Players, have you fired your DM?

[Hussar]

In two of the three player revolts I've seen, I got nominated to DM next, so, I guess, that counts.

I did fire myself once actually, thinking about it. My first online campaign was an ungodly mess. I finally pulled the plug and put a bullet in it. Walked away and only retained one of the players of that group to form a new group. Yeah, I gotta wear some of the blame in there. I don't think it was entirely my fault, but, yeah, it was a real learning experience.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Yes, but when other players call to ask about him, I can only legally say "He DM'ed for our group from April 2006 through June 2007."

 

[scourger]

In a way, I've "fired" every DM in a game that I've stopped attending; and I've been "fired" as a DM in many of the games I've stopped running. Not every game is a success, even when playing among friends. Few campaigns get to an actual end, even if one is planned. The trouble with my group when it was bigger was that it really was a collection of individuals more than a group. By that I mean that most of my fellow players are not willing to play something that isn't exactly what they want for very long until they find something else to do with their time. It took me a while to realize it, but there it is. We're actually more cohesive now that there are just 3 of us than we were back when there were 7 of us (on average), but our options are more limited. Add real life concerns, and there just isn't the time or effort to spare for gaming as there used to be. So, attendance is down.

Back when we had more of these concerns, I identified the "player boycott" and the "DM embargo." The limits are that a boycott has to unanimous to shut off all demand for a game, and an embargo has to cut off the only supply of any game. Otherwsie, they don't work. And, it's not really the kind of thing that friends should do anyway. I would prefer simply to be told directly that a given game I'm running isn't working and move on to something else, and vice versa for me as a player. On the other hand, I will give it a go if a friend really wants to run something, and I expect the same in return. I've been disappointed in that expectation, so I've become more and more willing to "fire" a DM if I don't like a game; even if it means that I leave for a while and the game goes on without me.

 

[Hussar]

I'm not really sure I'd consider quitting a game to be firing the DM. After all, the campaign continues (presumably) without you as a player. For the DM to be considered "fired", IMO, the campaign has to stop.

If the DM quits, he hasn't really been fired, although, it might be a case of quitting before the axe falls. Similarly, if a single player chooses not to continue in a campaign, but the group carries on, I'd say that's just a player quitting (or possibly being ejected).

A campaign that stumbles, stutters and then dies doesn't have to be because the DM got fired. I've run campaigns for groups that have died an early death, but picked right up and tried another campaign right afterward with the same group. That might just be because of growing pains with groups - finding common grounds for everyone to play in is sometimes a bit... difficult.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I wouldn't say "fired" but we recently asked our current DM to "go on sabbatical". He's busy in his private life and it became clear he didn't have enough time to invest in proper prep work for the game. So we asked him to put the game on hold for a while until he has more time available and let someone else GM.

 

[Lord Ipplepop]

I've never been in a situation where the DM was fired; however, we have suspended a couple or given them an assistant DM for a while to help put them back on track...

Usually, the only DM's we have had hassles with were making rookie mistakes, or didn't cater to the party... we would just have someone else DM for a while, or have another player/DM teach him a little about the game and how the group liked to play...
Another way we helped keep the Donald Trump effect from happening is to have more than one player as DM... that way everyone got to see what worked and what didn't and brought it to their games.

 

[Mallus]

I've never been part of a group that "fired" the DM. Nor have I ever been fired as DM. Go me!

(though players have threatened me with physical violence for some of the puns I've used over the course of my last two campaigns...)

 

[TarionzCousin]

(though players have threatened me with physical violence for some of the puns I've used over the course of my last two campaigns...)

[MENTION=3887]Mallus[/MENTION], I hope you were at least fined for those puns (cash, beer, pizza, etc). That's definitely a crime!