[Kromm]

I've read about "professional GMs" before. More important, I've met a few.

For most people who do this, it's a sideline and not a living – a way to defray the cost of rulebooks, minis, dice, and perhaps dedicated gaming furniture, as well as geeky paraphernalia such as books and DVDs, swag, costumes, and replica (or real!) weapons. It's the GM with a room or home filled with stuff to use as props who most often makes this work. Personality, storytelling skills, rules knowledge, etc. matter, too, but less than you might expect. A lot of the time, clients are really paying to visit the "geek cave."

Anybody considering this should look at their investment in stuff: If it's big enough, they might just have an impressive enough space to make this work after a fashion! "Make this work" means earning enough to help pay back some of what they've poured into the money pit, not actually earning a living. :)