Opinions needed. What do you do?

[JacktheRabbit]

What do you do when you join a campaign and quickly learn that the DM is absolutely lazy and seems to go out of his way to the bare minimum?

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Run a campaign, myself.

 

[Treebore]

Run a campaign, myself.

Yep.

 

[Votan]

Run a campaign, myself.

That is pretty much all that you've got. As an aside, it might also make you more sympathetic to the time saving decisions that the DM makes.

Also, are you in a system with a lot of preparation time? There can be a huge difference between the time burden of Rolemaster or D&D 3.5 and Traveller or BSG. If the DM is time strapped but running an interesting story then maybe a less complex system is an option?

 

[Punnuendo]

What do you do when you join a campaign and quickly learn that the DM is absolutely lazy and seems to go out of his way to the bare minimum?

Is the game still fun? A lot of GMs I know and have talked to run fun and interesting games with little if any prep work.

How player-driven is the plot? Are the players and their characters driving things in the game that the GM just reacts to or with said GM not putting in an effort is there just nothing going on?

If the game is still fun and things are still happening in game I wouldn't worry about it. But most likely since you are posting here that isn't what is going on. As the above posters said you could run your own game, find another gaming group, or simply just quit this one. After all if you aren't having fun then what is the point of gaming?

Also, are the other players having a problem with this as well? Maybe as a group you could talk to the GM about it. Or at least have a discussion with them about what everyone expects out of the game and their fellow participants.

 

[aboyd]

What do you do when you join a campaign and quickly learn that the DM is absolutely lazy and seems to go out of his way to the bare minimum?

I find another game and be happy.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Are the players and their characters driving things in the game that the GM just reacts to or with said GM not putting in an effort is there just nothing going on?

Rule #1

"This is a written module nothing will deviate us from the path of the written module."

So to answer your question, no the players and their characters are in no way driving the adventure. Everything is going as written in the module and any attempts to think outside the box or push any variation or change is quickly and totally crushed down.

 

[The Green Adam]

As stated, is it fun? Are the players and the GM having fun with way?

If the answer is no, have someone else run something or run it yourself. First though, let the guy know. Tell your GM you're not enjoying the game and see if you can come up with a few ways to improve the situation.

AD
Barking Alien

 

[Raven Crowking]

Find a group you are happy with, or run a game yourself.

If you don't want to do that, then do your best to make the game fun, and stop complaining.

Life is too short for games you aren't enjoying.

Life is way too short for complaining about things you aren't willing to change.


RC

 

[Guest 85555]

Rule #1

"This is a written module nothing will deviate us from the path of the written module."

So to answer your question, no the players and their characters are in no way driving the adventure. Everything is going as written in the module and any attempts to think outside the box or push any variation or change is quickly and totally crushed down.

I understand your frustration, but I believe attributing something such as laziness to the GM, may be unfair. This could simply be a matter of his GMing style. He may not be comfortable running things off the cuff, or he may not have the time to prepare material himself. It also could be form a lack of exposure to other GMs (the best way to grow is to participate in other peoples' campaigns and observe how they run games). If you don't like the way he GMs, you should have someone else GM, offer him some constructive criticism or seek another group.

Whatever you do, I would be cautious in how you approach the situation. It may be that your GM is trying his hardest to do a good job. At the end of the day, remember it is only a game and not worth losing friends over. I think being polite and diplomatic is important in these situations. For instance, it isn't neccessary, to tell him you don't like the way he GMs. It may be true that you don't how he runs things. But frame it another way if possible.

If you decide to offer constructive criticism, make sure you tred softly. There is nothing wrong with making the GM aware of your preferences, but sometimes being too direct can come accross as being rude. I've seen this disrupt gaming groups many times. Treat the GMs style, the way you would treat his fashion sense. It is something he can improve over time, but he may also take direct criticism personally. Instead of saying, "you don't know how to dress, don't you understand that shirt makes you look like a loser" say "red is definitely your color my friend, you should wear more red and a little less green." There is still a criticism in the last one, but it is burried in the compliment. When he does something you like, bring it up and compliment it. Then tell him how much of an improvement it is.