Well, I posted this over at Enworld, and figured I'd also try this site:

I'm looking to hire a GM to run games for my employees and for myself and my
partners here in Lawrence, Kansas. Even if you're not interested, if you know anyone and could pass this along, I'd appreciate it.

At this point, I'm looking to interview prospective GMs, and we have no set
deadline for when we would like to start.

Some notes about us and the position:

You'd be expected to run at least twice a month as long as schedules worked
out. Scheduling would be semi-negotiable, but would need to fall on a
Saturday or Sunday, and couldn't start before 1 PM. Optimally, we'd like to
run every week.

All books and materials are provided, though said material would remain the
property of myself or of our LLC. In addition, all food and beverages would
be provided while you game.

In order of priority, the games you'd be running would be Shadowrun,
Battletech, and D&D 3.5, depending on the group's mood. You don't need to
discount yourself just because you aren't familiar with the settings. I
would provide you with the background material (which would include required
reading of a few novels for Shadowrun and Battletech). Perhaps other games
in the future.

We're still attempting to come up with a fair pay scale, though we will be
paying no less than $13 an hour (not including preparation). Though if you
run a fun 6-7 hour game every week, we'd pay you at least $100 a session.
Depending on your longevity with the group, receiving benefits isn't out of
the question, as we do offer health insurance and 401k plans to our other
employees.

The group you'd be running games for are between 26 and 32, and myself and
my business partner are both semi-retired. We're socially well adjusted and
have excellent hygiene, and we'd expect the same of our GM.

This is a job, and even though it would only be a part-time job, we would
expect you to treat it as such. If things don't work out, we won't waste
much time in looking for someone else. You would be running the house rules
that we use, when/if we use them, and our interpretation of rules when/if
such arose. Though that we really just means me. Despite how all that might
sound, we really are a nice, friendly group of guys. The point is though,
you'd need to tailor the games to us, which means pleasing my partner, a
role-player, and myself, who wants to kick some butt and blow things up.

If interested, please send an e-mail to me at rian@easyfafsa.com and tell me
a bit about yourself.

GM/Player Registry, buck-o.

Is this real? I want to move.

I'd take the job in a heartbeat if I could get over there. Feel like sponsoring a potential immigrant who has been GMing for over 25 years?

The people are ages 26 to 32.

The RPG for Battletech is called Mechwarrior, but there's a good chance he wants to play Battletech even though it is not an RPG.

If he and his partner can afford to hire a GM, they can probably afford to conjure a Fire Elemental to light their cigarettes.

I hate to ask but uhh, why must this be a job? Most people run games for free. Are you that hard up for a GM?

If I hire a GM, it'd be for one or more of the following reasons:
* I want more commitment or higher quality than most people
* I want to own the creative works (runs) the GM produces
* I want the GM to sign a non-disclosure on our activities
* There is a business reason to play, and it makes sense to pay

Actually, it isn't that much - $100.00 for a good-sized group is less than what you'd pay for all going to the movies or downhill skiiing. Plus, you have a GM who isn't lazy, powertripping, or shoving his personal prefences or house rules down your throat. I think it shows that they want a good experience when they go through the trouble to get a big group together to spend 6 hours of their weekend. Bravo for them. Too bad I don't live anywhere near that area, or I'd be very interested in the job.

But I think any GM who is expected to keep a roleplayer and a powergamer both happy should be paid.

Never played it friend has it. Says its great. maybe I'll check it out.

As for the whole job thing, man being fire for being a bad gm. hmmmmm
Interesting....... Kinda takes the gms almighty powers away......

GM: alright street sam, your arrested, its a short trial, you go to jail for a long time.

Player:...........Your fired, bing in the new entry level GM guys.

GM: What about my dental plan?

The part about following "there" house rules and "pleasing" them sounds to much like, "I said I hit him" etc. I mean how much freedom would you have as a gm if one of your players was the boss. Piss him off in a game and you likely are out of a job. Or worse. Your only the GM until your view comes in conflict with what he thinks, and then it is his way cause he's the boss.

And you know, you really should pay him for 4-6 hours of prep time. It takes allot of work to come up with games that don't suck.

It figures. A dream job, and it requires relocation.
Ah well. Good luck with your search.

~J

I wish, I wish, I wish!

Not fair. I want a job like that around my area.

You didn't answer my question.

Malichai I think for most of us , well me at least the concept of being paid to GM is just way to out there . I RPG for fun , my fun and others peoples fun . Everybody running a game has had an off day or two it happens . I have never played with any one that has pulled a %100 satisfying game for all %100 of the time .It just doesn't really happen .

I commend that you are willing to pay some one to entertain you , but I still don't understand why you don't have some one from your group run the games .

