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Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

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Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#71

Post by dx87 »

devonchulick wrote: post #63
dx87 wrote: post #60

Just checked out the site, and one thing I'd recommend is allowing GMs to give more detailed info on the price per session. In the "Upcoming Games" section, one of the games is listed at $30 per session, which seemed incredibly steep compared to the other featured games that were all ~$10 per session. I clicked on the expensive game to see why it was so expensive, and it turns out that's just the rate for a single pe…

That price is in fact per player per session. I'm making a note make that clear!

That's only for one player though, if you click through then it says:

Schedule: Price is $30 per player per session for one player, $15 per player with 2 players, and $10 per player with 3 or more players. Ask me about my availability!

I don't know if there's a way to display the variable pricing, because at first glance it looks like it would be $150 for a group of 5, but if you click on the page, you find out that it would only be $50 for 5.

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#72

Post by kylekelly »

Feature request:

For public games, it would be nice if there was a way (similar to kickstarter) to have a minimum number of people attached to the game before it starts/gets-funded, otherwise it doesn't happen.

I would be very interested in trying this out, but do not want to end up paying for a 1 on 1 session if no one else joins.

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#74

Post by rcurry »

kdamken wrote: post #68

This looks cool, but the pricing is absolutely insane. I saw $10-30 per session. Dming is a lot of work, sure, but that is a steep price. I don’t know many people who would pay $120 a month to play DND.

I guess time will tell, but those sessions are like 3-4 hours, so is $3 an hour really too much to pay for a live DM hosting the game?

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#75

Post by swyx »

devonchulick wrote: post #24
andrew_c_v wrote: post #19

built with Bubble, i see ;)

Yes! Was the easiest and fastest way to get to market with such a small team, and large product list!

this is a cool story. is anyone on your team technical? is this a "no code" startup?

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#77

Post by oriesdan »

kdamken wrote: post #68

This looks cool, but the pricing is absolutely insane. I saw $10-30 per session. Dming is a lot of work, sure, but that is a steep price. I don’t know many people who would pay $120 a month to play DND.

Keep in mind that we're speaking of building games totally hand crafted for the players and the characters they built, if done properly. Even if using a module, not two games are the same, because GMs build around characters, and players may get the story off-rails. It doesn't seem expensive to me, we're in luxury territory.

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#78

Post by jalk »

I have been dreaming about this :) Minor comment: Would it be possible for you to show the timezone next to the schedules - I assume that you show in my browser configured TZ (or pro gm's are serious night owls - I'm in CEST atm), but its pretty shitty to be an hour late/early due to assumptions, especially this time of year when DST ends (and not necessarily on the same date)

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#79

Post by jalk »

devonchulick wrote: post #16
e12e wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, I guess the join this campaign field is free-form then: https://startplaying.games/join-campaign/star-wars-echoes-in... I see the other times appear to be local (although a timezone would be comforting to make it more obvious). And personally, I'd love a 24h display option. Re: GM - I was thinking along the lines of expectations etc - as this is (potentially) something players will be paying for. I'm sure I'm not…

Ah yes, we def want to change that to be dynamic for campaigns! We will need to def need to make timezones more apparent. Thanks for these suggestions!

Also a heads up on the upcoming end of DST, which falls on different dates in the US vs EU at least

Re: Launch HN: StartPlaying.Games (YC W20) – Tabletop RPGs run by pro game masters

#80

Post by devonchulick »

trynewideas wrote: post #65
devonchulick wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree so much with this! Most people who move into the pro gm world have a ton of experience and resources, but the reviews are one of the best ways to have people vetted. We only show GM's who have 5+ reviews on our search, but any GM can list a game if it meets our review standards. I like that take on it being a permanent convention set up. The drop in games are definitely filling that niche. A bunch of our game…

Awesome! Thanks for responding. That clears up some details. > I'll be honest, we're working to make the ToS more clear as we've learned about other use cases. We mean to say, Minors need a parents consent (credit card to book). I know how tricky ToS can be, especially around safe access for minors. A lot of games I've run professionally have been at cons and events where kids could be present, and online signup/regi…

Oh yeah! The buy-in presented to GM's needs some TLC. Now that we have become "official official" we are gonna have our lawyers help with our ToS and working with some convention folks on a better Code of Conduct presentation.

Yeah, we originally thought about using calendly too, but ran into the same rigidness.

Also, I don't think I answered this previously, but we take a 10% cut of game bookings!

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