How do I recover from a DM burnout?

[renau1g]

Thanks for the reassuring advice. One of my problems is that, indeed, I'm not as sure about my abilities as I should be. I'll have to find a way to respect my abilities better...

If you have one of your players chomping at the bit to play, even more than you, I'd say it is likely you're doing a bang-up job. My wife did the same thing as you're looking for. She ran a few short adventures from Dungeon, with a loose story arc, and I got to take a breather.

It's worked well for me.

 

[caudor]

The thing is that once I do game I enjoy it very much; I also enjoy worldbuilding very much, and its one of my main hobbies.

My players want to game even more than I do... Which is another reason why I feel so bad about my burnout. I feel that I'm failing their expectations.

These two statements are a big clue as to what is going on.

You said your players want to game even more than you do. Why do you suppose your players are chomping at the bit to play? It is most likely because you are a very good DM. Being that good requires energy.

I agree with the others posters that suggest you allow another player to DM for a time, while you continue your World Building between sessions. Or simply take a break. One thing for sure, once your World Building has been completed, you'll be chomping at the bit to introduce it to your players, and your burnout feeling will probably leave you at that time.

Good luck!

Edit after post: Seems like renaug1 had the same idea before I did. Kudos renaug1!

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Good advice from everyone so far. I'd like to add another possible cause of your burnout from my own experience.

You may be suffering from having too much time to prepare. When you used to prepare weekely you weren't left with as much time to think about what you put together. Now that you have an extra 3 weeks to think about things you're creating you're doing a self double-take and sensing flaws and rattling your own confidence.

I also find that I want to create, but I want it to be productive. I'm not a world-builder, I prefer to focus on adventures. Since starting 4E I'm finding I have too much time on my hands even though we play weekly. My wont to create isn't being fulfilled. And every time I start a project to create something I start to realize it may never get used and feel frustrated.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Try running Labyrinth Lord or Basic Fantasy. They're both free, and they are both so very easy that you'll be having fun with them in no time!

 

[Shades of Green]

Try running Labyrinth Lord or Basic Fantasy. They're both free, and they are both so very easy that you'll be having fun with them in no time!

I am actually running BFRPG for a few months now... It has helped my burnout a little (prep has caused far worse burnout effects when I still used 3.0E), but I still run into this problem...

 

[Herschel]

I'm thinking about teaching my spouse - so far a player - to DM. She has potential, but needs to learn how to do it as, while she's a great story-teller and role-player, her rule knowledge is not very good and she has no experience DMing.

So what? One of the games I play in now is VERY enjoyable and the DM is the least rules saavy of the group. She can always ask rules questions but she can't ask to become fun. It sounds like she has what it takes to have an enjoyable game.

 

[Asmor]

1. There's a reason so many people are suggesting to take a break from DMing: It works. You mentioned you like worldbuilding, you could always use your "off time" to work on that. The nice thing is, there's no pressure; since you're not actively running, you can just do it or not as the mood strikes you.

2. If letting someone else DM isn't an option, try a different system. Savage Worlds is a personal favorite of mine, if you're looking for something really different give Dread a try (only really good for a one-shot, though), or if you've got the money to spend get the new, expensive-but-awesome Warhammer FRP 3rd Edition.

3. Take a sabbatical from RPGs entirely. Still get together with your group, but do other things; board games, video games, movie night, whatever floats your boat.

As someone whose suffered burnout in the past (and, in fact, I'm currently in the onset of burning out right now and began discussing solutions with my group last week), the worst thing you can do is just force yourself to 'play through the pain.' After taking a break for a while, you'll eventually find that the bug to DM starts biting you again.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I am actually running BFRPG for a few months now... It has helped my burnout a little (prep has caused far worse burnout effects when I still used 3.0E), but I still run into this problem...

I had imagined that you are suffering from DM burnout because DMing has seemed to become work. That is a common cause, especially with a prep-intensive ruleset.

Another possibility, however, is that you don't know "what you want to say". This assumes that every creative work, DMing included, has an element of communicating ideas. Sometimes, if we haven't been active enough in the world, the well of ideas runs dry.

If this makes any sense to you, you might understand what I will suggest next: Go hiking, go caving, do something out of the ordinary for you, walk around the seashore, go through the city at night. Do anything that leaves you brimming with ideas you want to share.

Let someone else run a short campaign while you do this, and while you let your experiences turn over in your mind.

And especially, especially, especially take a break from the InterWeb, where a whole lot of folks are posting ideas, maps, and whatever else that might make yours seem pale by comparison (even while the same folks look at your work in envy).

The InterWeb is a bad, bad place as far as feeling good about yourself and your own work goes.

Oh yeah, and read any Gygax you can get your hands on, starting with the player's advice in the back of the 1e PHB and anything at random from the 1e DMG. If you decide to run a module, pick a Gygax module. There is no prose in the world like Gary's for re-energizing DM batteries.

Best of luck.


RC

 

[Shades of Green]

I had imagined that you are suffering from DM burnout because DMing has seemed to become work. That is a common cause, especially with a prep-intensive ruleset.

That was my main problem with 3.0E. Prepping for that system felt more like a chore than a fun pastime. BFRPG solved this issue; prepping for it is easy and enjoyable.

Another possibility, however, is that you don't know "what you want to say". This assumes that every creative work, DMing included, has an element of communicating ideas. Sometimes, if we haven't been active enough in the world, the well of ideas runs dry.

This is another issue I suffer from, though not exactly in the manner you describe. I have ideas, but they tend to be diffuse and confused in form; without a solid foundation to tie them to, my current campaign was similarly diffuse and confused, causing burnout.

And especially, especially, especially take a break from the InterWeb, where a whole lot of folks are posting ideas, maps, and whatever else that might make yours seem pale by comparison (even while the same folks look at your work in envy).

To the contrary, I usually get very positive feedback and compliments for work I post online; this is one of the reasons why I'm not burned out of world-building, but rather of pre-session prepping and running.

---

On a related matter, I've convinced my spouse to try her hand in DMing for the first time. Not only will this open her to the wonderful world of being the DM for a change (after being a player all the time since I introduced her to RPGs in 2006), but this will allow me to be a player for once after all these years (the last time i was a player was IIRC in 1999 or 2000 and even then for a relatively short time).

 

[UngainlyTitan]

As some one who burned out on running games, I will also advise you to take a long break with no definitive cime back time. If you enjoy world building keep at it and when you do decide to come back you will have plenty of material for a nice sandbox style campaign to ease yourself back in.

I would also add that the longer you keep going when you don't want to the longer it will take away from DM'ng before you come back to it.

In my case under perssure from the players I kept going for a couple of years and after that I did not DM for about 10 years. I still played when I could get a game. When I came back I mostly ran modules, am still doing it but I can see my current campaing veering of the published arc shortly and moving on out in to the unknown and I am looking forward to it.