Lazy Game Masters

[Icefrosty171]

So lately our gm has become a bit lazy, just putting little to no effort into his game. We are currently running Kingmaker and we have a
Gm who roles up encounters each time we travel and its pretty much the same deal every session, there's just no spark, no life in the game and lately its just not been very fun, I understand kingmaker makes the gm do most of the work, things are not just spelled out for them as much as they are in other adventure paths. I was wondering if anyone else has thins problem and if so did you fix it, how. How do you motivate your gm to at least put a bit of thought into their game during the week, or how do you help them understand the difference between a great adventure and a super advanced chess game?

Please be advised my Gm is fairly new to game mastering, we have about 7 sessions in so far and he knows how the rules work.

Running on Pathfinder rules.

[Crake]

So lately our gm has become a bit lazy, just putting little to no effort into his game. We are currently running Kingmaker and we have a
Gm who roles up encounters each time we travel and its pretty much the same deal every session, there's just no spark, no life in the game and lately its just not been very fun, I understand kingmaker makes the gm do most of the work, things are not just spelled out for them as much as they are in other adventure paths. I was wondering if anyone else has thins problem and if so did you fix it, how. How do you motivate your gm to at least put a bit of thought into their game during the week, or how do you help them understand the difference between a great adventure and a super advanced chess game?

Please be advised my Gm is fairly new to game mastering, we have about 7 sessions in so far and he knows how the rules work.

Running on Pathfinder rules.

Maybe he's suffering from DM burnout? Offer to run a game alongside his (either within the same continuity, or in your own) and teach by example of how you would like a game to run? Its also worth noting that DMing is oftentimes much more taxing than it seems, especially to a new DM, I remember getting headaches after running my games for the first few weeks.

[Red Fel]

So lately our gm has become a bit lazy, just putting little to no effort into his game. We are currently running Kingmaker and we have a
Gm who roles up encounters each time we travel and its pretty much the same deal every session, there's just no spark, no life in the game and lately its just not been very fun, I understand kingmaker makes the gm do most of the work, things are not just spelled out for them as much as they are in other adventure paths. I was wondering if anyone else has thins problem and if so did you fix it, how. How do you motivate your gm to at least put a bit of thought into their game during the week, or how do you help them understand the difference between a great adventure and a super advanced chess game?

Please be advised my Gm is fairly new to game mastering, we have about 7 sessions in so far and he knows how the rules work.

Running on Pathfinder rules.

First off, I don't play PF and I don't know Kingmaker. But I know good storytelling and DMing, having seen my share of good and bad.

The standard piece of advice, as solid here as anywhere, is to talk to your DM. This should be constructive. First, remind the DM what they do that's good, so they don't feel you're simply tearing them down. Then, instead of simply saying what you don't like, make suggestions on how to improve things. Finally, ask if there's anything going on in their lives - maybe your DM is going through personal issues that take priority. Offer to help if the DM needs any game-related assistance.

It's possible your DM doesn't realize there's a problem. It's possible there are other issues taking precedence. It's possible your DM doesn't care. I've been in some situations where a DM's game started to deteriorate because the DM simply didn't want to DM anymore. There are a number of possible reasons, and a number of possible solutions, but it starts with a polite, constructive conversation.

Bottom line: Until you know what's up, and your DM knows what's up, you can't really "motivate" your DM to do anything.

Now, as for what makes a great game, my position has always been personal involvement. A great game happens when the DM introduces story elements that make each PC an integral part of the plot in some way. This means reading a character's backstory and finding something there that can become an ongoing plot element. The guy who came from a disenfranchised noble family? Reveal a hidden secret from his grandfather that may be the key to restoring the family's honor. The scholar seeking the secrets of ancient civilizations? Clue him in on the calamity that buried the ancient capital - and its return. The wandering sellsword who lost his love in his youth? Have the antagonist employ the man who killed her. Then weave these disparate threads into a tapestry that encompasses the party. In any given session, at least one PC should have a moment where, for a brief instant, they are central to the plot. Not just because of their class or skillset, but because of the character. Any session where the players come away feeling like superstars, not because they did something mechanically awesome but because they were the center of the universe, is a successful and engaging session.

[illyahr]

Maybe he's suffering from DM burnout? Offer to run a game alongside his (either within the same continuity, or in your own) and teach by example of how you would like a game to run? Its also worth noting that DMing is oftentimes much more taxing than it seems, especially to a new DM, I remember getting headaches after running my games for the first few weeks.

^This. I love to be a DM. I love building characters and places for my PC's to interact with. And I'm the only one in our group who can keep most of the rules straight. However, being the DM is HARD!

Imagine solo-running a wizard, a druid, and a cleric all at the same time and trying to do it without slowing the game. Now imagine that you have to make a dozen new characters for every session to keep things interesting. You also have to try to plan for things the other players may do so you don't stall the game trying to figure out how to unbreak something they did. And behind all of this is the requirement to make sure everything you make is enough to keep the attention of the other players without compromising story/plot integrity.

It's very fulfilling when everything goes correctly, but a lot of work that people get burned out on quickly. See if someone can take over for a little while so the DM can sit back and not have to worry about whether or not the next few encounters are finished.

[Blackhawk748]

I agree with the burnout theory, it happens to me a lot, DM for 7 sessions? you just get tired. Hell it makes me want to play a fighter so i can just mindlessly smash bad things

[Scow2]

And, of course, being one of the hardest and most tedious systems to DM for on the market doesn't help, either.

[Blackhawk748]

agreed, im kinda a lazy gm in the fact that i tend to just use creatures as written lol i just send more at the party, on the plus side they never run the action economy

[Subaru Kujo]

I honestly would offer a break. He just sounds rather burned out. Either that or just take an adventure off of the internet that is the definition of smash the doors down and take everything in sight (note: the latter is what I did when I was feeling burned out. Your mileage may vary (I say this because sometimes the PCs, depending who they are, may spare a great portion of the lair to use in their endeavors later on, making more bookkeeping for him to do)).

[Blackhawk748]

I honestly would offer a break. He just sounds rather burned out. Either that or just take an adventure off of the internet that is the definition of smash the doors down and take everything in sight (note: the latter is what I did when I was feeling burned out. Your mileage may vary (I say this because sometimes the PCs, depending who they are, may spare a great portion of the lair to use in their endeavors later on, making more bookkeeping for him to do)).

This is great, WotC has a ton of short adventures, like 5-10 pages, where all your supposed to do is kick the door in and kill everything, i recommend Cave of the Spiders, short and rather well written out.

[Bonzai]

Our group meets once a week. We have 5 players, 4 of which take turns DM'ing, the 5th being a new player. We have two campaigns going, each with a different DM, running alternate weeks. When one campaign finishes, the next DM steps in and runs his.This takes a lot of pressure off the DM, and gives them time to prepare. Stuff can happen during the week, and a DM may not always have the time he would like to prepare. That can come across as lazy, but in reality he may just be struggling to keep the game running smoothly and is taking short cuts.

I agree with the above poster. You need to talk with him. If he is a new DM and is having to run every week, he could be struggling to keep up.

[nedz]

It sounds like your DM is bored with the game AKA DM burnout.

Unless the DM is enthused about the game they will not be interested in doing the back ground work, which can be quite extensive.

The best solution is to add variety to the game, but if you are locked into long term plot lines then that can be hard.

Reaching this point after only 7 sessions is not a good sign for the campaign, the suggestions about dropping it and starting over may be on the money.