I'd like to buy a nerd, please
July 10, 2013 9:25 AM Subscribe
How can I find a nerd for hire who would run a D&D game for a group of friends?
So my husband would love to play Dungeons & Dragons again, and we have a small group of friends who would play a one-off game, but no one wants to have to deal with being the game master (dungeon master?) in charge of running it. I've googled a bit, and it seems like there are some people with game running skills who can be paid to do this. My husband's birthday is coming up and it would be an awesome present. Now, how on earth do I go about finding someone for this, and having it not be a random Craigslist creepy person? Location-wise, we're in Salem, MA, but could probably use a friend's house in Somerville for the actual game play, since I think the Somerville/Cambridge area probably has a higher concentration of D&D players. Are there any local gaming listservs I could join to try to find someone? Should I put a sign up in the local comic book stores? Any local MeFite D&D players know people who would do this?
So my husband would love to play Dungeons & Dragons again, and we have a small group of friends who would play a one-off game, but no one wants to have to deal with being the game master (dungeon master?) in charge of running it. I've googled a bit, and it seems like there are some people with game running skills who can be paid to do this. My husband's birthday is coming up and it would be an awesome present. Now, how on earth do I go about finding someone for this, and having it not be a random Craigslist creepy person? Location-wise, we're in Salem, MA, but could probably use a friend's house in Somerville for the actual game play, since I think the Somerville/Cambridge area probably has a higher concentration of D&D players. Are there any local gaming listservs I could join to try to find someone? Should I put a sign up in the local comic book stores? Any local MeFite D&D players know people who would do this?
Check with the local gaming store? They probably know somebody, if not one of the employees, that will be interested.
posted by COD at 9:32 AM on July 10, 2013 [11 favorites]
posted by COD at 9:32 AM on July 10, 2013 [11 favorites]
If you can get there, try posting some flyers at Pandemonium in Central Square and see what kind of response you get.
posted by ActionPopulated at 9:34 AM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by ActionPopulated at 9:34 AM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
I would ask at local gaming stores -- the kind that sell D&D manuals and such -- which may be combined with comic book stores in some places and see what they suggest. They may already know people who do this.
I would also check Meetup.com for gaming groups in your area and contact the organizers to see if they know anyone who would do this, or would be willing to message their members asking if anyone would do it. The Role-Playing Fellowship of Greater Boston, for example.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:34 AM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
I would also check Meetup.com for gaming groups in your area and contact the organizers to see if they know anyone who would do this, or would be willing to message their members asking if anyone would do it. The Role-Playing Fellowship of Greater Boston, for example.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:34 AM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
Yeah, local gaming store, or maybe try the forum at the Wizards of the Coast site: Wizards Community. I actually found the group I still game with on that site, 10 years ago now. (This assumes you want to play some version of actual D&D as opposed to another RPG.)
posted by Janta at 9:35 AM on July 10, 2013
posted by Janta at 9:35 AM on July 10, 2013
Pathfinder is basically DnD 3.75. Join the Pathfinder Society and find a game being run in your area. A one-off is completely doable. There is no charge to play (though you will need the handbook, which you can purchase online for, I think, around $12 for the pdf).
posted by tllaya at 9:37 AM on July 10, 2013
posted by tllaya at 9:37 AM on July 10, 2013
Have you considered posting it to mefi jobs?
posted by nightwood at 9:55 AM on July 10, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by nightwood at 9:55 AM on July 10, 2013 [3 favorites]
Re Pathfinder: looks like quite a few of the games in your area charge two dollars per player. Sorry I assumed there's no charge. The good news is, there are quite a few games being run in your area, and you can use pregenerated characters for a lot of them.
Perhaps you could contact one of the GMs and prearrange to make sure all of your friends get a slot in a game.
posted by tllaya at 10:10 AM on July 10, 2013
Perhaps you could contact one of the GMs and prearrange to make sure all of your friends get a slot in a game.
posted by tllaya at 10:10 AM on July 10, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for all the tips so far! I hate shooting down an idea, but we're really not interested in potentially playing with other people (unless there is a MeFi D&D group in the area, in which case I'd love to know about it for future reference). These are all people who haven't gamed in years, but are very good friends and just want to be able to sit around one of our friends' houses drinking beers, eating snacks, and gaming, without any social awkwardness of having strangers playing, too. Except for the stranger who will be well compensated for running the game, of course. I will probably post this to mefi jobs, too, I hadn't thought about that.
