UK Games Expo 2023 DM Sign-up
Welcome! Thanks in advance for your interest in DMing at UKGE 2023 for Baldman Games. Without DMs and helpers like you, shows like this would not exist. I’ve always said that even when you’re DMing you’re gaming, and that is never a bad way to spend the day. We’ve drummed up some of the best benefits we can to entice you to swap over to the dark side of the DM’s screen.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a brand new show and not normal (are any of us really normal?). Please read carefully.
DMing is a great way to give back to your hobby, and we have some really great rewards that make helping out even easier – plus it’s a great way to attend the show and save some serious $$. You can earn a free badge to the show or even a spot in one of our hotel rooms next to the convention center (a huge perk this year). It’s also a great way to make new friends and immerse yourself in the show community, more than a casual attendee ever could. Our DM pool organizes events most nights of the show to help build camaraderie and let everyone blow off some steam after a long day of gaming. Our judge retention rate is extremely high, so fair warning: once you work for us, you’ll probably come back and do it again next year.
Now for some show terminology:
- Badge Level: If you DM at Badge Level, you’ve worked enough to earn a free badge to the show. This badge is provided by the Baldman Games staff. You’ll receive an email from me on how to get your free badge.
- Room Level: If you DM at Room Level, you’ve worked enough to earn a spot in one of our hotel rooms. These rooms are for three nights (Thur. night to Sat. night), and we put two to three (see details below) people in a room. We do our best though to put you in a room with the roommates you prefer whenever possible. So if you are unsure about staying with strangers your first time, then get a couple buddies to DM with you and we’ll put all of you in a room together. We all win!! Room Level also includes the benefits listed under the Badge Level.
- Slot: This one confuses a lot of people and is a very old term from the RPGA days. A slot is the same as saying a shift. In the case of UKGE 2023, a slot is three to four hours long. Every event and day is put together using slots so events line-up nicely, start and end at the same time in relation to each other, and help you put together a schedule that fits your needs as easily as possible. The slots are numbered so the first slot on Friday at 8am is called Slot One. The last slot that runs from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday is Slot Eleven.
- Judges: “Judge” is just a fancy word for “DM.” It is a remnant from a bygone era, but we are so used to saying it that sometimes it slips through. If we say “judge,” we mean “DM or other type of gamemaster.”
Now on to some event specifics:
- D&D Demo Event: We are doing 15-30 minute demo’s of D&D at the show. I believe this are in/adjacent to the D&D booth and will be high traffic, visibility, and a ton of fun. Where some comfy shoes and be ready to bring the fun.
Well, hopefully that was helpful in getting you up to speed on what we are about and how you can help us help you. Now on to the nitty-gritty details that hopefully will now make more sense to you.
For 2023 everything at the show works on 3-4-hour shifts. This means the show has 11 slots from start to finish as listed below. Morning and evening slots are a little longer in case we need to do some setup/cleanup. If everything is good/done you’ll be released early.
Slots overlap but still count towards your 4 or 7. If you run all 4 slots on Friday – it counts as 4.
Friday (Jun 2nd) | Saturday (June 3rd) | Sunday (Jun 4th) |
---|---|---|
Slot 1: 8am-Noon | Slot 5: 8am-Noon | Slot 9: 8am-Noon |
Slot 2: 11am-2pm | Slot 6: 11am-2pm | Slot 10: 11am-2pm |
Slot 3: 1pm-4pm | Slot 7: 1pm-4pm | Slot 11: 1pm-5pm |
Slot 4: 3pm-7pm | Slot 8: 3pm-7pm |
Benefits:
- Payment to Benefits: What you earn at the show will to go towards your badge and hotel. A minimum of 4 slots (12 hours) will get you Badge Level, and a minimum of 7 slots (21 hours) will earn you Room Level.
- Food Per Diem: We will be providing $50 a day towards Food/Parking/Flump Herding for any day you work at least 2 slots.