I can say I've had mixed feelings about pay to play. I see both sides of the table here, as I've DMed for years. It's a hobby, a passion, and a dedication. It also costs a lot of money. Subscription, books, map packs, and for someone like me, the time I put into making my own maps. But at the same time there's a lot of people (in fact the majority of games) that are FREE to play. There are advantages to Pay to Play games, you know the DM will be there, and he will be putting his best possible efforts into the game (at least I'd hope). You also get other players who are willing to pay, and they will not flake on an online campaign as quickly, unless the game is just not worth it to them. I recently was recruited to a campaign as a paid DM, and I took it, but with one exception. I made it "tip the DM". The guys pay if they can, or feel it is worth the money. At the same time they won't get booted if they can't pay. My 1st session everyone tipped $10 and they all tip around 5-10 each session after. I've had a few guys not be able to afford one week then tip extra the next. I also keep it confidential and don't even talk about it at the table except a reminder at the end of the session if they want to tip. It works out well for all of us. The money I've made off of them all has gone back in to the campaign, and I've even put money from my pocket into the campaign fund. What I have with this group is all of the bells and whistles now. We have all of the WotC modules to play with, art assets from several artists, and we've even gotten custom tokens commissioned for each player. To me that is worth it, and those guys could stop paying at any time and I'd still he happy. That being said, I am in the early stages of creating a ToA game. I have 2-4 players so far, but their nights don't align. I have 2 wanting to run Sunday nights, and 2 wanting Tuesday nights. All of my games start any time between 5-8pm EST depending on the players schedules, and run for 4-5 hours or until we are gassed. I offered them a tip option, they can contribute or not, it doesn't matter, and it only gets mentioned at the end of a session once with a link, if the players give, great, if not, oh well. I'm having fun regardless, and that's my payment. Anything else is extra. Every penny will go back into the game anyways, be it new books, art assets, or even custom tokens for the players. I tend to make battle maps for most encounters myself, or use a few others from other top artists. My library is pretty stacked now. If you are interested in joining, you are welcome to. Just let me know if you would like to go with the Sunday or Tuesday group. I'll likely end up running both once I get them filled. I haven't put an add out yet, because I am waiting for my many groups to get a chance to get in before I go to the public, but I'll be making an LFG tomorrow. The tip is always optional, and not expected, but always goes back into the campaign in some way or another. The only thing I ever ask is for my players to be involved and not flake. Real life happens, but if it's a common occurrence, the issue will be addressed. The other big thing is just making sure that everyone at the table is polite to each other and get along. Volatile attitudes, racism, and whining butts get the boot faster than anything else. I offer fun games, for me and my players, and I will always keep it that way. If you would like to join, feel free to PM me, I'll be getting this campaign rolling this week with a site set for a session zero hopefully this coming week (maybe even this coming Sunday if that slot fills up fast enough) Either way I hope you find the campaign you are looking for. Happy Rolling!
