The Soloist
Hero
It's a great adventure. Sounds like a good plan.
How to Delay or Avoid GM Burnout
- Thread starter Retreater
- Start date
aramis erak
Legend
Ironically, I think your needed answer might be just the opposite of most of the answers: run two groups. One with a recruited group of hard core system-learners. And a second on 3rd party module autopilot for your wife and those most compatible in the existing group...
The light weight group, keep it focused upon your wife's needs as a player. The others there should be there because they increase her fun.
The other group? recruit a new group, making clear ahead of time that you're going to be switching games and campaigns on some regular basis, and you want system engagement. (then be prepared to make a needed cheat sheet to enable it.)
The light weight group, keep it focused upon your wife's needs as a player. The others there should be there because they increase her fun.
The other group? recruit a new group, making clear ahead of time that you're going to be switching games and campaigns on some regular basis, and you want system engagement. (then be prepared to make a needed cheat sheet to enable it.)
Grendel_Khan
Hero
And so ends another tale of woe—nothing learned, nothing gained, but at least we heard about some people experiencing varying degrees and flavors of a bad time.
Thomas Shey
Legend
I think learning how gaming group failure states occur and why is not a useless endeavor.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with running something pre-published!
Heck, you are supporting the hobby by purchasing pre-published stuff to run!
Jharet
Explorer
Running published adventures in an established setting can really help free up that extra work of plotting out a new adventure each week. It's much easier to make adjustments to published modules to still make them your own. As a GM, my advice is always "Never fall in love with your villains/setting/etc." If you expect your characters to do anything specific, dollars to donuts says they will do the exact opposite.
@Retreater, I think it's time to address something.
It's April 2025, and you're coming to ENWorld to deal with RPG burnout.
In May 2024, you came to us with this thread about dealing with RPG burnout: At My Most Burned-Out in 35 Years
In August 2023, you made this thread: A Change of Pace.... The opening line is "As I was discussing in another thread, I am majorly burned out on 5e."
In January 2022, you started this thread about RPG burnout: Switching Around Systems Due to Burnout?
And that's just a selection.
If you are experiencing burnout this often and this regularly, it's an indication of problems that likely have nothing to do with RPGs. A hobby should not be this stressful. Burnout should not be a regular experience.
I suspect there are no game related discussions or suggestions that can help with this level of recurring problems. You need to look outside of RPGs and outside of ENWorld. To be hyperbolic, you asking ENWorld for help on RPG burnout for the fourth (or more) time in three years is like going back to the bar to ask about help managing your drinking.
I can only hope this does not come across as a personal attack, but rather an indication of concern and caring.
It's April 2025, and you're coming to ENWorld to deal with RPG burnout.
In May 2024, you came to us with this thread about dealing with RPG burnout: At My Most Burned-Out in 35 Years
In August 2023, you made this thread: A Change of Pace.... The opening line is "As I was discussing in another thread, I am majorly burned out on 5e."
In January 2022, you started this thread about RPG burnout: Switching Around Systems Due to Burnout?
And that's just a selection.
If you are experiencing burnout this often and this regularly, it's an indication of problems that likely have nothing to do with RPGs. A hobby should not be this stressful. Burnout should not be a regular experience.
I suspect there are no game related discussions or suggestions that can help with this level of recurring problems. You need to look outside of RPGs and outside of ENWorld. To be hyperbolic, you asking ENWorld for help on RPG burnout for the fourth (or more) time in three years is like going back to the bar to ask about help managing your drinking.
I can only hope this does not come across as a personal attack, but rather an indication of concern and caring.
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Cergorach
The Laughing One
Within our group we rotate DMs, just for this reason, to avoid burnout and keep things fresh within the group. We've been doing that for 35+ years now. I've taken my own complete break (months) from D&D due to pressures outside of my gaming, I just didn't become a very nice person to game with.
I'm also seeing a TON of work being put into a campaign/adventure. But I also get the impression that it's being done for some payout, which doesn't show up, time and again. This sometimes happens, but with you it seems like the rule rather then the exception. If you make something, do that for yourself, making sure that you're alright if people don't play in it. Don't front load your campaign with a TON of work that you might never get to.
I'm currently preparing a campaign that's been in my mind for a years. Initially I was thinking of making my own mega dungeon, but that is way more work than it needs to be, so I thought it would be acceptable to use Rappan Athuk, looked at a few others, but eventually settled on Undermountain. The reasons for that is that there's almost 35 years of content available for that, both official and unofficial. I'm using that as a basis, I want to do my own maps in a certain asset style (Crosshead), but am fine with using something good initially made by someone else (Cyrens Maps), that allows me to make them when I want to and not pushing against some deadline. The same goes for filling out the core of the dungeon, using Mad Mage as the basis for it, which allows for TONs of customization. This allows me time to get it up to a 'level' I want and spend time on getting a good player experience, while also allowing me to flesh out locations/encounters dramatically (like the Yawning Portal inn), and working further on the core gimmick for the campaign (yeah, I stacked something atop exploring Undermountain).
