How do you stop a DM from starting NEW campaigns all the time?

[Afrodyte]

I've sort of been on both sides of the fence but facing the same problem with investing time and energy into a campaign (not just D&D, but often D&D since it's the most popular).

I tend to create characters as three-dimensional as possible. I go out of my way to make them lifelike and not just a bunch of stats on the sheet or a simple concept. To do this, all I have to ask about the character are: What does s/he want? How did this desire come about? Why does s/he need this to feel complete/happy/whole/whatever? Even beyond this, I make backgrounds with glaring "exploit me" points in them. I create motives that scream "use me for your pleasure." I make personality traits, beliefs, and flaws that say "this is a place that will be interesting to develop." And 9 times out of 10, the GM doesn't do anything with it, even if I explicitly state that's what I want. Most recently, I had a GM that asked for a background and what not, but he provided very little information about the world that I could really work with.

I realize that a part of this comes from the idea that players mainly want to be entertained, which usually means constantly drawing on the element of surprise. In my case, with the types of characters I make, that is definitely not true. I get the greatest satisfaction from resolving the themes and issues I create for each character. If the GM is too busy trying to surprise me, it's harder to do that.

It's the same thing when I GM. The players say that they want to be immersed in their characters and the world, that they want to explore some deeper issues, but they also want "lifelike" spontanaeity. This is possible, but it requires a very deep understanding of each character, perhaps as deep as the players have themselves. But what am I given to work with? At best, I generally get a brief description of that character's niche in the party and perhaps a couple of signficant life events. I need to know what makes the characters tick in both an abstract and concrete sense. Only then can I make something that quickly engages the players' energy and attention. I need to know not just what the characters want and/or the event that sparked it, but also the emotions, beliefs, and attitudes that drive it. What. How. Why. Most players would give me the what. Some will give me the how. Few will give me the why (which ironically is the most important). And it's not for lack of asking or trying. Then I'm expected to turn lead into gold without the benefit of learning alchemy.

 

[ThoughtBubble]

If you have a DM who starts new campaigns all the time because he/she gets "bored" of the current campaign how do you stop him/her?

I've got a DM who wants to start a new campaign but we've barely played the current one. When I roll up a PC I want to develop his character and play him to Epic levels. I don't want to have to fold him up and put him on the shelf with all the other short-lived PCs I have in the wings. I find it very frustrating as a player if I am denied developing my PC.

If the DM has grown tired with the campaign but the players haven't, do the players have a right to tell him they don't want to start a new campaign? Or, is the DM the creative genius and it's his ultimate decision if he/she wants to end/begin a campaign?

Thanks.

Do you tell your DM he's awesome? After a session, do you cackle with glee, and say "That was great! When you smited that lich with that leaping backhand! It was sweet! That was so much fun!"

If not, that's the easiest way to get your DM's attention. "That was fun. I really enjoyed it."

I have a similar problem. Whenever I see something interesting I say "That would make a fun game." It's a joke around here now. I've got a notebook filled with campaign plans, and 3 games queued. My games usually last around 3 months.

My current game has passed the 1 year mark now, and has close to six moths to go before it'll reach something close to a stopping point. Why has this game kept going, even though I have three very compelling ideas for other games? This game keeps my interest. The players are doing something. When I throw something messed up at them, they freak. When an enemy taunts them, they get angry. When someone dies, they mourn. Each week, I keep coming back because I want to see what happens next. And when the session ends, I know that it was good, and that my efforts were apprecieated.

When I don't get positive feedback, I get tired. I go to think about what's going to happen, and it's a long process like pulling teeth. And then, it just becomes a self-defeating tunnel. I mean, why bother? I'm going to go to all this work and then my players will just walk past it. I'll make giant signs an then they'll say that "They don't have any motivation", even though it was supplied. (dramatic sigh of woe)

And that's when the game begins to die, and I shift to a new idea. The new one is full of life, there's untapped possiblities. Imagine all the things that can happen. There's so much potential, especially when compared with the run down wreck that was the last game. This will be the game that people get into. I can set it up so they'll want to have backgrounds this time. And they'll really get into the themes this time. It'll be a big hit!

So seriously, remember that you've got a part in the game. You help set the tone. Make sure your enjoyment of the game comes out into the light. Let your DM know what they're doing right, and that you want to keep playing the game because it's a wonderful expierence.