I hear that. Sometimes a GM has a wonderful idea, but the players absolutely despise it. Just one or two off days doesn't mean he's losing his touch. It could just mean he's trying new things and wants to see how those roll with the players.

I leave for a couple months on business and I come back to a discussion over being paid to GM!? What is the world coming to? I mean the idea is great, and anybody that love to GM would want to jump on it. But like I've read in the thread, if the GM makes one tiny mistake or just doesn't play it the way you want he's out. I mean I GM for a group here, and I've been their only GM and we usually get along, but sometimes we have our differences...but they don't try to get rid of me. Where is that's the vibe I'm getting from this. Anyway just my two nuyen, don't mind me.

OH and the comment about having a Fire Elemental to light their smokes was fraggin hilarious!

On another note: The GM should always be the final law. You might have your house rules, but if they don't make sense to him, he should have free reign to say so and change it.

I'd love the job (if I lived in the area), but not with all these restrictions and worries that I could lose my job if you didn't have fun.

If I had a group to do with GM's for Hire, I'd have them well versed in at least two systems.

Actually, Malichai, I like the fact that you're doing this from an ideological standpoint. A GM is providing a service like any actor, musician, or performer, and while I'd hate for it to turn into an industry the precedent of some groups hiring GMs is IMO a good one.
So yes, while I can't fill your position, I applaud you for having it. Just one iffy thing, though: does your GM retain ownership of the creative works he produces for your group? That's a very important consideration...

~J

Score. Then I support you whole-heartedly and wish you great success in this, though I reserve the right to be envious of whoever manages to get the job.

~J

He still won't answer my question.

Hoi chummer. Hear you;re lookin for a DM. Lawrence KS? Close - I'm in Topeka. Lawrence ain't that far a drive if the biz is good, what?

Anyway, look for an email from me, and we'll see what we can come up with. Sorry - I don't come with an earth elemental for lighting cigars.

-Dwarf

Which is good, because then his cigar would get muddy.

~J

What if there is some terrible twist to this?

Like: they play naked!

No terrible twists like Rev mentioned..... just non-responsive. I tried emailing Malichai over a week ago. Wasn't too worried about the money (heck, anything would have been more than I normally get for gaming) but I needed a fix. I've either run or played extensively every system he was looking for, so I figured I at least had a chance - and if they're that professional about it, odds are it would be a stable gig. No response at all. Dunno if that means it was a joke or if they found someone else, but I never got a response from Malichai. Didn't even get a wrong address email - so the one he sent was kosher. Ah well. Back to searching around my local area for a gaming group.

-Dwarf

After yesterday's game day fiasco, I can understand hiring a GM.

To explain, we game only every other Sunday, usually for only about 4 hours. I do not think a day has lasted longer. Monday, I was 2000 - yes, 2000 - miles away and had the opportunity to travel to Alaska, and get paid for it. I have never been to Alaska and have been looking to go there for the last year. However, I knew I would miss game day, so declined. On Wednesday, I had made it to Wyoming and was still a 1000 miles away. I could have made a 100 mile detour and gotten paid around $400 to come the rest of the way home (I have picked up these gas money loads several times before and even had a broker calling me Friday to see about one), but would likely not be back until Monday. So I paid $150 to get home on time.

Saturday evening, I check my email and messages to find nothing from the group. I drive an hour one way to arrive at our gaming place to find no one present. I call to see if we are gaming.

No.

NO?!

No, so-and-so called late Friday to cancel and we aren't too happy about it either.

This is the third or fourth time I have driven an hour one way to have this happen, I also get to drive an hour back home. The canceller asked why I don't find a game closer to home, I have - there are 2 requests on this forum over the last couple years, but no responses.

Back on topic, I remembered this thread. Paying a GM, or group even to play at my convenience might seem extravagant, but look what it winds up costing me. There are times I would be going on the road on Wednesday or Thursday, but I forego doing so because I would not get back in time, only to have that weeks game cancelled. (Btw, these cancellations are not included in the 3 or 4 times I made the 2 hr. round trip for nothing.) I could easily pay three or four hundred dollars to a group to game for a few hours, in fact I have given up at least that much money to be present for the more than 6 last minute cancellations in the past nine months.

I think it's time to find a new group.

And not to brag but just to put what it costs me to miss a week of work, I made over $4000 last week, and it could have been over $4500 with the gas money load, figure about 600-700 dollars for expenses. Who knows what the Alaska trip would have put me at or what value to put on the disappointment of having turned down going for no reason as things turned out.

I keep on thinking, “If I had taken the Denver load and got home Monday, I could have paid a group $200 to play at my convenience and been money ahead. If I just go ahead and fit playing into my work schedule, I would be happier and money ahead.”

Well, if anyone's hiring in the Boston area or commuting distance away, drop me a line and we'll talk. I may or may not have what you're looking for, but I'm willing to talk.

~J