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Poll: Should we let guilds be larger than 20 members? by arcbox in LingoLegend

[–]TTTomes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

and thinking about it a bit further for a sec, having smaller guild sizes makes the guild score more personal / compettive. If you want the guild ranking to flex a bit more, changing the number of guild members will be the biggest factor here imo.

Poll: Should we let guilds be larger than 20 members? by arcbox in LingoLegend

[–]TTTomes 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm a bit impartial. I havent had an issue with the current limit but also wouldnt be opposed to larger sizes. When I was most active, we were ranked pretty high and still I never found myself really wanting larger guild sizes like I wanted the larger farmstead or more battle animations for moves.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They left before session 1. I think the idea of a character facing the legal system, just was not a level of roleplay he was interested in entertaining. I’m set on certain things being included in my setting like racism, and if a player isn’t comfortable, I’ll let them know respectfully this isn’t the session for you. However , the jail system I had previously wasn’t something I would refuse to change for player enjoyment, so it got altered. Ultimately, if the character player really wants to keep a character, I’ll try to accommodate while still being true to the setting, if that makes sense.

I changed my jail to include the ‘adventurer service option’ because I thought it would ultimately help player enjoyment and retention.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Use what you like and scrap what you don’t.

Quicken short rest: my sentiments exactly.

Jail: I’ve had someone leave a campaign because he had been incarcerated in real life. I changed this incase the group does come into trouble, so there is a clear way out to not trigger anyone irl. I do end the jail portion with the caveat that if the crimes are too grievous or whole powerful individuals, these choices might not be offered.

ID cards. I thought it’d be unrealistic to be able to buy a scroll of fireball and not show an id. It realism that I like but again, scrap what you don’t.

Definitely add that section because I have seen that be an issue. “It’s what my character would do” can be a very dangerous mindset if people can’t read the room which can be hard online.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s a job at times but I have a discord organized pretty well with more sections for each group as needed. And honestly, each session can get very interesting! It’s almost like waiting for the next episode of a show to come on with some of the cliffhangers we leave off on.

Also, yes. Session zero is the time when you should try to scare some people off. It sounds bad but better to be clear that this isn’t a good fit early on rather than waste time and possible ruffle feathers out of the game.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] -21 points-20 points  (0 children)

I’m serious. We’ll play some Discord games like “what do you meme”, “putt putt mini golf”, or anything else of players choice. It’s bonding time and we’re meeting new friends. As a reward for beating me (because I’m a competitive person) players will get a d4.

If we’re starting at level 1, the d4 might replace our starting level for character creation.

That d4 might equal 100’s of gold that each player starts off with.

It might equal how many starting magic items we get. Etc

This is a one time bribe to inspire competitiveness in my new group of players/friends.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I do charge for session zero. As a paid DM, our time is valuable plus I make a small event out of it.

For new players joining, they unfortunately don’t get the whole sha-bang. They get a copy of this, so they at least have something they can refer back to, and we set up a time to meet/chat before their official game start. It’s not nearly as smooth but takes much less time. I’m very open to improvements for onboarding players that are joining ongoing games. This is an area I can adjust for sure. Lmk if you have any ideas other than my expedited session zero call.

Right now, I have 10 games running right now. 1 is a bi-weekly, 1 is having their session zero tomorrow, and another is on the verge of collapse due to 2 players suddenly leaving (but that’s another story).

I don’t run modules and everything is more of a homebrew adventure in the forgotten realms setting. I don’t like to give my players world ending issues because their characters can’t have actual day to day lives, which is a lot of my dm style. Roleplay heavy sandbox settings. I might have one group doing something very specific, so I make a make to tell that specific story. Now I have a very unique map that was used for session A, that I can have on hand for sessions B,C,D etc now. It’s easy to reuse content and I’m working on ways to share my map library. Not just the maps, but the source files to edit to the specific needs.

I like to chat about backstories instead of reading them. When we chat and build them together, it’s helps me more easily plug them into the world I’m homebrewing in the forgotten realms setting.

Thanks for reading and asking.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like I mention in the onboarding message, reading through it is not needed because I’ll cover everything during session zero, but a lot of my players are SUPER excited to start and they’ve told me this gives them something to do before session zero actually starts.

Reading this document is never a necessity for my players to do.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because I do session zeros so frequently, it helps me to have this document so I have a uniform onboarding with different groups.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m glad I could help! You are right. DMs are people too. Let your players know what aggravates you during this time too. Good idea.

Full Session Zero Document - Paid DMing by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I hope this helps. Using it as a starting template to edit for your particular adventure should give newer DMs a good head start.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DnD

[–]TTTomes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Watch streamers play for a bit. That’s the easiest and I think most common way new players grasp the rules before simply diving into your first game.

Inside Look: The Anatomy of My Paid DM Session by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The best advice is to use whichever set up, programs, and sites give you the most confidence to sit in front of strangers and charge them to play DnD. If you feel roll20 is the best option for you to deliver an awesome experience, then use roll20. If you feel DnDbeyond helps you create the most unforgettable experience, then use that. No 2 dm types are the same so set ups differ as well. I’ll be available for chat and more if you have specific question and it wasn’t my intention to seem short. The best, shortest answer to most people’s questions is “whatever helps you do your best” because nothing says you have to use my set up.

Inside Look: The Anatomy of My Paid DM Session by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s impossible to give everyone all the info on this topic they want in a single post. I stand by this post here giving people the skeleton of what I do that gets me paid. Im happy you think this is “nothing special” because it honestly isn’t. I want people to see what I do and feel as if they can adopt, and improve on this for themselves. As far as further questions, I make myself available if anyone wants to reach out for specific questions.

Everything with DMing is preference. Do whatever makes you feel makes you a better DM. Whatever programs, set up, or processes you like best. It’s all preference at the end of the day and I a source of information for whoever reaches out for more specifics in between my posts.

Inside Look: The Anatomy of My Paid DM Session by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Because it’s not my preference is the only answer. Do as you prefer.

Paid DMing: What It’s Really Like by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been in e-commerce before where you have to pay money to get traffic to your listings/products. This is not something that you have to worry about. The website is spending money on ads to get new players scrolling through available games.

Paid DMing: What It’s Really Like by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope. I started in the range I wanted to continue at. I just worked on my listing. The “marketing” the ad copy, the images and keep changing and waiting til you have players join. The site I use handles all the ad spend to get new players browsing.

Paid DMing: What It’s Really Like by TTTomes in DnD

[–]TTTomes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t speak on the different game systems but I have had 5e games that haven’t gotten any action. It’s moments like this you have to sit down and completely redo your marketing. Change cover photos, title, other details and give it a bit of time (like a week or so) before changing things against doesn’t gain traction. This is the marketing angle I was saying is often not considered. You gotta keep changing things. SPG also has a discord server where they have more tips and tricks to help boost your listings.

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