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 10:25 AM on July 10, 2013
posted by banjo_and_the_pork at 10:25 AM on July 10, 2013
Find a local store, one that sells Gaming related stuff like say Magic the gather cards, mini figs(warhammer or whatever), board games etc etc. Talk to the staff and find out if they hold D&D games there and then explain to them what you are wanting to do. They will most likely be able to put you in touch with any of the people that DM at the store.
There are a lot of "premade" encounters and mini campaigns out there so it would be easy enough for an experienced DM to run you through one and you could discuss with them if they have one of these games or if you want to buy one that interests you. You would have to buy it in time so that they could go over the game before hand.
A DM that runs games at a store regularly would also most likely be used to beginners and so be able to pick a mini campaign or encounter that would suit you guys and would most likely be non-creepy.
Also if you are up for it, you could visit the stores on the nights they have the games and watch the DMs in action to get an idea of their personality and talk to them directly.
Pricing would most likely depend on if the guy is running a premade bought game/camaping/encounter or using one they have spent time making themselves. Also if you don't plan on playing again, giving them the game to keep can factor into the costs if it's one they are interested in. You'd also have to decide if you guys wanted to make your own characters up before hand or have the DM bring premades. I'd suggest premades for what you are wanting to do but you could most likely discuss with the DM before hand what sort of characters would most likely interest your husband and the group. You will also need enough dice for everyone, but if your DM has played for any length of time they most likely have enough dice for a whole army. Though buying everyone a set isn't super expensive and would make fun party favor/souvenir of sorts.
I am only a beginner D&Der and have only been playing a few months, be reassured despite what you hear most of the guys are pretty normal and not creepy and also probably older than you imagine.
posted by wwax at 10:46 AM on July 10, 2013
There are a lot of "premade" encounters and mini campaigns out there so it would be easy enough for an experienced DM to run you through one and you could discuss with them if they have one of these games or if you want to buy one that interests you. You would have to buy it in time so that they could go over the game before hand.
A DM that runs games at a store regularly would also most likely be used to beginners and so be able to pick a mini campaign or encounter that would suit you guys and would most likely be non-creepy.
Also if you are up for it, you could visit the stores on the nights they have the games and watch the DMs in action to get an idea of their personality and talk to them directly.
Pricing would most likely depend on if the guy is running a premade bought game/camaping/encounter or using one they have spent time making themselves. Also if you don't plan on playing again, giving them the game to keep can factor into the costs if it's one they are interested in. You'd also have to decide if you guys wanted to make your own characters up before hand or have the DM bring premades. I'd suggest premades for what you are wanting to do but you could most likely discuss with the DM before hand what sort of characters would most likely interest your husband and the group. You will also need enough dice for everyone, but if your DM has played for any length of time they most likely have enough dice for a whole army. Though buying everyone a set isn't super expensive and would make fun party favor/souvenir of sorts.
I am only a beginner D&Der and have only been playing a few months, be reassured despite what you hear most of the guys are pretty normal and not creepy and also probably older than you imagine.
posted by wwax at 10:46 AM on July 10, 2013
If you're willing to consider online play, you might want to look at Roll 20. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how well it worked for a group of geographically-dispersed people to play.
posted by Runes at 10:55 AM on July 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Runes at 10:55 AM on July 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
nthing finding a local gaming shop. My little brother owns what we lovingly call a 'Nerd shop' and this is something he actually offers in shop, and for a small fee I'm sure he'd do it at a private residence. Their business model depends on hosting stuff like this, but other shops don't.
He's south of PDX, do this doesn't help you, but you should have good luck with a smaller gaming shop. Buy what you need from them and not online, and they'll be a bit more willing to hook you up.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:57 AM on July 10, 2013
He's south of PDX, do this doesn't help you, but you should have good luck with a smaller gaming shop. Buy what you need from them and not online, and they'll be a bit more willing to hook you up.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:57 AM on July 10, 2013
I started out gaming through a store, but was refered by a classmate/friend -- whom I later married. He was career military. After we were married, he played a lot with college students and/or younger military guys. We moved a lot. Quality of social connection through gaming stores varied a lot. If that route is a bust, I would see if I could put up a flyer on a college campus or someplace military folks hang (assuming you have a base nearby). My personal experience is that young military men are more mature and responsible and better behaved than college students, but YMMV.
posted by Michele in California at 11:11 AM on July 10, 2013
posted by Michele in California at 11:11 AM on July 10, 2013
Obsidian Portal is a create your own game wiki sort of site that has become all encompassing and hooked up with a game finding site so you can search through there to find games or people of like minded interest in your area.
It is really hard to pull in just a GM, but if you're paying you can probably find someone... It might be awkward however you do it though. If you can't find someone, I would recommend picking up a written campaign that one of your group can choose to run. It takes a lot of the pressure off and they really would only have to read it once or twice before hand.
