When to Call it Quits

[Pandion]

I had to tell the group I DM today that I was ending the campaign and our D&D meetings. As most of the older(and not so older) gamers know, marriages and jobs have a way of separating friends and breaking up gaming groups. When is it time to finally call it quits?

For my group we were only meeting once a month for only fours hours a session because of RL commitments. Hardly anything was getting done and enthusiasm was lacking because of it. I finally decided to stop going against the grain and end it.

How bout everyone else? Has anyone reluctantly given up gaming for similar reasons?

 

[fredramsey]

Man, that's depressing

Have you thought that it might just need some trimming instead of disbanding? Was on couple begging off more than another?

You could also look for fresh blood. If gaming is something you enjoy, don't let others take that away from you. Find some people who want to game, who share your love of it.

It took me a while to find my current group, but I hope to be playing for quite some time.

 

[EricNoah]

Unlike a TV series, you can go "on hiatus" for as long as you want. Recharge your batteries, find some new players. I know that's easy to say and hard to do. It's one of the unending challenges of our hobby (the other is training good DMs). Who knows -- maybe you are the good DM some other group is waiting for?

 

[alsih2o]

I don't think most gamers ever really "Quit".

Playing the game is only part of gaming. World design, PC ideas, making jokes about failed reflex saves IRL and posting on messageboards are all also part of "Gaming."

Stay with your interests even if you do not stay with your group. It will serve you well.

 

[Teflon Billy]

I would've (and have) called it quits on a group that couldn't manage to reliably hit 4 hours a month as well.

I understand people get caught up in their lives, but if you are telling me that a person can't put together the same amopunt of time as dinner and a movie once a month to game, I will call you a liar.

In my experience, this is just people who no longer want to game. Nothing wrong with that (tastes can certainly change), but I wouldn't bother with a "Wow. Tea and I just can't get even one night free per month" speech to the DM. I would consider it an insult to his intelligence.

If you want to game, find people who also want to game. they will likley be able to devote more than a few moments a month to it.

That said, don't take just anyone into the replacement group. I firmly beleive that gaming is (or should be) a social activity, and I know AlsiH2o above would agree with me when I say if you wouldn't hang around with the new people outside of the game, don't force yourself to endure them because of the game"

 

[Pandion]

Yeah I think this can happen to even the best of groups. For my case we've been playing since 2001 but all of us got married over the last few years and taken on more responsibilities at our offices.

I think its important for players to consciously have a commitment to the gaming group. This is easy when we're all younger and with few responsibilities. Its when we get older that consciously making such a commitment becomes necessary. Otherwise good groups die a slow death.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Yup...this is where I am now. I've not DM'd in months because of my on RL duties and have let a long running campaign fizzle and die. I play when I can with my group under another DM (Thanks, Jerry!) and run once a month for my son and a friend.

I think the key to my burnout is D&D itself. I've been the DM 90% of the time since my 1e days, and even though there are lots of exciting things coming out and going on with D&D, I need a break. I promised that after the holidays, I'll run a Star Wars d20 campaign, set in the time period of the Knights of the Old Republic. One of my players has nearly everyone of the books, and will give me indefinite loan of them so I can do this. My RL issues seem to be settling down to a degree, so hopefully we can get back on a good gaming schedule.

 

[Scribble]

Luckily the closest thing I've had within the past couple of years was when I needed a break from DMing. Luckily the other main DM in the group was ready to grab the reigns for a bit.

I agree with Eric with what he said about Hiatus though. You might find that right now you have no time, but don't forget about it, as time has a remarkable way of coming back.

I quit gaming for a couple of years in college, and Teflon I disagree it can be because of time issues. In school, I hardly even had time for the aformentioned dinner, let alone activities like gaming. Gaming takes up a lot of time, especialy if you run the game. And it's not always that you can't find say four hours a month, the problem is getting EVERYONE to find those same four hours every month... That's the hard part.

But I digress, take a break, but don't forget about it. You might just find yourself starting a game again sometime soon.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

If you can't find a new face to face group, you can always try online gaming (via something like WebRPG or OpenRPG). It ain't the same by a long shot, but it's better than nothing IMHO.

And, you should be able to find people to game online no matter what time slot you need.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Are you ending it because you're becoming too busy, or because the group couldn't get together often enough?

If you find yourself becoming too busy, it's a question of priorities. Other obligations pop up, but you've got to have a life. Unless you are one of the fortunate few who gets to do what they love for a living, the point of working is to earn the ability to do the fun things.

If it's a group scheduling thing, try smaller groups. Even a DM and two players can be fun. Also, try non-RPGs -- a lot of times my groups have fallen back on Titan or Dragonhunt or other beer'n'pretzel games when it became difficult to sustain the effort required for an RPG campaign.