Major DM Burnout...

[KnowTheToe]

For the most part, the entire group I played with had burn out. We were all strangers when we started gaming, and after about a year of good gaming, the game just stopped working and everyone was frustrated.

I took a few weeks off, we all communicated thru email and talked about our concerns and wants and decided to switch games for awhile. We started an great 7th Seas game and ran are going to have a second game of Spy Craft. playing one a week and using 2 GMs is really helping keep everyone fresh.

I am ready to get knees deep into a good D&D game light on combat and heavy on story. Maybe I will check out the online game section of the boards.

We also tok a week to play a board game, it gave us a time to do something we all enjoy and don't get the opportuinty to play as well to talk about what we want.

Remember, gaming does not need to be an obsession, if you are not having fun, take a step back and try something else.

 

[Nine Hands]

Well, we originally were playing basically whenever we had the chance. After I got the first case of burnout, we took about a month or so off. When we started playing again, we cut back drastically, to only once a week. Which is why this second case of burnout is so distressing...we're not even playing that much.

In answer to your other question, I DM almost exclusively. I love worldbuilding, etc., though.

I think (and I don't know how to talk to them about this without sounding harsh) that another problem is the players. They're very combat-centric, which isn't really anything to worry about, since honestly most DnD players are. But I really think I want more out of a campaign - I'd like some roleplay-heavy game like COC or Ravenloft.

Do you play at all? I generally GM at least once a week and if I don't play 50% of that time in aother game (with a different group), I tend to go nuts.

Its good that you can notice this before it becomes an issue. Maybe you need a break. Go find an adventure or game that YOU want to play and try to get one of your fellow gamers to run a short 4 week game with it. This will give you a chance to decompress and figure out what you want to do next if your campaign.

 

[TalonComics]

I've been having the same problems and I think it's mainly because I'm always the GM/DM. I've told them more than once "I sure would like to play sometime" and they don't seem to be taking it to heart. A couple of my players also seemed to think that if I don't run regularly I'm some how screwing them over because "they need to game!" It's very annoying to say the least.

The last time I actually got to play anything with my own character was probably September 2002 and that was a major hack 'n' slash fest. I could go play in some RPGA events but I need a little bit more than that kind of playing.

Andrew, my suggestion is just try to find someone else to GM for a while and see how that goes. I know that's what would help me.

~D

 

[WizarDru]

Sometimes, just some time off, from gaming, is a good thing (tm). One of my players volunteered to run a game, and that certainly helps. Having always been the DM for twenty years, you want to actually PLAY some times, and it's nice when you can.

Second, do something no gaming, possibly even non-genre, to recharge the batteries. Read a book, take a walk, go see a movie. Ideas are wonderful wellsprings that flow from nowhere...find a way to tap a spigot into one. I honestly find my best ideas in the car listening to music, or musing in the shower.

Third, find something that IS genre/gaming related that WILL put you in the mood. Find some quiet spot and watch Fellowship on DVD, or listen to the soundtrack to the 13th warrior on CD. Imagine a heroic situation, and a way to put the characters in it, after you've gotten one in your mind.

Fourth, assuming your players aren't oposed to the idea, find some things that you CAN do to bring them into less combat-centric situations. If all the group does is beatdowns, sooner or later, everyone will get bored of it (although thresholds vary dramatically). The trick is to offer the promise of a grand battle on the other side (a promise that MUST be kept, btw).

For example: You want some court intrigue. The players want a battle. Meet them half-way. Have the king secretly ask them to attend a royal ball, to locate an assasin who stalks the crowd that he believes has been sent by the queen, or his own spymaster (or heck, why not both?). The players need to use their skills to ferret out the killer. Set up the situation to make a purely physical solution difficult, but have it end in a swashbuckling battle. Higher level players? Have the royal court swathed in protective enchantments, that don't stop magic, but make it more interesting.

If that seems like it would be too much, try making the combats more interesting by throwing the rules to the wind, if need be. To use an example from my own game: Recently, the players were fighting a Lich ex-Druid/Blighter on a demi-plane of the World Ash. The battle took place in a large area that was hollowed out of the rampant overgrowth of the plane. The lich had the ability to pass without trace, allowing her free movement throughout the plane, ducking in and out of the plant growth. Their target was (unbeknownst to them) her phylactery in the form a great black crystal spike. The spike was shooting a beam of shadow energy skyward, splitting the battlefield in half. Anyone using a magical movement effect across it found it reversed (teleport through it, and find yourself on the other side of the battlefield).

In short, find your bliss, and maybe you can help the players find theirs.

 

[ergeheilalt]

I have yet to burn out ... but I have had many minor burns ... almost every week. I play in two games (one on Friday nights and one on Sunday mornings). Then with another separate group, I DM on Saturdays. My came is completely homebrew, but I do get that burn out feeling on Sunday mornings, where I am only fit to play and not DM.

To make my DMing easier I have to keep things in mind which seem to go well for me and my group.

- As we play on line, I need to remember just how much action I will be able to fit into one night's adventure. A typical 3-4 hour game can possibly fit 2 combat scenes or 3-4 NPC encounters. Dont worry about preparing ahead. I typically only prepare 1-2 weeks in advance at most.

- If burn out gets real bad, check out a book. I find that books that are heavy on lore and history are great for adventure ideas.

- Play a computer game. They are for the most part mindless and take no effort as far as planning goes.

- Talk on a message board or chat room. Find ideas that appeal to your gaming style. These little sparks may trigger a whole idea to get you jump started.

Not all of those may help, but one might. I tend to think of the fact that I am DMing with a group of people that are about 7-10 years older than I am, it helps viewing myself as a diplomat of young gamers of the PC-RPG generation .

Erge

 

[Darrin Drader]

When I get burned out I take a break or try to find something not related to gaming or the genre to engage in for a while.

One time when I burned out I started doing some hiking. Its kind of funny how, while temporarily escaping the hobby, being in the midst of nature for a actually managed to recharge my battery and inspire me to continue with the game later.

The other thing is that it sounds like your players depend on you too much. I enjoy groups where someone else can take over and DM for a few sessions. Groups of strictly players who are combat mongers can be fun, but after a while they start to seem a little too needy. They tend to put the pressure on you to give them their fix while not caring so much whether or not you are enjoying the game. One of the groups I was in was like this, so I told them how I felt and asked if anyone was interested in running the game for a while. It ended up working out pretty well.