GMs - Do you get bored when you're a player?

[pemerton]

This is a D&D board and 5e has been the current version of D&D for ten years. It's also IMO the most boring D&D combat has ever been.

But this thread is in TTRPG General.

Although even when it comes to D&D, to me there seems to be some contrast between the combat-focus in this thread, and the frequent posts one sees in other contexts that dispute that D&D is primarily concerned with combat.

 

[Neonchameleon]

But this thread is in TTRPG General.

Although even when it comes to D&D, to me there seems to be some contrast between the combat-focus in this thread, and the frequent posts one sees in other contexts that dispute that D&D is primarily concerned with combat.

Contrast? Possibly. Contradiction, no.

If we look at the sheer quantity of 5e rules, whether or not we include combat magic, it is clearly combat heavy.

At the same time in an effort to file the rough edges off combat is neither very swingy (with sudden reversals or deaths) and exciting nor tactical (with a heavy emphasis on positioning and combinations) and therefore intense. It's kinda in a soggy middle leading to the DM having to carry it or it gets boring.

 

[hawkeyefan]

The conclusion I would draw based solely on the comments in this thread is that combat in D&D is boring. There seems to be a few reasons.

Too much time between a player’s turns.

Not dynamic enough to hold attention when it’s not your turn.

It goes on too long.

 

[payn]

The conclusion I would draw based solely on the comments in this thread is that combat in D&D is boring. There seems to be a few reasons.

Too much time between a player’s turns.

Not dynamic enough to hold attention when it’s not your turn.

It goes on too long.

I'd add "my shtick doesn't work" to the list.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I'd add "my shtick doesn't work" to the list.

True! That one seems a bit more DM-dependent, but yeah… if your healer can’t heal, that’s likely gonna lead to dissatisfying play.

 

[Retreater]

I'd add "my shtick doesn't work" to the list.

Yeah. I'll give you that my thaumaturge was experimental. (Tangent: I'm really coming to the side that Paizo shouldn't create classes. IME, all their stuff like gunslingers, alchemists, kinecticists, etc., prove to be worse versions of the core classes.)
Other than that, I think it's just a case of a character concept that should work just doesn't work in a specific campaign- and the GM should have told me that.
1) No medics in this sci-fi game.
2) No charming, wealthy guys in Call of Cthulhu.
3) No wizards in this version of Numenera.

 

[payn]

Yeah. I'll give you that my thaumaturge was experimental. (Tangent: I'm really coming to the side that Paizo shouldn't create classes. IME, all their stuff like gunslingers, alchemists, kinecticists, etc., prove to be worse versions of the core classes.)
Other than that, I think it's just a case of a character concept that should work just doesn't work in a specific campaign- and the GM should have told me that.
1) No medics in this sci-fi game.
2) No charming, wealthy guys in Call of Cthulhu.
3) No wizards in this version of Numenera.

This is more about perspectives and playstyles than blanket truths about RPGs though. After some discussion with you, I see you have a pretty singular minded approach that is heavily based around combat for what RPG should be. I dont share that, so as a GM I might not know to say such things to you. Only through trial and error could I learn as GM what caveats I need to offer. On the flip side, knowing that about your playstyle, it would be prudent to voice it during session zero.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I have a hard time not thinking like a GM when I play. If I feel the players are getting off easy or the GM is forgetting something that would make things more difficult for the PCs, for example, I have to fight to not bring it up with them. I also sometimes ask deep lore questions i find interesting that the other players tend not to care about.

I'm really just more comfortable being the GM.

I played with a group years ago that was pretty scrupulous about bringing the GM's attention to rules features that they were skimming over that worked against us; we had a guest GM once that was singularly baffled by this, but we considered it "keeping our powder dry", i.e. if you're not doing that when the rules don't serve you, you're not really dedicated to following the rules; you're just expressing naked self-interest.

 

[Thomas Shey]

As the list above shows, I don't see any very strong overlap between combat and the mechanical parts of the game.

I'd say that depends heavily on the game system. Plenty of game systems get, shall we say, pretty schematic as you get away from the combat system, and even more GMs have a tendency to elide the mechanics once you get away from there.

I also don't see the strong contrast you seem to draw between roleplaying and mechanical play. When the players are saying what their PCs do - eg "I'm sure there must be more hidden caches here - can I use Stonemason to look for them?" that is playing the role of their PC, engaging directly with the fiction; and it also triggers a clear mechanical resolution process.

Then you don't, but I'm using the term her in the pure-roleplaying context, i.e. interacting with other PCs and NPCs in a context where the mechanics are not going to be (and really would have no reason to be) engaged because you aren't aiming for any particular outcome.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The conclusion I would draw based solely on the comments in this thread is that combat in D&D is boring. There seems to be a few reasons.

Too much time between a player’s turns.

Not dynamic enough to hold attention when it’s not your turn.

It goes on too long.

Though that's about D&D proper; I've played or run 13th Age, PF2e and Shadow of the Demon Lord and I don't think that at least entirely applies to any of them (outside of things that I think are probably a personal pathology in my case).