I think the idea of hosting a tournament that ends in reward (such as a cut of the money pot with some of the money pot going to the host) would be more viable.
A skilled DM can both DM and host the tournament but this way players don't feel they are paying a DM for a job. Instead they are paying into a pool to earn winning based on outcomes.
What exactly kind of tournament would that be? Tabletop RPGs in general don't exactly lend themselves well to competitive play.
They did experiment with tournament play very early on (for example, hidden shrine of tamoachan has a tournament scoring system) but it didn't stick around as a format.
What exactly kind of tournament would that be? Tabletop RPGs in general don't exactly lend themselves well to competitive play.
They did experiment with tournament play very early on (for example, hidden shrine of tamoachan has a tournament scoring system) but it didn't stick around as a format.
I believe the reason it didn't stick is merely one of "business model" and not of any other issue. It's a marketing issue so-to-speak.
In my town there's a bar that has a library of board games and sells awesome craft beers and people are playing DnD there ALL the time. The idea that they could also host a regular tournament with a cash-pool that maybe completes last Saturday of every month and starts every first Saturday of the month is totally doable. It'd be no different than a pool league at that point.
It's really just a matter that no one has instituted it that is the issue. But if someone wants to get paid for something, then they better be willing to institute some solutions. No one pays anyone for nothing.
A little more "theorycrafting".
The D&D league hosted at such a bar as I described would be free to play 2 of every 3 months and the 3rd month there'd be a paid tournament so to speak. Not all the teams in the league would need to "pay to play" but that'd be the pay to play pool. The hosting venue gets a cut, the DMs get a cut, and the teams that place 3rd, 2nd, 1st all get a cut. In this case the DMs getting paid equally means the judgements are considered fair. There'd probably be a judge as well who'd watch over some challenging moments in each game.
All of this sounds like pool-league to me with people betting on the outcome of the tournament. So none of it is really new...it's just is there enough demand in a city to accomplish? I'd argue yes.
A city like NYC surely has enough D&D players to make such a tournament viable. And worse comes to worse it can be done online...if it ever gets a rap of being "fair" and "equitable" and that way it's streamed and recorded for fairness anyway.
Personally I wouldn't pay for a DM especially per person/per hour considering the potential length of a campaign.
However out of curiosity what would a paid DM provide that a free one doesn't?? Assuming both have access to the same tools...
Title is misleading
Started playing AD&D in the late 70s and stopped in the mid-80s. Started immersing myself into 5e in 2023
I think the idea of hosting a tournament that ends in reward (such as a cut of the money pot with some of the money pot going to the host) would be more viable.
A skilled DM can both DM and host the tournament but this way players don't feel they are paying a DM for a job. Instead they are paying into a pool to earn winning based on outcomes.
What exactly kind of tournament would that be? Tabletop RPGs in general don't exactly lend themselves well to competitive play.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
They did experiment with tournament play very early on (for example, hidden shrine of tamoachan has a tournament scoring system) but it didn't stick around as a format.
I believe the reason it didn't stick is merely one of "business model" and not of any other issue. It's a marketing issue so-to-speak.
In my town there's a bar that has a library of board games and sells awesome craft beers and people are playing DnD there ALL the time. The idea that they could also host a regular tournament with a cash-pool that maybe completes last Saturday of every month and starts every first Saturday of the month is totally doable. It'd be no different than a pool league at that point.
It's really just a matter that no one has instituted it that is the issue. But if someone wants to get paid for something, then they better be willing to institute some solutions. No one pays anyone for nothing.
A little more "theorycrafting".
The D&D league hosted at such a bar as I described would be free to play 2 of every 3 months and the 3rd month there'd be a paid tournament so to speak. Not all the teams in the league would need to "pay to play" but that'd be the pay to play pool. The hosting venue gets a cut, the DMs get a cut, and the teams that place 3rd, 2nd, 1st all get a cut. In this case the DMs getting paid equally means the judgements are considered fair. There'd probably be a judge as well who'd watch over some challenging moments in each game.
All of this sounds like pool-league to me with people betting on the outcome of the tournament. So none of it is really new...it's just is there enough demand in a city to accomplish? I'd argue yes.
A city like NYC surely has enough D&D players to make such a tournament viable. And worse comes to worse it can be done online...if it ever gets a rap of being "fair" and "equitable" and that way it's streamed and recorded for fairness anyway.
There are difrent ways to pay a dm, i bought a couple online books for my dm, so he can use them, and we can use it with content sharing.
The dm isnt the only one that has to invest in the game