What this calculator does
Running paid games of D&D, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, or any TTRPG is a real micro-business, and almost everyone prices it backwards: they pick a per-seat number that “feels fair” and never check what it works out to per hour of actual labor. This tool does that math in both directions. Enter your table size, per-seat price, session length, prep time, platform fee, and overhead, and it instantly shows your net pay per session and your true hourly rate — counting prep as work, because it is. Then it inverts the formula: given a target hourly rate, it tells you exactly what to charge per seat.
How to use it
- Describe your table: seats listed, the share that usually sell (fill rate), price per seat, and session length.
- Be honest about prep: include writing, map and token setup, VTT configuration, scheduling messages, and post-session notes.
- Set fees and overhead: use the 15% preset if you book through StartPlaying (GMs keep 85% of each booking), 0% for direct payment, or a card-processing percentage if you invoice yourself. Add monthly tool costs (VTT subscription, books, modules) and how many paid sessions you run per month so overhead is spread across them.
- Read the results: the gold number is your true hourly rate. The breakdown shows exactly where money leaks — fees, overhead, or unpaid prep.
- Set a goal: enter a target hourly rate and the calculator returns the per-seat price that achieves it with your current table and fees.
Worked example
You list 5 seats at $20 each and they all sell: $100 gross. Booking through a 15% platform leaves $85. Your $60/month of VTT subscriptions and modules spread over 8 sessions costs $7.50 per session, so net is $77.50. The session runs 4 hours, but you prep 2 more — 6 hours of work. True hourly rate: $12.92/h, not the $25/h the table time alone suggests. To actually earn $25/h on that table, you would need to charge about $37 per seat, or cut prep, add a seat, or lower fees.
When you'd use this
- Going pro (or semi-pro): before listing your first paid game, sanity-check whether the price covers your time.
- Comparing platform vs. direct: flip the fee between 15% and 0% to see what a marketplace's discovery is really costing you per session and per month.
- Raising prices: show yourself (or your players) the math — a $5/seat increase on a 5-seat table is $25/session straight to net.
- Choosing formats: model a 3-hour weeknight one-shot against a 4-hour weekend campaign slot, or a 6-seat West Marches table against a 4-seat premium game, and compare true hourly rates.
- Monthly planning: the per-month projection shows whether your current schedule can hit an income goal before you commit to more tables.
Common mistakes the numbers expose
- Ignoring prep: the single biggest gap between perceived and real rates. Prep-heavy homebrew can double your hours; well-run modules and reusable prep raise your hourly rate without raising prices.
- Pricing per session instead of per player-hour: players comparing games often think in per-hour terms. The results show what your players pay per player-hour (e.g., $20 for 4 hours = $5/player-hour) so you can position against other listings.
- Forgetting overhead: a VTT subscription, a new adventure module, art assets, and a mic add up. Spread monthly costs over your real session count — not the optimistic one.
- Counting listed seats as sold seats: if one chair is empty half the time, your fill rate is not 100%. Model it; it may justify deposits or prepaid blocks.
FAQ
How much do paid dungeon masters charge per session?
Most paid DMs charge per seat, per session. StartPlaying reports the average game on its marketplace runs about $15–20 per player per session, and reporting on the professional-GM scene puts the common range around $20–30 per seat for a 3–4 hour game, with experienced or specialized DMs charging more. Because prep, fees, and table size vary, identical per-seat prices can produce very different hourly earnings — which is what this calculator measures.
What percentage does StartPlaying take from game masters?
StartPlaying takes a 15% platform fee from each booking, so GMs keep 85% of what players pay. Booking directly (Venmo, bank transfer, cash) can be 0%, while invoicing through a card processor typically costs roughly 3%. The fee field is fully editable, so you can model any platform, processor, or local game store arrangement.
Should I count prep time when setting my DM rate?
Yes — prep is unpaid work that dilutes your real rate. A $100 gross session with 4 table hours and 2 prep hours is 6 hours of labor. New paid DMs commonly price only table time and end up earning half what they assumed. This calculator always divides net pay by table hours plus prep hours, so the headline number is the rate you actually earn. Reducing prep (reusable encounters, published modules, prep-light systems) is often the fastest raise you can give yourself.
How do I account for empty seats and no-shows?
Use the fill-rate field. If you list 6 seats but typically sell 5, set fill to about 83% so the gross reflects what you really collect. Charging up front — either via a platform that bills automatically or by taking prepaid session blocks — pushes fill toward 100% of booked seats and is the most common no-show fix among working GMs.
Why is my effective hourly rate so much lower than my seat price suggests?
Three deductions stack up: unpaid prep hours increase the time you divide by; platform or processing fees come off the top of gross; and fixed overhead (VTT subscriptions, books, modules, assets) takes a per-session share. The breakdown table itemizes each one so you can see which lever — price, prep, fill, fees, or overhead — moves your rate the most.
Method & assumptions: all figures are computed from your inputs only; nothing is fetched or assumed about your market. Platform fee default reflects StartPlaying's published 15% booking fee (verified at time of writing). Estimates are pre-tax business math for guidance only, not financial or tax advice.