MagicCon: Chicago 2025 DM Signup

Welcome! Thanks in advance for your interest in DMing at MagicCon: Chicago 2025 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’s 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.

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). 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:

  • 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 MagicCon: Chicago 2025, a slot is 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 easy as possible. The slots in our main D&D play space are numbered so the first slot on Friday at 11am is called Slot 1. The last slot that runs from 3pm to 6pm on Sunday is Slot 7.
  • Slot Zero/Slot 0: So if the first slot is called Slot 1 then what the heck is Slot 0? Slot 0 is any game that runs before the show itself, allowing our DMs to see a game they will later from the player’s perspective. Usually these are done so DMs can prepare to run a better game. Seeing things from a player’s perspective then preparing it is a huge help for some. Sometimes these are also special DM-only events done as rewards for them helping out. Regardless of whether you get to play an event before the show or not, you are always expected to be prepared when the show starts and it is game time.
  • 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 Legends of Greyhawk (LoG): This is our standard 3-hour or 4-hour event at the show. Perfect for new and experienced DMs. We aim to run in 2.5 hours for a 3-hour game or 3.5 hours for a 4-hour game so you have a little time at the end to gather up your stuff, hit the bathroom or food court really quickly, and get back for your next slot (or if your last slot for the day, run to the Dealer’s Hall). This is NOT Adventurers League and is a preview of the campaign launching at Gen Con 2025. We will need 55-60 DMs for this.
  • D&D Stormbreak: A Tarkir Adventure: This is a 2-hour adventure set in the Tarkir MTG setting (aiming to run in 1.5 hours). It runs multiple times throughout the day. Looking for 8 DMs for this.
  • D&D Level 20 VIP Play: This is what we would normally call our ‘D&D eXPerience’ type event. It consists of 3 shifts of 3 hours each. You will have the big-wig high rollers here. Separate VIP play space and just really cool in general. You need to be a blue shirt for this premiere experience (or close enough you ask). We need 34 DMs across two tracks for this.
  • HQ: You will get to know this gang well as the show goes on. These are my minions whose job it is to take care of all the little things going on around you at the show so you don’t have to. Their job is to make sure you have everything you need, so all you need to do is focus on your game and give your players a fantastic time. They are long-time DMs and staff members, most of whom have been doing this 10+ years – and some closer to 30. We usually have a few open spots each year for data entry and reception here. This is great for example if you want to help DM and get a free room but your significant other doesn’t DM. We can put them to work earning a room in another fashion, and you can still share a room together. We have many couples who do this.

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 MagicCon: Chicago 2025 everything at the show (outside of HQ staff) works on 3 or 4-hour shifts. This means the show has 7 slots from start to finish as listed below:

D&D Events Schedule

Friday
Feb 21st		Saturday
Feb 22nd		Sunday
Feb 23rd
Slot 1
11am-2pm		Slot 4
11am-3pm		Slot 6
11am-3pm
Slot 2
2:30pm-6:30pm		Slot 5
3pm-6pm		Slot 7
3pm-6pm
Slot 3
7pm-10pm

Benefits

This show will have the best benefits we’ve ever offered at an event.

Pay:

  • VIP DMs will earn $30 per hour. A track is 9 hours (3 slots x 3 hours) and so would pay $270. Do both tracks (preference given to DMs who do this) and you rack up $540.
  • All others are $20 per hour. That means $60 for one of the normal LoG events, $80 for the epic, $80 per shift (2 games) of Tarkir or HQ.

Hotel Stipend:

  • You will receive $150 per qualified day of work at the show towards your hotel. This should cover 50% of the room costs – so split a room with a friend and you are covered.
    • Single day worked (at least 2 slots) – 1 qualified day – $150
    • Two days worked (at least 4+ slots) – 2 qualified days – $300
    • Three days worked (at least 6+ slots) – 4 qualified days – $600

Badge:

  • You will receive a standard badge that covers any day you are working at the show.

Pay will happen within 30 days of the end of the show. As soon as BMG gets paid – you’ll get paid. I will work to make this happen as fast as possible after the show.

Combining everything above. If you decide to be a VIP Track DM and do both tracks (off Saturday morning during slot 4 and nothing that evening) you would get $540 in hourly pay + $600 hotel stipend for a total of $1,140. If you decide to just do 6 slots of normal LoG events (3 normal and 3 epic for example) you would get $420 in hourly pay + $600 hotel stipend for a total of $1,020. That is some $$ for the pocket (not responsible if you spend it all in the dealers hall before you even get home).

Non-Employee Compensation: Regardless of which benefits you receive, you are doing work for hire. You are not an employee of Baldman Games LLC at any time. This is why you get to pick when you run, what you are running, etc.

Code of Conduct

Please make sure you have read our code of conduct and ask any questions you may have before filling out this application. By submitting it you are agreeing to follow the rules and guidelines contained within them.

Events running at MagicCon: Chicago 2025

  • A Village Called Hommlet (3 hours) – Caravans are long overdue and whispers of danger drift through every tavern. A call for aid in Hommlet arrives, as dark shadows creep in ancient and forgotten places once more. Will you brave the shadows? A Legends of Greyhawk preview adventure for characters of 1st to 4th level.
  • Darkness in Nulb (3 hours) – Nulb is a ramshackle of huts and tents nestled beside the only bridge over Imedrydr Run. Known for shady characters and even shadier deals, it’s a perfect place to gather information on those who wish to remain hidden. However, the darkness is reluctant to give up its secret easily. Will you uncover the truths hidden within?  A Legends of Greyhawk preview adventure for characters of 1st to 4th level.
  • Ruins of the Moathouse (3 hours – VIP Tracks Only) – After the Battle of Emridy Meadows, the remaining forces of Prince Thrommel IV laid siege to the temple’s outpost in the moathouse, leaving it in ruins. Recently, travelers have reported strange lights flickering among the debris. Rufus and Burne, the elders of Hommlet, have called upon you to investigate. What secrets will you uncover among the crumbling stones? A Legends of Greyhawk preview adventure for characters of 1st to 4th level.
  • Battle of Emridy Meadows (4 hours) – The reign of terror of the Temple of Elemental Evil ends tonight!  Forces of good have united to stand against the rising elemental powers. Will you rise to the challenge and shape the fate of the Flanaess? Set years before the start of the campaign, the outcome of this adventure directly affects the beginning of the Legends of Greyhawk campaign. A special multi-table Legends of Greyhawk prelude adventure only for 7th-level pregen characters.
  • Stormbreak: A Tarkir Adventure (2 hours) – In the aftermath of a destructive dragonstorm, you and your party find yourselves cut off from the rest of your Mardu clanmates. The only way back is through dangerous territory! Can you survive to rejoin your clan? An on-demand adventure for 3rd-level MtG pregen characters.

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