The only advice I can think of to give is to get more balance in everything. The amount of work you put into it, the amount of emotional investment you put in it, what you want, what the players want, etc. The players are not there for your satisfaction, but neither are you there for just the players satisfaction. Everyone needs to have fun/satisfaction at the table! Maybe not always all the time, but that should be the general way of things. But also realize that you might have to change and your players might need to change to make it fun for everyone.
Playing a published adventure isn't shameful or needs to be a straitjacket, it's just a bunch of work you don't have to do. The advantage of using a published (or fan produced) adventure/campaign is that when players want to skip something you can without pain in your heart.
I once ran the fan Northern Journey campaign/adventure for 3e back when it was just all collected rumours on Eric Noah's site. I had the entire adventure printed in a big binder, and after many hints given (and received) they kept going the 'wrong' way and I just grabbed more then half that binder "Looks like we're skipping this!" and turned it all over. The player's eyes went big "Oh!", because they had never seen that. They wanted to go back, but "Too late!" and that is still talked about today after more then 25 years. If that was my own written adventure, I might have collapsed right there!
#1 talk to your wife, what she wants out of the experience, talk about what you want out of the experience. When your wife plays in your party, that's the most important relationship to keep as healthy as possible. With that in your and your wife's mind, talk to the rest of the group with everyone. If you can reach a middle ground where everyone is happy, go looking for a published (or fan) adventure that fits what everyone's happy with, it might need some slight alteration to work, but there's quite a bit for Eberron or even things that aren't made for Eberron that could easily work with it.
Less work means less frustration, so keep it as simple as possible. But even then if you don't talk it out with the other people, resentment will build and that will eventually lead to burnout. Maybe also talk about others DMing and find out if that's a possibility.
I'm also seeing a TON of work being put into a campaign/adventure. But I also get the impression that it's being done for some payout, which doesn't show up, time and again. This sometimes happens, but with you it seems like the rule rather then the exception. If you make something, do that for yourself, making sure that you're alright if people don't play in it. Don't front load your campaign with a TON of work that you might never get to.
I'm currently preparing a campaign that's been in my mind for a years. Initially I was thinking of making my own mega dungeon, but that is way more work than it needs to be, so I thought it would be acceptable to use Rappan Athuk, looked at a few others, but eventually settled on Undermountain. The reasons for that is that there's almost 35 years of content available for that, both official and unofficial. I'm using that as a basis, I want to do my own maps in a certain asset style (Crosshead), but am fine with using something good initially made by someone else (Cyrens Maps), that allows me to make them when I want to and not pushing against some deadline. The same goes for filling out the core of the dungeon, using Mad Mage as the basis for it, which allows for TONs of customization. This allows me time to get it up to a 'level' I want and spend time on getting a good player experience, while also allowing me to flesh out locations/encounters dramatically (like the Yawning Portal inn), and working further on the core gimmick for the campaign (yeah, I stacked something atop exploring Undermountain).
The only advice I can think of to give is to get more balance in everything. The amount of work you put into it, the amount of emotional investment you put in it, what you want, what the players want, etc. The players are not there for your satisfaction, but neither are you there for just the players satisfaction. Everyone needs to have fun/satisfaction at the table! Maybe not always all the time, but that should be the general way of things. But also realize that you might have to change and your players might need to change to make it fun for everyone.
Playing a published adventure isn't shameful or needs to be a straitjacket, it's just a bunch of work you don't have to do. The advantage of using a published (or fan produced) adventure/campaign is that when players want to skip something you can without pain in your heart.
I once ran the fan Northern Journey campaign/adventure for 3e back when it was just all collected rumours on Eric Noah's site. I had the entire adventure printed in a big binder, and after many hints given (and received) they kept going the 'wrong' way and I just grabbed more then half that binder "Looks like we're skipping this!" and turned it all over. The player's eyes went big "Oh!", because they had never seen that. They wanted to go back, but "Too late!" and that is still talked about today after more then 25 years. If that was my own written adventure, I might have collapsed right there! #1 talk to your wife, what she wants out of the experience, talk about what you want out of the experience. When your wife plays in your party, that's the most important relationship to keep as healthy as possible. With that in your and your wife's mind, talk to the rest of the group with everyone. If you can reach a middle ground where everyone is happy, go looking for a published (or fan) adventure that fits what everyone's happy with, it might need some slight alteration to work, but there's quite a bit for Eberron or even things that aren't made for Eberron that could easily work with it.
Less work means less frustration, so keep it as simple as possible. But even then if you don't talk it out with the other people, resentment will build and that will eventually lead to burnout. Maybe also talk about others DMing and find out if that's a possibility.
Thomas Shey
Legend
Yeah, its often a bad idea to do a lot of pre-work for a campaign that either isn't going to get played, will end quickly, or will only be engaged with on a limited level. I learned this the hard way, as I have two campaigns I did extensive work for in advance that will most likely never get used (one for BRP, one for a combination of Fuzion/Cyberpunk/Mekton).
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