 

[D+1]

If you have a DM who starts new campaigns all the time because he/she gets "bored" of the current campaign how do you stop him/her?

Get a new DM.

I've got a DM who wants to start a new campaign but we've barely played the current one. When I roll up a PC I want to develop his character and play him to Epic levels. I don't want to have to fold him up and put him on the shelf with all the other short-lived PCs I have in the wings. I find it very frustrating as a player if I am denied developing my PC.

If the DM has grown tired with the campaign but the players haven't, do the players have a right to tell him they don't want to start a new campaign? Or, is the DM the creative genius and it's his ultimate decision if he/she wants to end/begin a campaign?

The players most certainly do have the right to tell him they don't want another new campaign. The DM has a right to tell you he doesn't want to keep running the current campaign. Somewhere in between you all have to figure out where you want to be. The DM can't run a game without players. You can't play if the DM isn't going to run a game that you want to be in.

I had a DM like this not too many years ago. Good DM but kept wanting to try something new every month, or even every week. He'd buy something like Vampire from WW, read it and go all gooey at the thought of running it, but as players it was just another flavor of the day when what we really wanted was just to keep playing a D&D game. Once in a while trying something new, even for an extended period, is great. I've had great SF campaigns that way in Traveller and Star Wars, a couple of memorable Marvel Super Heroes games, etc. But changing games, or even just starting a new D&D game every two weeks is BORING because you never develop any feel for a given campaign setting, the characters you're playing in that setting, etc. How can you form an opinion, good or bad, in only two game sessions about how you'll feel about the campaign in 25 sessions, or after 50, or 100?

It's likely that your DM is just so full of great, grand ideas that he wants to try that he can't see the forest for the trees. TELL him what you want and what you don't want. He'll undoubtedly be happy to get the feedback.

 

[Acid_crash]

I've sort of been on both sides of the fence but facing the same problem with investing time and energy into a campaign (not just D&D, but often D&D since it's the most popular).

I tend to create characters as three-dimensional as possible. I go out of my way to make them lifelike and not just a bunch of stats on the sheet or a simple concept. To do this, all I have to ask about the character are: What does s/he want? How did this desire come about? Why does s/he need this to feel complete/happy/whole/whatever? Even beyond this, I make backgrounds with glaring "exploit me" points in them. I create motives that scream "use me for your pleasure." I make personality traits, beliefs, and flaws that say "this is a place that will be interesting to develop." And 9 times out of 10, the GM doesn't do anything with it, even if I explicitly state that's what I want. Most recently, I had a GM that asked for a background and what not, but he provided very little information about the world that I could really work with.

I realize that a part of this comes from the idea that players mainly want to be entertained, which usually means constantly drawing on the element of surprise. In my case, with the types of characters I make, that is definitely not true. I get the greatest satisfaction from resolving the themes and issues I create for each character. If the GM is too busy trying to surprise me, it's harder to do that.

It's the same thing when I GM. The players say that they want to be immersed in their characters and the world, that they want to explore some deeper issues, but they also want "lifelike" spontanaeity. This is possible, but it requires a very deep understanding of each character, perhaps as deep as the players have themselves. But what am I given to work with? At best, I generally get a brief description of that character's niche in the party and perhaps a couple of signficant life events. I need to know what makes the characters tick in both an abstract and concrete sense. Only then can I make something that quickly engages the players' energy and attention. I need to know not just what the characters want and/or the event that sparked it, but also the emotions, beliefs, and attitudes that drive it. What. How. Why. Most players would give me the what. Some will give me the how. Few will give me the why (which ironically is the most important). And it's not for lack of asking or trying. Then I'm expected to turn lead into gold without the benefit of learning alchemy.

Man I am so with you on this one. I create characters with that depth, that's what I enjoy most about making characters when I am a player, seeing it come to life. Having a back story that details where the character comes from, and where he is going with actual goals. Unfortunately, I am usually the ONLY player in the group that goes into this much detail. The rest just roll the dice, place the numbers, pick equipment, feats, class, race, and ready to go. End result.............................. Dungeon crawls after dungeon crawls. What pisses me off is that in most of these games the DM tells everybody to come up with backgrounds and stuff like that, but I think people are sooooooo used to play D&D a certain hackfest way that anything else is just too different for them.

It's a shame really, there's so much potential in roleplaying to keep playing the same game the same way for endless amount of years.