Burnt out GMs

[Belen]

I must admit that Tom's message about leaving the gaming world is dramatic. How many others have felt the burn when GMing? I know that I have had that feeling before. In fact, I am somewhat burnt out at the moment.

What do you all do when GMing/ gaming becomes a burden?

Personally, I just do not have time to try and join another group. I am somwhat amzed that a lot of people have a number of GMs in their group. Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury and my group basically exists because I GM. I am not sure that it is possible to find someone else to do it, although my fiancee is thinking about running Freeport.

How serious a problem is GM burn-out? Are their ways to make a game fresh, the game fresh?

Dave

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I'm a huge advocate of giving the DM a break. This has never been a problem in any group I've gamed with. I've always been lucky enough to game with groups where two or three guys wanted to DM.

Failing that, well, fire up a mega-module and effectively give yourself a break for three or more levels.

 

[Emiricol]

I've burned out before. It sucked. The only real solution is to step away from DMing for a while, and it really helps if you can play in another campaign in the meantime, as a player.

 

[Desdichado]

I haven't played much in the last four or five months due to a combination of real life factors with my regular group. It looks to settle down again in the next few weeks, though. I was talking with one of the other guys in my group last night on the phone (he's been out of town for five months or so; part of the reason our gaming has been very skimpy, as he and his wife are major components of our group) and we've both got a jones to game like you wouldn't believe.

But we're designed to avoid burnout. Because we've got at least three DMs that really enjoy DMing, nobody has to do it for a long stretch at a time. We've also got a number of other hobbies to give us a break; we like playing Halo and Knights of the Old Republic on xbox, we like playing Heroclix, we rotate games between Star Wars d20, d20 Modern, D&D, GURPS, Mutants & Masterminds, etc.

If anything, we've got too many things going on to worry about burn-out, our worry is actually sticking with something long enough to call it a full-fledged campaign!

That's my recommendation, I suppose, get into some kind of rotational scheme so you're not doing the same game week after week, and you've built in a natural buffer against burn-out. It can still happen, but it's much less likely to.

 

[Belen]

One of the main problems, as I see it, are GMs that have run for long periods of time. At the moment, I have GMed for the last 6 years, except for a 5 month break where I did not game at all and a 7 month break where someone else ran a campaign.

It gets....difficult to come up with new ideas after so long GMing.

 

[Treebore]

I recently had this problem. I came to realize I trapped myself within the game. So I took it in a totally new direction, I pretty much threw everything that had gone before out the window! Its almost like having started a new game. It has worked. I am looking forward to each new session with new ideas of meanness! The players have become enthusiastic again. Apparently they needed the "fresh air" as well.

Good luck!

 

[Kusuf ibn Zaid]

... Personally, I just do not have time to try and join another group. I am somwhat amzed that a lot of people have a number of GMs in their group. Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury and my group basically exists because I GM. I am not sure that it is possible to find someone else to do it, although my fiancee is thinking about running Freeport.

How serious a problem is GM burn-out? Are their ways to make a game fresh, the game fresh?

Dave [/B]

Have you actually asked your players if anyone would like to take a hand at the wheel? Often times a player might feel that an offer to DM would be unappreciated. Furthermore, new DM's often don't realize that DMing doesn't have to be a long-term obligation. One-shot adventures are a great way for a new DM to whet his teeth and at the same time give the regular DM a chance to sit on the other side of the screen.

When my present gaming group (Decrepid Old Gamers Society - DOGS) formed, I refereed nonstop until near burnout. Only after I begged for a break did I discover that the other blokes were eager to get their revenge.

- Kusuf

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Feed him some wood and coal, and give him some volatiles like gasoline to drink, and soon you will be able to rekindle him...


Oh, wait, you meant something else. Never mind...

 

[Belen]

Actually, I have mentioned that they are free to GM on many occasions. My fiance seems the only person willing to try, although she has only been playing a year.

I am designing a new campaign world that really gets rid of a lot of the "core" DnD troubles.

For instance, the world will have NO monstrous humanoids. Therefore, no races that are born evil.

 

[takyris]

I hear that. I recently ranted about sort of the same thing. For me, the burnout point comes when I realize that not only am I doing a ton of work, but I'm not being appreciated. I do the work because I love it, but if I'm taking time away from my writing or my damsel, and the players are saying, "Yawn, another RP-heavy murder mystery? Great. Why don't we ever get to fight lawful creatures? I never get to use my sword that gets a bonus against Lawful creatures," then they're not appreciating the work that I'm doing, and it's not useful for me to keep doing that much work.

I've also had to insulate myself against player complaints a bit. Some players complain only when they have major gripes, but others are prone to whining whenever they think that they smell weakness -- whenever they think they can wring a house rule out of me that'll help their character, or a promise that I'll give them a fight in their favorite terrain against a monster that is powerful but vulnerable to their specific abilities...

It's hard to be a DM and a friend. Protect yourelf, and don't do it unless you like doing it, AND they appreciate the work you do.