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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 3926371" data-attributes="member: 151">Speaking as a gaming dad myself, I feel your pain.  I'm not the only player with a family, and most of my players are married or in relationships.  Some commute anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes distant to get to my house to game.  We sometimes play on a Friday, sometimes on a Saturday.  Discussion has occurred about Day games (our original motivation was working around the kid's sleep schedules, which is no longer a factor with my children being 7 and 10).I told you that so I can tell you this: IMHO, your DM is failing his obligation, unless all the other players enjoy his style.  Calling it a sandbox game is one thing...but it sounds like there really aren't any plot hooks for the players to follow up on, and that's unfortunate.  It's one thing to say that the players will guide the campaign...I'm all for that.  It's what I do in my games.  But the players usually need a framework or some options to choose from.  Even the best sandbox games (such as the GTA series, Mercenaries, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Wallace and Gromit: Curese of the Wererabbit, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, etc.) have some core story that the player(s) can latch on to and direct or approach from their own perspective.  But if no meta-plot is presented at all, it comes across as lazy.I respect the fact that my players commit to a weekly game and take time out of their busy schedules and lives to game with my group.  It's my job, as DM, to consider my player's fun when providing them with a game for us all to enjoy.  When one of my players announced he wanted to become the mayor of the city in which that game took place, my inclination is to let him, if that's what he wants.  By that simple decision, he's shaped the campaign: now I present obstacles and compelling characters for him to work with.  A sandbox is only a workable proposition if you have the sandbox DETAILED at some level, so that consistency plays a role.  If the city suddenly had a political ruling body one week and a duke the next, that would be jarring and irritating to the players.As a father of two, I understand how it can be time-consuming to create and run a campaign.  I don't consider it a valid excuse to use for not putting any effort into a game, however.  Companies like Paizo provide high quality, relatively inexpensive materials in the form of modules and campaign settings that can make a DM's life very easy, while still providing him the necessary tools to make an interesting game.  For that matter, just purchasing the DMG II would get you the setting of the town of Saltmarsh, whose every entry drips with adventure possibilities for the heroes willing to reach out and grab them.In short, I think you need to gracefully bow out and explain that the combination of commute and your general lack of enthusiasm for the game lately makes it a difficult proposition to maintain, because it's just not to your taste.  I wouldn't be rude and I wouldn't be dishonest.  Just be matter of fact and let the issue handle itself.</blockquote>

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