GM Credit

GM Credit is for subscribers on Plus (or an equivalent bundled plan we describe on the Subscribe page). Free accounts do not receive GM Credit toward Plus; the benefit is tied to an active paid subscription while you are hosting qualifying games.

We intend a fair bar that rewards real hosted play, not edge-case farming. A qualifying session is one that meets all of the following (see also Terms and Conditions, Subscription and Payments); the live product may also require logged dice rolls spanning a minimum real-time window during the scheduled session:

• ✓ You are the GM and the table runs inside FateTide’s normal session flow (scheduled or joined play), not a synthetic, scripted, or abusive pattern.
• ✓ The session includes at least two (2) paying players — seats or listings billed as paid through FateTide (or as otherwise labeled in product settings when billing is live).
• ✓ The group shows sustained play during the scheduled session window: our systems compare the first and last qualifying real-time rolls (from the GM and attending players; automated between-session downtime clocks and bulk world-time pushes do not count) and require at least a minimum span (configured for the product, often about an hour or two) with the GM and at least two paying players each contributing rolls.
• ✓ The session reaches a completed or otherwise billable end state under our session rules (for example, the scheduled block finishes without a voiding cancellation or chargeback).

We may tighten anti-abuse rules, adjust how time and “paying” are measured in product, or change these numeric thresholds with reasonable notice. Refunds, disputes, and chargebacks can void credit for the affected session. When in doubt, the version in Terms and Conditions controls.

Credit is applied in the calendar month after the month in which your session qualifies. That keeps accounting simple: we reconcile sessions, then apply the credit toward your next renewal in the following billing cycle rather than mid-cycle micro-adjustments.

One qualifying paid game is enough for the full credit: in any billing period where you qualify, a single session that meets the rules earns the full published GM Credit toward your next eligible Plus renewal for that cycle. We do not make you run multiple qualifying tables in the same period to “max out” that benefit, and we do not reduce the credit just because you only ran one qualifying session (still subject to fraud review, chargebacks, and the per-period cap).

We also expect a cap per billing period (for example, one credit event per month per subscriber) so the program stays predictable. Dollar or percentage amounts and exact caps will appear at billing launch.

Eligible GMs receive credit as Stripe customer balance — a running credit on your billing customer that automatically lowers the amount charged on your next Plus renewal (FateTide does not maintain a separate invoice ledger for this). An automated job (often hourly or daily) reconciles closed sessions and credits at most once per GM per qualification month when rules are met, in the calendar month after the month the session ended (UTC). Set GM_CREDIT_AMOUNT_CENTS in server config to enable the grant amount; you need a saved Stripe customer on the account (e.g. from subscribing via Checkout). For paid games, we intend a 15% platform fee on amounts charged for seats or sessions (you keep 85% before any payment-network fees). Marketplace worlds and adventures remain on their separate 80% / 20% creator split. Cash payouts for hosting paid games require a creator account and Stripe Connect setup — same as marketplace sellers; use Become a Creator when you’re ready.