Why pro GMs should be pro union

Equip your +1 sign and roll for initiative, hero!

As Americans prepare for the looming threat of stagflation, worry not - international GMs suffer from the dropping value of the American dollar, too! Surviving an economic crunch typically comes down to value provided and attention to a shifting market. Our greatest enemy as forever-freelancing laborers is that we must remain ever vigilant. For some of us? We must remain vigilante.

I encourage you to advocate for fair wages not only in your industry, but for others, too. It’s in your self interest, even! If your customers make less money, that is less they can spend at your table. Ultimately, that’s a lifelong struggle of being a pro-labor advocate. And remember: It doesn’t (always) help you in the meantime.

Whenever our labor rights are weakened in America the spending power of our economy reflects. We are, historically, at an all-time low for union participation - while it peaked in the 1970s. Since the 1980s, wages have not kept up with the cost of living as a consequence of workers not holding as much bargaining power.

What does this have to do with you? It’s simple. Should your players this year experience an economic shock, a sudden bill, or a medical emergency - luxury services like ours are the first to go in a budget. Hell, even if your players are insured, we know that health insurance companies infamously deny, delay, defend. None of your players are “safe” unless they are well above the household median income of 60k/year.

The average American spends about 3.5k a year on entertainment, or $300/mo. When you include movies, streaming services, video games, events, sports, etc - you might be at a lower tier of importance in their budget. Conversely, pro games might make up the largest single item in their expenses. For the $20/game GM or $1000/yr, you are approximately 30% of the average American’s entertainment budget. For the $30 GM, you are 42% or $1500/yr - and for the $35 GM you are 50% or $1750/yr. Wow!

Daily Things To Do About It

• Run great games. Prove the value of your service.

• Thank your players for being patrons of yours. A little bit of appreciation and respect goes a long way.

• Always work on improving your craft. Learn new voices, master new storytelling techniques, try new tech or VTT features, etc.

This well-worn advice is easy enough to digest but difficult to reflect on and incorporate into your daily habits. Be sure to care for yourself, get enough sleep, take a break, go on walks, eat healthy, work out, spend quality time with your family, and so on. You need to be at your best to compete with the best in the world.

Planned Things To Do About It

• Organize lower cost One Shots for your community to offset lost income from your campaign tables.

• Offer hardship rates for players who are experiencing sudden economic uncertainty. Keep the table together as best you can by giving players grace here and there.

• Don’t miss running a game in the first 8 weeks after launching if you can help it. Keeping a table together is much easier once they’re fully invested in their characters.

• Don’t miss running a game two weeks in a row if you can help it.

• Pre-plan your vacations well ahead of time so you can budget your breaks and recharge with peace of mind.

• Work together with other GMs to fill gaps for you if you’re unable to meet the requests of some of your community. Importantly: Recommend another GM if they’re a better fit for a player. You don’t need all the players, you just need enough. Goodwill swings back around to you eventually, I promise.

Good luck.

Finally, there are some announcements I’ll be making this month that will be of interest to every pro GM. Keep an eye on your email! Thanks for reading.