08-28-2019, 08:07 PM
(08-28-2019, 07:55 PM)Undeadlord Wrote: I suppose it does depend a lot on what the GM is having to do. As part of trying to bolster my programming abilities, I am writing a 4x space empire game that would be PBM in nature.
If you're not a well-experienced programmer you may find surprising the number of things that you didn't figure on in your original plan and that can't be easily programmed (sometimes at all). Big new projects tend to follow the 80/20 rule even at the best of times: The first 80% of the project is done taking only 20% of the total effort. It's the final 20% of the (original-intent) programming that takes 80% of your time. And that's typically before you start adding any embellishments.
So yes, plan with the long term in mind. And maybe after you've tried running players' spreadsheets through your new game for a few turns you might have a better feel for why other GM's want to charge for that.