D&D General "I have had a 'D&D Hangover'" (a poll)

[el-remmen]

Alcohol may or may not have been involved. . .

I have heard told of times, the day after a D&D (or other RPG session), that sometimes folks feel drained and let down. . . not necessarily because it was a bad session - though it might have been - but it could also be because you had a great and intense session everything afterwards feels like come down, and/or it could have been a particularly long session, or a session where you started with insufficient spoons, and/or ate too much junk food, or all of the above. . . You could be physically wiped out, or emotionally, or both. . .

I am calling this feeling "a D&D hangover."

Typically, I have heard DMs complain of this - but my guess is players might experience it too.

Maybe you have experienced once or regularly or only under certain circumstances - maybe this is false for you but you have heard of others experiencing this. . . . Sound off!

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Nope. Only D&D Highs for me!

(And I'm an introvert. You'd think that having to perform in front of a group of people would drain me - and it usually does - but not D&D. Never D&D.)

 

[payn]

I voted false, but only because of the next day requirement here. I have definitely gotten done with sessions and been totally wiped out. I dont even realize how much it took out of me until the session is finally over. Usually, a little relaxation and/or sleep and I'm as good as new. Does not run into the next day though.

 

[prabe]

In my case, it's usually been that my brain took so long to spin-down after running that I slept for crap.

 

[Burnside]

Drained, yes. Let down, no.

Drained generally if I DM more than 7 hours in a day, like multiple games at a con or booking multiple pro games in one day. I would definitely say fried and exhausted would be accurate, but not feeling like the games themselves were disappointing.

 

[wedgeski]

I have had a next day hangover due to both exhaustion (a full day of being 'on', especially in RP-heavy campaigns) and due to the aftermath of pure joy at a session gone great. As DM's, that latter is what we're all chasing, right?

 

[CleverNickName]

After a gaming session, I frequently have to chill out and relax afterward (often by playing Stardew Valley or some other low-fi video game).
But calling it a "hangover" might give folks the impression that it's a Bad Thing, and that's not my experience. Most of the time it feels more like post-game excitement, or the hyperactivity that I get after watching a really awesome movie. I'm too excited to sleep, too eager for the next gaming session.

Very rarely do I feel exhausted or drained. I think it's only happened once or twice, and usually after a particularly bad gaming session (like when we spent the entire 5-hour game night on a single combat scene. Ugh.)

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Alcohol may or may not have been involved. . .

I have heard told of times, the day after a D&D (or other RPG session), that sometimes folks feel drained and let down. . . not necessarily because it was a bad session - though it might have been - but it could also be because you had a great and intense session everything afterwards feels like come down, and/or it could have been a particularly long session, or a session where you started with insufficient spoons, and/or ate too much junk food, or all of the above. . . You could be physically wiped out, or emotionally, or both. . .

I am calling this feeling "a D&D hangover."

Typically, I have heard DMs complain of this - but my guess is players might experience it too.

Maybe you have experienced once or regularly or only under certain circumstances - maybe this is false for you but you have heard of others experiencing this. . . . Sound off!

What I've had is a couple of times is I had such a good time DMing/playing an RPG that literally everything else feels kind of hollow/pointless for a day or so. This doesn't just happen with RPGs I note, it's also happened with a couple of video games and books. Anyway that seems to fit.

But generally I feel strongly invigorated after running/playing RPGs, it's kind of weird.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

(like when we spent the entire 5-hour game night on a single combat scene. Ugh.)

Been there. We had that with Champions: The New Era. We swore to never play it again. 3 minutes of in-game time took 5 hours of RL, just to duff up a few villains.

 

[Maxperson]

Nope. Only D&D Highs for me!

Same!