hours of DM'ing, and that doesn't include the time you spent creating the world, prepping the table, designing encounters, etc. The main benefit of pay-to-play is that it helps to enforce commitment from the players... if I paid any amount of money to get into a session, then I'm going to be extra attentive because I don't want that money to go to waste.
Still, it is a bit of a gamble. For some players the money just helps to reinforce their commitment... others might see it as an excuse to be disruptive or to dominate the table. After all, they paid for the DM's time, therefore the DM works for them. I think interviews beforehand will reduce the odds of this happening, but it's still a possibility.
The other thing that paying the DM does is makes sure that they have access to resources. If everyone's pitching in, that means the DM can afford all the D&D Beyond content, or that they can pay for a higher quality VTT, or maybe they can commission artists for original artwork of major NPCs and Monsters. I think if you frame it that way... not as them paying you for your profit, but rather, paying in to elevate the quality of the game, it can be a positive thing for the table. It's almost like the virtual version of bringing snacks to the DM's house for the game.
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While an interview can help it is not foolproof. I think you would get a better idea running oneshots, as an "interview" process, ask for Players interested in a campaign but say you will start with one or two oneshots, to ensure the players gel with your style.
I am not sure you get better quality games with pay to play, I have not noticed much difference with things like player commitment. The majority of players want to play for post an ad for a free campaign and you might get 30 applicants ask them to pay even $5 a session and that might go down to 5. If your sole incentive is game quality you might be better off not charging so you can pick the players you want.
I am ok with pay to play for those who do bring in a lot of experience, time and effort. Have a full and rich homebrew world? Custom artwork and maps/tokens for your homebrewed NPCs, locations and monsters? Paying for all books, VTT services/hiring the store or whatever, and other costs?
Sure, you deserve something for floating all that. Plus as has been said, when people are paying they are typically a bit more likely to attend consistently and be more attentive when there.
That being said, a paying customer can be more demanding and often expects a much higher quality of DMing. I don't pay for D&D games but if I did, I would expect that DM to be a genuine pro - a lot of experience, very knowledgeable, and able to handle almost anything the players throw at them without any hissy fits or usual DM vs Player bullcrap. Its a high bar, and honestly not many can reach it - which is why I avoid paying.
Theres pros and cons from either side. It can be successful in that you can do it and make some profit. However, it is unlikely this is going to make much for you. Great for a little extra money, though. It doesnt hurt to give it a go if you want. Just be prepared.
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As far as money making goes, you'll probably find that the market for paid DMing is incredibly niche, and it caters more to special events, dming one shots for birthday parties or bachelor/ette parties rather than regular campaigns for steady streams of income.
The more common way people tend to make money in the hobby, which has more of a market to back it up, is by publishing third party material on sites like dmsguild or drivethrurpg. If you have any homebrew setting stuff or adventures you think you might want to publish, websites like the homebrewery can help with the formatting. Like I said, that's the more common way people try to make money off the hobby.
Gotcha. I wasn't sure since I ran into that website 'startplaying' where it seems like there are hundereds of DMs.
I interview all of my prospective players before I make selections. Not a formal interview, per se, but I usually exchange about 4 in-depth private messages asking about their play style, DM expectations, character concept, and preferences. I only extend invitations to people I think would gel with my DM style and the play styles of the other candidates.
Then again...I spent about ten years doing recruiting and hiring in my day job, so reading people and knowing what I need to build a good team is a bit of a specialty. Still, it works. It takes effort, time, and knowing what you're looking for, but it definitely helps you mitigate bad DM-player matchups. It's also not uncommon for DMs to ask prospective players to fill out surveys or applications that serve the same function as an interview. Some people will be turned off by this process, but on the whole it does tend to weed out people who wouldn't be a good fit for your table.
It sounds like you've been in groups with people whose playstyles didn't mesh well with yours. It happens, and we've all been there. Just keep in mind that, although being selective about your players can help likeminded people come together, there's no such thing as a perfect group. People disagree, life happens, priorities change, interests wane, etc. If you're open with your communication and maintain good interpersonal awareness, you can find a way to work through it.
Right, I completely agree that there's not a perfect group. I've just seen the much rougher side of group problems. Had a guy I played with a couple years ago who was on his phone often, only cared about his character, and nearly started crying because a powerful item he was rewarded didn't match the 'aesthetic' of his character. That's not to say I don't think he deserves to play D&D. He was just a much more difficult person to play with.
Also, I graduated with a communications degree and have been curious about recruiting and hiring. If you know any good jobs out there let me know.
1) I've never interviewed my players - I tell them what I'm looking for and what's expected of them (generally it's come to the sessions and if you can't make it let me know in plenty of time) - so I don't know how it would work. It is really hard to commit to a single time nearly every week for some people - life's busy - my general solution is to play with large groups (like 7 or 8 people) and as long as half (like 3 or 4) the players are there we'll play (if that poses combat issue, I'll bring a PC in as an NPC or weaken the combat). It works well for me and my players are happy to come when they can.
