Need some Advice

[slaunt]

The last couple months i have found myself with a problem. I love to game, and i love to run the game. I am typically the DM, and i have been known to run some awesome adventures. But over the last year or so, i have been having a problem maintaining cohesivness of my game. I use a homebrewed campaign setting, the one i have is currently in its third incarnation. But i just dont have the time, or will, to continue world building, and write adventures. Over the next couple months i will be losing players, almost all of them. Two of them, are planning on moving away, but close enough that they say they will still show up for gaming, but i wonder how long that will last. So i dont want to continue world building, and maintaining a storyline, when it will all be for naught in a few months anyways.
Wich now brings me to the next thing. I dont really want to play DnD, and do gaming anymore. I have taken several breaks, to try and get my gaming groove back, but i just dont want to do it anymore. I tried to run other systems, but even that hadnt done me much good.
I need some advice, and anything anyone can offer me, would be great.

Slaunt

 

[Jdvn1]

Try an extended break? If you don't want to game, you don't want to game. Explain to your players that it just doesn't entertain you anymore, and that you're stopping. Maybe after a while, it'll pique your interest again, but there's nothing forcing you to play.

 

[devilbat]

This has happened to me. I refer it as DM burnout. I've always found that a month or two away from the game gives me the recharge I need.

How about giving up roleplaying for awhile? Maybe finding another group, where you could just play is the ticket.

 

[Treebore]

I once took over 8 months off from any kind of gaming. Here I am 16 or 17 years later, still gaming.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm currently in the same boat more or less. I've stopped DMing (except for a very occasional Babylon 5 D20 game) to concentrate on playing for a while. Been about 6 months now and its nice to have that break.

But if you're saying that you've lost even that interest in the game then theres not much advice anyone can give you.

 

[S'mon]

Stop gaming. Wait and see. Maybe in a few months you'll get the urge again. Maybe a few weeks, maybe a few years.

 

[Runesong42]

Weird as this sounds, try a different hobby for a while. Reading, playing video games, sports, anything. I find the greatest ideas for my games come when I'm out walking, or (for some reason) doing dishes. Something to keep the body busy so the mind is free to do whatever. If it's not DnD, try a different game, maybe board games, or maybe board wargaming. Or, get away from gaming altogether and try something else to express your creativity. Drawing/Painting, maybe?

- Dru

 

[Kae'Yoss]

I can only add to the choir: If it's not fun anymore, stop. Maybe after a break you will find that you want to play again. But if you keep playing now even though you don't want, you might sour it for you permanently.

Have you tried being just a player for a change, letting someone else take the role of DM?

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

It happens... had this a couple of years ago. Finished running a big campaign and I just couldn't get back into DMing anything afterwards. Players were also feeling rather burned out.

Our group decided to change what we did. Still met up, but took to going to the cinema or playing card/board games. Started playing again a few months later, and it was all good... But we definitely needed the break.


Edit: Sounds like you could be suffering from a little DnD burnout. Plenty of other good systems out there... next time you DM, it might be worth playing something markedly different. Perhaps less fantasy feeling - Cyberpunk or a super heroes game? Plenty of other D20 stuff out there, but my taste would be to run using a different system.

 

[Ed Cha]

Don't take things so seriously. Just because you don't feel like gaming right now doesn't mean you'll quit gaming forever.