Don't let inexperience scare you off! Experimenting with friends would probably more comfortable than bringing in a total stranger. I've definitely made friends while searching out game groups in a new place, and that is definitely the way to think of it imo.
posted by Feantari at 11:59 AM on July 10, 2013
It is really hard to pull in just a GM, but if you're paying you can probably find someone... It might be awkward however you do it though. If you can't find someone, I would recommend picking up a written campaign that one of your group can choose to run. It takes a lot of the pressure off and they really would only have to read it once or twice before hand.
Don't let inexperience scare you off! Experimenting with friends would probably more comfortable than bringing in a total stranger. I've definitely made friends while searching out game groups in a new place, and that is definitely the way to think of it imo.
posted by Feantari at 11:59 AM on July 10, 2013
Hi there,
I'm an avid D&D/Pathfinder player/GM in the Boston Area. My wife is an avid reader of MetaFilter and linked to this AskMeFi -- I assume because she wanted me to volunteer and potentially make some extra cash on the side?
I don't run games "professionally", but I do enjoy running games from time to time with my group of friends. I've run Pathfinder and D&D games at conventions, so I'm pretty comfortable with introducing new people to the game, and to each other.
If your husband and his friends are a bit rusty, I might suggest simply running the adventure out of the "beginner box". Each of these products has a beginner box with pre-made characters, easy-to-digest rules, and a quick, but fun, adventure. You'd still require a GM, but this saves a lot of time, and the box is yours to keep!
As an alternative, I'm sure that if you post to a few of the Boston-Area D&D or RPG meetup groups, you will be able to find someone. That's how I found my current gaming group!
Anywho, please feel free to message me if you want to discuss further.
posted by cyberpunk42 at 12:45 PM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm an avid D&D/Pathfinder player/GM in the Boston Area. My wife is an avid reader of MetaFilter and linked to this AskMeFi -- I assume because she wanted me to volunteer and potentially make some extra cash on the side?
I don't run games "professionally", but I do enjoy running games from time to time with my group of friends. I've run Pathfinder and D&D games at conventions, so I'm pretty comfortable with introducing new people to the game, and to each other.
If your husband and his friends are a bit rusty, I might suggest simply running the adventure out of the "beginner box". Each of these products has a beginner box with pre-made characters, easy-to-digest rules, and a quick, but fun, adventure. You'd still require a GM, but this saves a lot of time, and the box is yours to keep!
As an alternative, I'm sure that if you post to a few of the Boston-Area D&D or RPG meetup groups, you will be able to find someone. That's how I found my current gaming group!
Anywho, please feel free to message me if you want to discuss further.
posted by cyberpunk42 at 12:45 PM on July 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
Outside of DM stuff you need basically nothing. Characters can be random objects. There are tons of dice apps for phones. That cost quoted above is either a "your taking up space" fee or a way to discourage a certain group of people.
posted by theichibun at 5:55 AM on July 11, 2013
posted by theichibun at 5:55 AM on July 11, 2013
Does it have to be D&D?
I've met you both (though it's been years), so if your husband and his friends were up for non-D&D gaming, maybe I can help.
If you really want D&D, you can PM me and I can post to the bostongamers Yahoo group, and then help vet potential GMs (since I've been in the area for a while, and know a number of the people on the list.)
posted by canine epigram at 5:59 AM on July 11, 2013
I've met you both (though it's been years), so if your husband and his friends were up for non-D&D gaming, maybe I can help.
If you really want D&D, you can PM me and I can post to the bostongamers Yahoo group, and then help vet potential GMs (since I've been in the area for a while, and know a number of the people on the list.)
posted by canine epigram at 5:59 AM on July 11, 2013
It looks like the two main FLGS in Boston are The Compleat Strategist and Your Move Games. They might even have demo games that you could join. canine epigram's offer is a good one, though; I'd take them up on it.
In general, gamers look down on the idea of professional GMs. Or at least, the idea of trying to make money as a professional GM. Hiring one for a one-shot, though, you might have better luck. You might try posting in the Gaming Gatherings section of RPGnet.
See also my post on the Blue, How to Find an RPG.
posted by jiawen at 6:42 AM on July 11, 2013
In general, gamers look down on the idea of professional GMs. Or at least, the idea of trying to make money as a professional GM. Hiring one for a one-shot, though, you might have better luck. You might try posting in the Gaming Gatherings section of RPGnet.
See also my post on the Blue, How to Find an RPG.
posted by jiawen at 6:42 AM on July 11, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:30 AM on July 10, 2013