disenchanted with D&D

[Altin]

I get this from time to time too, though not quite as severely as you describe ... I think it happens mostly from too much Gming over too long a period of time (with the breaking limit often being dependant on the quality of the experience on your end of things).

If you have the luxury of knowing enough gamers to jump groups or create another one with fresh faces, that tends to help. This is even more the case if you join a different group as a player - it tends to be a great recharger as it manages to be fun in a surprisingly different way. It might also give you a new perspective on the Gming gig, making it appear in a new light. On the other hand, if you'd prefer not to play with people whom you don't know just taking a break might be the solution.

And if all else fails ... well, go right ahead and quit. If you aren't having fun, D&D is the world's greatest waste of time. After all, it isn't like you can't go back to it if you find yourself missing it sometime down the line.

Whatever you decide, best of luck with it.

Yours,
Altin

 

[Rashak Mani]

I saw two cases like this of DM burnout... they had been DMs for the past 10 years and had either quit playing or reduced a lot their gaming.

Solution ? Simply I put them into a different group of gamers as a PLAYER. Not only are DMs normally very very good as players... they were very creative and fun. They were burnedout as DMs tired of doing only DMing.

Quit DM position for a while. These two great DMs one never DMed again I think... but was simply the best roleplayer and character in a 2 year campaign we played. The other started DMing again with much more energy than before !

 

[Buttercup]

I think you need to take a break from the game. Don't DM. Don't play. Don't buy new books. That's right, just go cold turkey.

Within a year, you'll probably not be able to stand it any longer, and you'll have to get back into it. But if you still don't have the interest, that's ok too.

As others have, it's supposed to be fun. Don't do it if it isn't fun.

 

[Heap Thaumaturgist]

I dunno, but I'm getting some anger and hostility, here.

You talk about your game group in a detatched, disgusted way. They're "goobers" "idiots" ... they all congratulate you, they all crowd around and pat you on the back and say "great game" and your tone has no respect for them. You feel superior to them ... you seem to view this "epiphany" as a sort of higher mentality, and not only are you smarter, but you're able to take them all out "in three seconds". There is a subscribing, here, to the idea that physical accomplishment is more "worthwhile" and respectable than mental exercises or imaginative accomplishments.

I'm not flaming, I'm just making an initial observation.

Everybody is posting about how they like gaming and you aught to, but if you don't, maybe you should take a break untill you do again.

I'm saying examine your hostility and disgust. Find out what's the root of that. See if it's anger at yourself for how you think other people view you. If there is a desire to become part of a different subcultural identity. I'm saying that because your tone, word usage, and overall feelings remind me of people who want to change how they are seen and enter another group or clique. A growing respect for the ideas and views of a different subculture than the one they feel they are in. Distancing, disgust, objectification of people formerly friends.

--HT

 

[ForceUser@Home]

Sounds to me like your core question is "What am I doing with my life?" or "Why am I wasting my life playing D&D?"

In which case, you did right in quitting.

 

[pseudo_hero]

thanks

All the feedback has been great. Especialy from the people who weren't afraid to say the negative stuff. I've gotten a bit of insight that I didn't have before. I think I'll switch to a player in another group after I quit cold for a few weeks and see how that goes. Thanks guys and gals!

 

[Cedric]

This may sound silly...but best cure I know for Burnout from D&D is to start a gritty, character-death-possible, 1st Edition D&D game.

For whatever reason, it works. Just keep it simple. Limit the craziness, go with 1st level characters, standard races and classes, very little magic items, and make it tough.

It's damned fun and very relieving for the symptoms of burnout.

Cedric

 

[Dagger75]

Same thing happened here...

Yeah I got burned out DMing for a while. We took a month off gaming, and then I had one of the players DM for a few months. Then when I started DMing again we played Spycraft for a little bit then I got back into my D&D game.


We also just don't get together to play D&D. We go bowling, get together for Bucs games and other stuff like that. Our new goal is to beat Halo on Legendary mode.

I guess it's great DMing for freinds, these are people I don't just see for a D&D game.

Thats All

 

[Warchild]

I SO know what you are feeling (at least the burn out part). I've been like this (borderline) for the last 2 or 3 years. I'll admit i got a good rep for DMing over the years, but lately the skill just hasn't been there. I'll get new material or ideas and get excited about them...then after 10 minutes of stting down and starting to write some campaign material, or notes, or other preparations...i'll end up staring at the wall, setting down the books/papers/pencils and walking off. The current Spycraft game i am running doesn't get any attention until about an hour before the its time to game, although its purposefully just a "Run and Gun" campaign to take a break from the plot/intrigue heavy campaign we were running recently. But I haven't felt the "juice" in probably 4 or 5 years. I've toyed with the idea of quitting many times now and the jury is still out. I have luck in that all of my fellow gamers are also DM's so i can take a as long a break as i need. It may be a very long one.
I think the only reason i haven't quit is because of the other faces sitting around the table. They are my friends. I can't imagine playing with people i didn't like, or at least didn't hang out with outside that very same game table. I can't imagine how you've lasted this long. Because it definitely doesn't seem like you like your other gamers very much.

I would definitely give yourself a break from DMing.
Probably a break from gaming altogether (at least for a short while). If you still get excited about the game and new books, it probably means you aren't sick of the game, so much as your current situation.
You should definitely try gaming with a different group. Or at the very least sit back and take a look at your current group and why you have seemingly such disdain for them.
I have to say that when you look at your friends, thinking about how easy it would be to beat them up is probably not a good response!!

 

[fba827]

Hmm..

Frequency:
how often do you play? once a week? once a month?

Perhaps (in conjunction with other things) when/if you do start playing again, don't play so frequently! Thus, giving you a couple weekends (or whatever) inbetween to go out hiking, biking, swimming, or playing ball or whatever it is you want to do.

Variation:

Perhaps when/if you do start playing again, try some of these variations:

* try and be the player
* try getting with a different group of people so that you're in a different environment (not that you have to get rid of your friends by any stretch, just try a get together with other folks)
* try joining a play by email game (though, this focuses more on story telling and role playing than actual combat since combat in play by emails sometimes takes weeks or longer to resolve ;-) )

again.. all this is just under the idea of using the same game but just offering you some mental variations

Take a break:

I find I actually take breaks once in a while and maybe just make some of this stuff my late night reading material. It puts ideas in my head or i'll jot ideas down. It's just a different way to enjoy the information.


Play a board game outside on a nice day.

Find other outlets of activity to do with the same group of people.

Bottom line - it's a game, you're supposed to be enjoying yourself. If you're not, try to see why not and make changes. If need be, take a break. If you miss it, you'll come back to it sometime. If not, well, then not.

hmm.. well, lots of this has already been said by others in this thread. these are just my rambles.