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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Charles Dunwoody" data-source="post: 9000650" data-attributes="member: 17927">If you want my opinion, I see two possibilities happening. You could be tired of GMing in any capacity, in which case I'd suggest you play as a player for a while. Not always easy to do, I know, you might have to find an online group to join.I do have one other thought. You say you're running WotC adventures. If I'm reading that correctly, you have a campaign outline for level say 1-10 and you run your players through the entire book. The players level up and get to create a certain type of character they like this way.If that is the case, read on. Otherwise what I'm going to say next may not apply to you.I do not like players planning out characters through multiple levels. And I will not run campaigns simply to allow a table to level up and add game mechanics to a sheet of paper.Why? Because it is boring. The players might as well play a computer game.I only write one adventure ahead. And I use random encounters and NPCs with various agendas the PCs may align with or against. One adventure ahead means I'm building on what happened last game. Random encounters and NPCs that aren't just good or evil means I'm surprised. Surprised by encounters I didn't expect and surprised by the NPCs the PCs choose to like or hate.I also learn to love each individual PC as they do crazy things, build relations with NPCs they decide they like, and rooting for them however they handle crazy random encounters that no one could expect.This approach is better than any computer game. The PCs can react in any way and I can be one step ahead reacting. Which keeps it fresh for me and exciting. I don't know what is going to happen the next week. And I'm rooting for the PCs' crazy plans to come to fruition and succeed. And when they don't, I help steer things along the waterslide.I call this a waterslide rather than a railroad from a YouTube video I watched. The PCs are always sliding downhill, but I create various slides they can shoot into. They pick the slide, but I have an idea which direction things are going. It works well and keeps me energized.It is counter-intuitive. You'd think having several adventures planned would be less stressful. But that method locks you in to running someone's else's adventure rather than your table's adventure. I always find working for myself more enjoyable even if it is more work.</blockquote>

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