DMs: Do you have performance anxiety?

[Zelda Themelin]

Oh, am I nervous. Yep. My worst moments are before actually starting the game, and some time after the game has passed.
It often drives me to cancel, or at least postponing the game into some near future. If I can get away with it, that is. And I rather play anyway, so it affects this more than nervousness.

I am cool during the game, but I have strong doubts that players dislike the (even if there is no sight of such),
or that there is too little or too much combat. I have also tendercy to start numerous side-plots, because
at some passing moment I feel so disgusted with my main plot, so bored, that I feel like running away from it.
This caused my last couple of campaings never reach their original main goals, and that ws because of me and not because of
players unwillingness to go that direction. I read yesterday that "whatever your campaings have ended" poll thread, and
game to this conclusion "no, because I have problem pulling off plot I have planned".

I guess I have strange tendarcy to get bored with game just before it gets into conclusion even as player. I do that a lot
in console rpg, quit game to final dungeon or just before it,

Because of these issues, I have started planning my games in chapters. This means, that each campaing phase will have defined things that will
happen within certain time, to players or just generally in world. Has worked well this far. however, getting to start game
still makes me nervous.

 

[BigFreekinGoblinoid]

You know, even after playing D&D since the late 1970s and DMing for almost that long, I still sometimes get a kind of "stage fright" before the gang comes over to play. Thoughts like "ugh, this isn't going to work" or "I didn't prepare enough and so I'm going to have to wing it" or "the mystery is so obvious they'll be bored to tears" or just a general fear that I'm not going to do a very good job. Anyone else?

All the time, exactly like this. Never during play though...

It's like coach says:

"if you aint got butterflys in the stomach, you aint ready to play!"

 

[StalkingBlue]

Creative anxiety, yup. Always have.

I used to run a game on Saturdays, which allowed me to take most of the afternoon before the session to quieten down and focus on what I was going to present and in what possible ways, depending on what players were going to do. Nowadays I run a weekday evening game after working during the day, and dealing with pre-session anxiety has become much harder.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

You know, even after playing D&D since the late 1970s and DMing for almost that long, I still sometimes get a kind of "stage fright" before the gang comes over to play. Thoughts like "ugh, this isn't going to work" or "I didn't prepare enough and so I'm going to have to wing it" or "the mystery is so obvious they'll be bored to tears" or just a general fear that I'm not going to do a very good job. Anyone else?

I'm going to say "yes". That is, when the group's been together for awhile, it goes away. However, I did restart a game that's been on hiatus for some time now and, while the group was familiar to me, it seemed to take an hour or three to get my "sea legs" back because of the lack of time together.

Heck, I think everyone had it that night.

 

[Bigwilly]

Just a little

With my regular group, I usually worry that I haven't prepared enough (usually the case), that I have forgotten one of the PCs character sheets (has happened before), that the encounters will be too weak/too strong (I usually err on the weak side) and then I hand out the character sheets and after a few minutes getting warmed up, we're off. After that the scenario just sort of takes over (same happens if I have to give a presentation or speech) and then it's done. Everyone must be having a good time cos we're still playing.

I have also DMed the occasional session at a convention - and that is scary.

Bigwilly

 

[Celtavian]

re

No performance anxiety here. Kind of strange considering I despise public speaking and hate crowds. For some reason, when I DM or play I am very confident in my abilities. Not to mention, D&D is entertainment time. I don't want to be stressed while I am playing my favorite game.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I've been DMing for about 14 years - never used to bother me... Until I ran a bad campaign a couple of years ago - one that just didn't work well and ended in frustration and Nightfang Spire...

Ever since then I've gotten the odd twinge before or after a session. But nothing too bad. Sometimes wonder if I'm repeating the same mistakes...

My current group is also a little difficult - 6 regular players and 2 occasionals which is can be quite a daunting number for me.

Perhaps I should cut down on the size of the group - sacrifice a few of them to my dark master Santa? (and his evil reindeer)

 

[hong]

My current group is also a little difficult - 6 regular players and 2 occasionals which is can be quite a daunting number for me.

Perhaps I should cut down on the size of the group - sacrifice a few of them to my dark master Santa? (and his evil reindeer)

Kill Morrus and take his stuff.


Hong "how many experience points do you get for a website?" Ooi

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

1 website. ~1,500,000 posts at CR 1 . 1st-3rd level party. Enough to take me to 299th level, I reckon...

I'm going to be a gnarly internet god!

Bring me offerings of donuts and mountain dew, Human.

 

[Tessarael]

Re: DM anxiety

I don't generally get anxiety about DMing in rules mode. In rules mode, I'm happy to gloss over some rules (e.g. "No no no, I know your summoned dire lion is an amazing grappler, but the dire elephant threw it off" - when I realised some things were too good) or make a ruling on the spot - comes from experience with my home brew, if the rules don't work for what I want as storyteller, then I'll modify them. This isn't saying that I'll make a rules fudge which screws a PC. More major house rules type issues would get discussed.

DMing in storyteller mode I can occasionally get a bit worried: e.g. if I'm trying to roleplay two interacting NPCs, or trying to get an NPC personality or accent just right.

The main things which stress me when I'm DM:
- did everyone have fun?
- did anyone hog too much spotlight?
- did anyone get too little spotlight? (e.g. interrupted repeatedly by other players)

Now and then, I've seen in-game conflict boil over to irritated players. The conflict doesn't have to be direct - just someone doing something someone else doesn't like. Then I'll get stressed, try and sort things out, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.

Just my thoughts ...