When games go bad

[kamosa]

I just got back from a game that went bad. We were just finishing up the adventure when the group just disolved. All the characters declared they were heading back home the the game broke up. There was talk afterward of rolling up new characters by the GM... everyone ducked the question and avoided eye contact. No anger, no finger pointing, no your game bites, just uncomfortable silence as we all packed our stuff and left.

This wasn't a game where people were jumping for joy to show up everyweek, but it also didn't feel like it was about to collapse under it's own weight either. That being said, now that it is dead, I don't see it picking back up.

The problem is that we all game together in another game that happens alternate weekends. Is there any chance that game will survive? Or is it inevitable that the group is dead.

Have you ever been through a game that fell apart like that with no event or real trigger for it falling apart?

 

[Deadguy]

It's always a little painful when a game falls apart, especially when it hasn't really been talked about. Pretty clearly you weren't surprised that the game has folded, just that you expected it to be discussed. But, as you note you have another game with essentially the same players, so perhaps that's the real reason no-one wants to say anything. No need to damage the other game just because one other game has folded.

Yes, I've had this happen to me a few times. Games that didn't formally get called off, but rather diminished to nothing. The most recent one was a game that had been going on for several years. It was clear that the game wasn't firing on all cylinders, basically because we weren't all on the same page when it came to what we want from a game. So when a couple of the players had their first child, the game just went into indefinite recess. It hasn't officially ended - it's just not going to happen again anytime soon (like in teh next couple of years).

It might be worth sounding out the other players as to why they weren't keen to go on. Perhaps you already know why. It might also be generous if you - the players - thank the DM for his work. It might not have been your cup of tea, but he/she did still work at it.

Good luck with the other game - it needn't fall apart unless there's some deep-seated unspoken acrimony.

 

[jollyninja]

also, if the dm is different for the other campaign it will be easyer for you to continue it. if it is the same guy, ask yourself, do you really want it to? someone needs to say something to the guy who was dming the game that just dissolved around him. if it really just was not everyone's cup of tea then tell him that. if he then feels uncomfortable showing up to the other game then that is unfortunate but more his problem then yours. just be honest, it's the best way to go.

i say this as a dm who just totally ducked a player that everyone decided needed to be ejected from the group. the catch: he was hosting the game i was dming. we swooped in, gathered the books, chairs, tables, dice, mini's ect... and left. his roomate who was also in the game at the time helped us load our stuff but for reasons that seem plain has not shown up for a game night since. he probably would have if any of us had bothered to tell the guy we were tossing why. we lost a decent player along with the poor one due to mishandling.