2) I personally am not willing to pay play the game. It's a great game, but it's a hobby that costs me enough money as it and there are lots of free games out there ... having said that $5 is not an excessive amount at all - if the game was really good, I had no other options, and I really liked the group I might be willing to pay, but there are so many free games out there, so it'd be very unlikely for me. Having said all that, if you do play a paid game, I'd run a few free sessions at the start just to give people a taste and then they can tell you if they think it's a game worth paying for.
3) I play dnd both with friends I've known for a long time or friends of friends, but I also play with random people I've met on the Internet and I've met good and bad. What I try to do is look through the dndbeyond forums and see what people I think will mesh with me and my group (there are always so many of them and you can judge them based on the volume they write, what they say, etc and try and choose the ones you feel fit). I reach out, talk to them some more, as I said above, and if we like each other then we try playing together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You could let them know your expectations and let them know in advance that if people can't meet those expectations too many times, they'll be asked to leave the group ... that might rub some potential people up the wrong way, however, so phrasing would be important.
I have heard of DMs who run a series of one-shots with new players first as a kind of in-game interview; that might be a method you could use.
I've never tried starting for a group so I can't say if it's good or bad, but the advantage of individuals is you can pick and choose in a way you can't if you find a group.
4) I don't have as much to say here, but I know there are various bots for music, dice rolling and more on discord which could be useful.
Hope this helps.
I would never pay for a game. It's a weird concept for me, because I don't think the perfect game is created by the DM and for the players.
The perfect game is IMO created in collaboration between everyone involved. It's a social construct. The DM is there to have a good time too in my book. 😅
It would be very strange to have that kind of a power dynamic in a game. Maybe if the DM was a professional actor like Mercer or something like that or had some serious starpower, so I would be paying for a memorable experience like going to Broadway.
So I'd skip the payment bit. I think you'd lose lots of experienced and nice people with a paid game just because they don't a) have the money b) trust a stranger enough to pay them.
Also. Rather than interview people, I'd probably make a simple mini-campaign of maybe 1-2 sessions. Then just have a casual conversation with the people and use the Mini as a tryout for those who seem nice based on the chat.
And the tryout is not just for you to see who they are, but for them to see who you are too.
IMO the DM is an equal member of the party too. The usual player-DM ratio often creates a power position for DMs. And I think that sucks. The players should be able to choose their DM as much as the DMs get to choose their players.
These are just my thoughts. I know there are lots of different cultures and I'm only representing mine. 😄
Finland GMT/UTC +2
I hate to say it, but phone use, flaking, and emotional outbursts aren't uncommon. There are plenty of immature and problematic players out there. I've played with some of them, and I've heard horror stories about others who have far, far worse traits than main character syndrome or rudeness. That said, I can totally understand wanting to limit that at your own table. Being choosy about your players and being exceedingly clear about what you expect from players and what you will provide players helps a lot. Boundaries and open dialogues are a DM's best friend.
Interviews are definitely fine. If a player can't make time for a brief interview, they're not gonna be able to make time for D&D. I don't have any advice for how exactly to do those interviews though. Best I can do, is try to get an idea of the person's sense of humor and politics; and if they have things in their life that often conflict with regular D&D (ex: shift work, lots of traveling for work, hard partying, childcare), and if they know how/want to work around those things or not.
As you can see from other comments, charging money is a bit controversial. I asked my players for regular donations for a while, in order to buy miniatures that I then gave out at the end of the campaign. It was kinda awkward even though everyone agreed to it at the start. Props to you if you have the confidence to ask for money. Prepare yourself for situations like someone showing up but refusing to pay, or someone demanding a refund for some reason. Also, don't rely on tools like discord bots and YouTube music playlists. Those things get struck down and altered or deleted all the time. Imagine if Netflix was like, hey, you've been subscribed for a month, we're removing background music from our shows and movies now. Not great. Think I'll unsubscribe actually.
Even using these methods you will need to check in every so often and do some management of your group, unless you're unbelievably lucky and everyone just vibes perfectly forever. That's not to say you shouldn't try to preempt problems though. But get comfortable with being the mediator, the responsible adult of the situation, because problems will come up. There's nothing you can do before the campaign begins that will exempt you from this fact.
The #1 thing that will make players want to come back week after week is that they feel like you're a fan of them and their character. You're on their side, you're paying attention and you're making decisions based on them. Your world can be derivative garbage*, and your encounters can be unbalanced and illogical, and your presentation can be sloppy -- if you make the players feel seen and heard, and appreciated, none of that matters. And if you don't, it's unlikely that any amount of awesomeness in the previously mentioned areas will save you.
*I would suggest that it should be, even. Get too self-satisfied with how good it is, and you're not gonna be willing to smash it into pieces when doing so would make your players happy.
Haha. The last bit. Made this mistake a lot when I was younger. Not even a lot younger, I have to admit..
So I made these amazing settings and gods and a ton of lore. I was really happy with it.
And because I was so happy, I wanted ram all that lore down their throats, because I didn't want to be the only one hyping that stuff. 😂
Finland GMT/UTC +2
I actually fully agree with you on this and feel that maybe I shouldn't go for pay to play now...I'm planning on having fun collaborating more than I'm planning on trying to make dough off of it. I appreciate this!