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Message: <blockquote data-quote="scourger" data-source="post: 2065176" data-attributes="member: 12328">My answer to the original question is that an RPG is a cooperative endeavor.  The players can't play without the DM, but the DM can't run the game without the players.  In my experience, the DM puts in the most work; so the DM usually drives the game.  But, the players untimately dictate the game as their participation enables it just as their lack of participation kills it.  Everyone has to agree on the game.  The DM usually has to agree more than the players do; but the DM can always embargo the players, and the players can always boycott the DM (sadly, I've experienced both).     That said, here's what else I've experienced.  I've DM'ed and played a lot of games over the last 25 years.  None has gone to epic levels.  I think the highest level I've ever advanced a PC from 1st level was to 7/7 (an AD&D dwarven fighter/cleric).  I think the idea of an epic campaign is a myth.  I certianly find that I don't have the time for it as I get older.  Also, I don't have the inclination.  I want more variety in my games.  There are just too many great d20 games out there to just play plain vanilla D&D--it no longer captivates me.  Right now, I'm running the Shackeled City adventure path from Dungeon for our weekly gaming group.  We've been at it for nearly 6 months, and we're still in the second module.  Once we finish it, there are nine more to go.  I even added jedi, judges, mutants & aasimar paladins to make it different & interesting for me to run, but the bloom is off the rose.  I'm not sure I can stand to run it all.  Even if I do, it's another 2 years of gaming (possibly 3).  I'm ready to DM something else.  I've had much better success with smaller campaigns.  It's probably the most fair to let the players know it's a mini-campaign from the beginning.  I did 3 over the last year or two, and they were fun.  They were vastly different genres, too: pirate, western & post-apocalyptic.  It seemed as if the players got enough time to develop their characters without the game dragging on interminably.  I think an ideal solution is to transport PCs from one game the DM runs to another.  But, most of my players don't like the idea.  They are either D&D purists or they want to develop a character for a specific game to min/max the character for that specific game (usually both).  Most camapigns with converted characters end in disaster, even D&D edition conversions, both for the DM and the players.  So, I just put different campaigns "on break" and never get back to them.  Sad but true.My suggestion to you is to ask your DM whay he or she is bored with the current campaign.  Then, try to figure out how to transform the game into something that keeps everyone happy.  It may not be easy, but you might be able to atleast reach a comprimose that lets your DM try new things with the same PCs that you as players are trying to more fully develop.  (Heck, I might do this myself.  Now I'm glad that I responded to this thread.)</blockquote>

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