boring dm

[tonym]

Blame the adventure. The adventure is predictable, boring, and the players don't care about it.

If it was me, I'd buy a new adventure that seems extra cool. Then I'd shake things up. For example...

The next morning, all the goblins on the island are dead from some horrible disease. And the PCs find that map they were looking for, pinned to a tree, along with a note: "Get off my island."

Then run the purchased adventure.

Are you running a homemade adventure? If so, your players may have become too good at predicting your design decisions. It happens, believe me. Buying a professionally made adventure is the best way for a DM to remain unpredictable, IMO.

Tony M

 

[jdrakeh]

"When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand."

Raymond Chandler always gives good advice. In short, introduce some brutal violence by surprise - worry about why it's there or where it came from later. For the time being, just get it into the game.

 

[Herobizkit]

The next morning, all the goblins on the island are dead from some horrible disease. And the PCs find that map they were looking for, pinned to a tree, along with a note: "Get off my island."

ROFL! That's an AWESOME plot twist/ender. And you just know that the PCs are going to wonder WHO wants them off the island, and they'll get sucked back into the adventure...

I would have combined a few of the ideas stated above; Consider the crazy dwarf (make him an low level Expert) who has gone a little mad, but has charted out the entire island... by memory. He would be glad to show the PCs where to go, if only they could stop the flying monkeys from taking his cheese...

 

[kolikeos]

The next morning, all the goblins on the island are dead from some horrible disease. And the PCs find that map they were looking for, pinned to a tree, along with a note: "Get off my island."

hmmm. having all the goblins die is a good plot twister, i think i will use it, now i need to decide how they all got killed incase the players look into it.

 

[Harmon]

Always blows me away when I see Players doing other things besides gaming at the table. When I am sitting at that table I am doing so to game, not stitch, listen to music or read a non gaming book.

If its becoming to annoying slap your hand on the table- Hard! "Sorry, thought I was the only one here." If they resume their music listening and or other activities stop GMing, pull out your own iPod and kick back. When people start asking just say your taking example for your Players.

 

[Whisper72]

The goblins could all have died for many reasons... maybe some psionic force killed them all in their sleep with some horrid nightmare... all the goblins lie in their 'beds' with an expression of utter terror on their faces, but there are no marks on the bodies...

Maybe some sort of ghost like being killed them all. All the goblins are dead, they obvisously fought as they all have weapons in hand etc., but there are no bodies of any enemy to be seen among the dead...

Somehow the goblins lives were all tied magically to the will of some powerful entity which just willed them dead... the goblins were not very effective, the powerful entity has introduced new guardians for his island... think something horrible, f/ex undead...

Maybe all the dead goblins will rise the next night as undead... the PC's better get off the island soon... the goblins are after their brains, and can only be killed with the use of magical weapons or completely destroyed using fire or acid...


When the PC's are bored, it's time to throw in some Horror themed stuff to creep them out... leave the heads of the players twirling around the 'why' of things, without explaining them... weird stuff happening is always good....

 

[kolikeos]

When the PC's are bored, it's time to throw in some Horror themed stuff to creep them out... leave the heads of the players twirling around the 'why' of things, without explaining them... weird stuff happening is always good....

i really wanted to make part of the game horror themed and creepy, thats why i intruduced this specific dongeun in the first place, it turnes out that i'm either really bad at delivering the creepyness or it's just not to thier liking, anyway they make jokes about mostly anything so making a horror type game doesn't seem to work

the party met a dark elf earlier that day and killed him, but didn't seem interested in why they should happen upon a dark elf on this goblin's island, (niether did i at the time, i just put him there so they'll have something to fight) but that actually gives me an idea for the goblin's deaths.
a party of drow arrived at the island a short while after the pcs and are looking for the same map, or pehaps they are tracking the pcs in order to kill them, in their search they killed many of the goblins living on the island.

 

[The Hound]

You may not like this idea, but it could be you. What is your "delivery" like? Do you sound boring? Or bored yourself? Do you tend to speak quietly, or in monotone? Some people can make everyone yawn when telling them they just won the lottery.

Or it could be that your personality is just different from the player's. You say for example that your players like to joke about things. Are you the opposite? maybe a poker face or a no nonsense type among jesters?

Try secretly tape recording a half hour of your campaign, then pretend you're a stranger in the room who's listening in on a game, hearing what you sound like to the players and hearing the player's reactions to what you do.

If you hear a problem, then you cold work at doing something about it. Obviously you can't change your personality, but you might try being more dramatic (if that appears to be the problem) or injecting more humor (like the humourous dwarf character someone suggested).

 

[tonym]

...having all the goblins die is a good plot twister, i think i will use it...

Cool! All those goblins were killed because by my idea...so I get all the XPs!

Hang on, let me check something...

Darn, I'm still 5 XPs short of next level.
Gotta find me a rat to kill...


Tony M

 

[Mighty Veil]

Do you think your group is getting together more to play or just to socialize?
Is there one person who is disruptive and starts the off-topic activities?
Is your group burnt out from D&D or your DM'ing?
Are you the only DM? Maybe your advenures are dull but they have no choice.

I've known some bad DMs in my day. One was just boring. His adventure premises well stupid and how he carried it out was even worst. After one hour it felt like there was no end in sight ever to come. Another guy, he makes his games feel like a video game. Players vs. DM, not the adventure. Another guy was just lazy (actually many bad DMs Ive known were lazy. They just wanted to be DM because it seemed to be the CEO position of gaming).

Maybe your players want a different style then you give them? That can be a messy situation.

My advice:

1) Re-examine yourself as a DM. Can you improve?
2) Find out if your group burnt out from something, D&D, RPG, the adventure, your DM.
3) If no one is burnt out and you're the best greatest super DM there is. Look around. Is there a bad apple in your group?

Maybe the best thing is to regroup your ideas. Is there one horror, evil NPC or group you want them to fear? Have this person kill your group - DEAD. Game over. And use this guy again in a future adventure. They remember the guy who killed them.

Or play horror mechanics. The players might not act scared. But if their PCs are failing their saves, they'll have penalties that will hurt their chances to perform in combat and skill checks. The players might laugh till the end and even after that. But they'll learn a lesson in game mechanics -- fail your rolls and have a weaker character later.

Good luck!