Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="leporidae" data-source="post: 1932474" data-attributes="member: 19624">Sometimes you need to take a breakHi, my name is Leporidae and I'm a burned out GM, and have been since a cherished campaign came to a bitter and premature end more than a year ago. My advice is to pack up your campaign notes and GM supplies and put them away somewhere you won't have to look at them. Take a break - don't start another campaign out of a sense of obligation, and be clear about this with the people who are asking you to start again (if you waffle they may think they can flatter or badger you into starting again).If you're not having fun as a player either, don't play. This sounds harsh, but you'll end up resenting the other players (and possibly pissing them off if you're still bitter and sulky).The problem is that gaming, and especially gamemastering, fills two essential needs - for social interaction and a creative outlet. Suddenly losing these can definitely make one depressed. If you're down and out, the first step is to get up and do something (clean your domicile, make plans with non-gaming friends/family). If you're depressed to the point where you can't ever shake the dark moods, or take pleasure in normal activities don't be afraid to ask for help - Depression is a serious illness.Once you're off the couch and functioning look for other creative and social outlets. If games are in your blood (and I suspect they are) eventually you will start feeling the itch again (don't worry that you aren't a 'real gamer' if this takes a while). Start small, play the campaign you least dislike and  see how it goes. Maybe it won't be so bad, maybe the things you dislike about the game will inspire you to start your own campaign, (if neither, take another break, but only after making an honest effort).I'm currently at the stage of learning to enjoy playing again, who knows, maybe I'll be up to participating in the Dungeon Master's Foundation by GenCon time.  Thanks for listening, and take care of yourself.</blockquote>

Verification