Nominal Tipping - An Alternative To Pay To Play

I have run a game on roll20 nearly every week for the last four years for free, which is fine and I have enjoyed doing so. I try to encourage the players I play with to take a turn at running a game, when we get to the end of one of the games I am running to keep the group going. However on most occasions everyone shrugs their shoulders and disappears, which means I don't get to have a go at playing. GMs typically bear all the financial costs of running a game on roll20 having to buy tokens, modules and pro level subscriptions, and invest their time and energy into creating a game. A better system might be where by the players have to purchase "chips" from roll20 for a small amount and then use these tokens to voluntarily tip the GM at the end of a game. The GM could use these "chips" to buy modules, tokens and content as well as use the "chips" to tip other GMs in games they might be playing in as players.   I realise that this suggestion won't be popular with players who aren't GMs, but most players are getting a free lunch at roll20.   Tipping the GM would be optional of course and the GM would be able to opt a game in or out of the tipping system.

5e DM here. I like your reasoning behind the chip system. I enjoy being the DM, but it is time consuming.I have been in your position and was thinking on advertising my games as a one time Gift-to-play to play. Either with a subscription or something from the marketplace (something less than 5 dollars)... have you tried this before?

My main intention is not to earn money; it's more that I want to earn Roll20 community credit that I can spend at other GMs tables. Eventually all that credit would get spent in the Roll20 system purchasing community assets and could be put toward creating more games. It would create a virtuous self sustaining system where by content creators and GMs got rewarded for their time and trouble. A nominal tipping rate would be 1 chip per hour per player, when the GM and a player are actively playing. I typically play four, 4.5 hour sessions a month or 18 hours with 4 players totalling 72 fun hours per month.  $10/72  ≈ 14 cents I think if a chip cost 15 cents that would cover my pro subscription and if it were double that at 30 cents I would have enough to purchase assets and modules such as the PHB,  and MM. I don't want to buy these books again as I already paid for the paper copies. I would also like to add that we would need a feature whereby the GMs presence is hidden from the players so that if the GM and a player are in the game room at the same time the clock would stop running. Stopping the clock running would be important if the GM was prepping an adventure and not running it.

How is this different than Pay-to-Play games? You mention that this is entirely voluntary, so nothing is stopping players from not buying these chips to begin with. We have that now with free games as players are more than welcome to send the GM money to reimburse them for the time and effort they put into it. The only way that you would be able to guarantee chips is to talk about it upfront and get the commitment from the players (i.e. advertise as a Pay-to-Play game). The part I can see which differs with Pay-to-Play games, money is handled outside  of the roll20 interface, and you would like to be able to receive payments within instead..

There is nothing to stop someone refusing to tip the GM, and I agree, such a game should be marked with a tipping expected flag. The difference is the money is internalised within the Roll20 system. For me this isn't about money it's about fairness. I wouldn't have even posted this thread if someone in my long term group hand picked up the GMs mantle, and run a game as I'm a bit burnt out at the moment. If I had received thousands of chips in Roll20 community credit, I would be able play in another tipster game using those credits to tip a GM who is willing and able to run a game for my benefit.  At the moment my status is that I am just another player , as far as any other GM out there is concerned.

Just a general reminder: If you agree with a suggestion and would like to add your two cents about how it would help you and your players, please feel free to comment. If you are commenting to debate the suggestion's merit or discuss why it will or will not happen, that is not an appropriate use of the comment section in the Suggestions Forum.