Hello and welcome to the Patreon Campaign page for The PRG Academy et al. The RPG Academy is a multi-platform Podcast and annual gaming convention that was born in Michael’s basement with the belief that getting started playing Role Playing games is worth the effort and not nearly as hard as it seems to be.

What began as an Ambassadorship into the hobby with the Motto “If You’re Having Fun, You’re Doing it Right!” has grown and shifted over time but we’ve never strayed far from the guiding principles of everyone can play and run games and we want to help them get started.

Despite our love for the hobby and for the content we produce with that guiding principle in mind- there are costs associated with doing all this work and by joining our Patreon Campaign you’re helping offset those costs and potentially allow for members of the Academy Faculty to get reimbursed for their time and effort.

This Campaign encompasses not just The RPG Academy proper (which now includes, podcasts, written articles, Twitch Streams and You Tube videos) but also The RPG Academy Convention (aka AcadeCon), a 3 day tabletop gaming convention held in Dayton, Ohio each November. As well as Michael’s Game design efforts which includes Action 12 Cinema (and several other games in-development) as well as an unrelated project of Farm to Fable a Smallville Re-watch Fancast.

By joining this campaign, you are helping Michael and the other Faculty as they continue to build and grow these projects. Any and all support is welcome!

As a way to show our need for support. Currently The RPG Academy has 4 domain websites they own and operate. Between yearly Domain fees, Security Certificates and Hosting fees as well as occasional Tech support when Michael breaks something, those costs run between 300-600 each year.

We’ve already purchased a lot of equipment for the show over the years. Literally in the Thousands now in microphones, audio boxes, computers and the like. But things break. Just this past year (2021) Michael lost his main editing rig which had to be replaced and Tom’s Microphone had to be replaced. Much of our equipment purchased years ago is nearing its likely lifespan and more and more equipment will need replaced over the next year or so. Those costs exceeded $1.5k in 2021.

Reimbursement. Currently none of the RPG Academy Faculty receive any reimbursement for their time and efforts outside of our Twitch Streaming Channel which has generated approx. $100/this past year. With 8+ people contributing to that channel that averages about 15/ per person per year of work.

Editing. A halfway decent audio editor is going to earn around $20 to $30 an hour for finished audio. So far in 2021 we’ve released 71 Episodes totaling approx. 91 hours of audio. At an average rate of $25/hour that’s around $2,200.

Beyond that we want to do more things. Like pay our performers for their time. Pay our DMs for their time. Grow our team. Expand into new projects. Much of those things we will do anyway, but it becomes so much easier with your support.

Here’s a short overview of how your donated money will be used.

Pay current expenses: Domain, Website and Hosting fees yearly.
Equipment upgrades and replacements as needed
Reimburse our audio editors.
Purchase games for the AcadeCon Library
Marketing for growth of the channel
Reimburse our DMs for their time
Reimburse our performers for their time
Reimburse out guest co-hosts for their time.
Build a bank roll for larger future costs associated with AcadeCon as it grows.
New expenses as they arise.

Overview:

Goals:
Our first goal is 200/month. At this level we should be able to cover all our regular yearly expenses. At this level we will release 1 monthly bonus episode just for our Patreons. These may be interviews between Faculty Members. Highlights or early previews of future shows or tv/media reactions.

Our second goal is 300/month. Once we hit this level. Audio Editors will be paid $10 per hour of finished audio. DMs and Players will be paid $10 per hour of recorded content (stream or podcast). Monthly, a new game will be added to the Game Library voted on by Patrons from a short list of needed games.

Other Goals will be announced as we reach these lower ones.

I hope you will consider joining our Patreon Campaign and supporting what we do here.

Thank You,
Michael