It's official. My D&D group has dissolved.

[MerakSpielman]

We haven't played since January - and that particular game had itself been the first game in over a month.

People just didn't seem to want to make D&D a priority any more. It's kind of sad, after 3 years together, that it should end so... quietly. We always kept in touch via email - and four of our players (out of eight) hadn't responded to any of the "so are we going to get together this weekend" emails for over a month now.

It really felt like breaking up with a significant other. We had incredible reluctance to take the final step and send out our final email. It felt like we were ending a special phase of our life - even though we were never really close friends with the people in the group.

So my wife and I have started a neophyte group with a close friend of ours, but we're going to need one or two more people to really get a campaign going again. We're going to finish the mod we're working on and then think more seriously about active recruiting.

I find it interesting, though, that my wife and I, when talking about the situation and what we should do, never considered for a moment not playing D&D any more. It wasn't an option. Our choices were a) hold out and hope the group pulls together again or b) s=break up with them and start a new group. There was never another option considered.

 

[Henry]

Don't be surprised if your final E-mail spurs several of your old group to action again. Sometimes people sit on their duff as long as they know that something is still waiting for them.

Good luck in your player search. Have you considered searching the "Gamers seeking Gamers" forum here?

 

[Darklone]

Be glad. People screaming at each and storming out of the house during the gaming evening, spamming your email account later with "You are all so bad" mails are worse.

Losing a group is always sad, but losing friends is worse, with or without RPGing.

 

[diaglo]

you could move....

i know some groups in Hotlanta looking for good gamers.

 

[Hjorimir]

I went through this same thing years ago. So I went down to a local gaming store that had a room where DMs would run open games and started to meet some people. I took my time, was very picky, and ended up meeting some great guys from some of the various games.

Now, many years later, I have so many players that I have to run two different games to accommodate them all (and there are still more players that are just not playing at this time).

You can turn it around.

 

[shadoe]

Our gaming group is well on its way to breaking up as well. It will not happen for a month or two, but by May I will be without a group, and have to go hunting for new players. Two are moving across the country, two have not been heard from in more than a month and do not respond to emails.

Right now I am just going to wait until we get through our move which is just across town, and then try to salvage what I can/find new members for a gaming group.

It is sad though, we have been gaming together for three years now.

 

[Psion]

Be glad. People screaming at each and storming out of the house during the gaming evening, spamming your email account later with "You are all so bad" mails are worse.

Oh gawd. I had the latter after I had to boot two players for daring to kick them out, and I got the fifth degree about what a meanie I was being for wanting to have fun in my game again instead of the disruption that they brought to the gaming table since they arrived.

 

[AlphaOmega]

It's very frustrating. I understand when real-life issues come up but when a group dissolves without notice or very little feedback it... well stings. Not responding to emails is not a classy move by your, I guess now, former players.

I've been lucky enough to form/join a number of groups in the last few years. Stability is still just out of my reach but I'm working on it

 

[The_Universe]

It sucks alright.

I had my original gaming group (started out with D6 Star Wars in 1995, and RPed constantly, eventually converting whole-heartedly to D20, through 2002) just dissolve completely when I moved to the DC metro area in the fall of '03. I was the GM for the last few years, and we were all really close friends throughout high school and college. I left for Grad School and a job, and they not only stopped playing together, they stopped HANGING OUT together. I have a hard time imagining that I was the only glue holding the group together. Unsettling nonetheless.

Then, when I moved out here I ended up getting roped into GMing for a group of people that had been trying to find a good DM for almost two years, and that's worked out well. Most of us have become friends outside the game, as well. Then, a couple of the founding members of the group decided that they couldn't play anymore unless we moved the game to their house, which nearly killed the whole thing.

In the end, we added a player, lost 2, and are at a nice population of 8. Even so, I feel weird hanging out with those people, now, because a major part of the reason they quit something that they loved was because I was unwilling to haul all my game supplies 30 miles 1/week. *sighs* Oh well.

 

[Garmorn]

Our gaming group is well on its way to breaking up as well. It will not happen for a month or two, but by May I will be without a group, and have to go hunting for new players. Two are moving across the country, two have not been heard from in more than a month and do not respond to emails.

Right now I am just going to wait until we get through our move which is just across town, and then try to salvage what I can/find new members for a gaming group.

It is sad though, we have been gaming together for three years now.

My group is also falling apart because of outside problems/restrictions. We are done to three counting the DM and realy would like to bring it back up to 5 to 6 people.