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GoblinGilmartin
2015-01-08, 04:57 AM
So, I'm not really sure how to approach this, but I've been in a strange funk. Sorry for text wall.

I've been playing D&D since high school (about five to six years). In this time, I've almost always DMed. Any experiences I've had as a player (in any rpg) have been a mess, with one exception (my best friend).

I don't know what it is lately. I really WANT to play D&D. I think of all the fun I've had, and all the cool ideas, but any time I so much as glance at my game shelf, I get this weird feeling of anxiety that makes me not want to read them. I still collect miniatures and try to rope people I know into a game, but these days I need to be in a very specific mood to be able to play.

One night, I'd planned to game with a group of friends. We go to one of the player's houses and I'm really energetic and (while not totally prepared) I'm pretty good at improv'ing. The player who's house it was decides she's tired and goes to bed, given that we had such a small group, we couldn't play, and I was pissed. the next morning, I'm too tired to focus, and I'm unprepared. I start second guessing myself (as I always do) and I can't find any of my references. This wasn't the only experience, I've had MANY a failed skype game. and the last three-ish IRL games have ended waaaaay too soon in various ways.

Ever since then, I get this feeling of angst whenever I think about DMing or preparing for a game, and I don't know how to shake it... I want my hobby back.

Teal deer: I've lost that loving, DMing feeling.

lytokk
2015-01-08, 08:53 AM
Wow, sorry to hear that. Burnout happens sometimes. I can relate to the massive anticipation followed by massive letdown scenario. When it was hapenning to me, I couple of good suggestions were made.

1) Try playing, not running, for at least a little while. A small change of pace could do you some good and let you think from a different angle.

2) Switch to a different game system. If you're playing with orcs and elves, maybe try switching to a modern or even futuristic type of game. We all like Lord of the Rings, but sometimes we'd rather watch Star Wars or even the Expendables (best examples I could think of).

3) Just take a break from tabletop for a while. If you want to hang out with your friends, pick up some simple board games and just have fun. Give that DM noggin a break.

Beta Centauri
2015-01-08, 10:42 AM
Don't prep at all. Think about what you enjoy, whether that's real life or fiction, and draw heavily from that while you improvise. Make it clear to the players that you're improvising and that they're expected to work with you, rather than trying to trip you up. When I stopped doing dedicated preparation (relying instead on my years of "incidental" preparation, i.e. watching movies and reading books for fun) my enjoyment of the game increased immensely.

LibraryOgre
2015-01-08, 11:27 AM
Take a break. Instead of DMing, get folks together for board games and card games and movie nights, but don't DM for a while. Eventually, you'll probably get the itch again.

Madara
2015-01-08, 12:07 PM
24 players in 3 years(Some people just want to try it out, some are just busy). I started my third, fourth, and fifth groups now while in college (Current group size is 10). Some have fizzled quickly, others died slowly. However, with each group I've added veterans from previous groups.

After playing for enough years, it's part of you. I remember a year-long hiatus that I had, where the group could only get together once every two months or so for 2-3 hours. It was pretty awful, but if you really want to game, the game will come back to you.

I suggest getting some other type of merchandise. In my case, I got a Bag of Holding for college. Only gamers really get the reference, and it's helped me meet people who I never would've known game.

gom jabbarwocky
2015-01-08, 12:46 PM
DMing can be hard, and in trying to do it right, we lose sight of what made us love doing it to begin with. Sometimes, it's important to take a break and spend time with those things that brought us to this hobby. The movies, the books, the stories, our friends.... Then, when you're re-charged, when you feel that sustained passion for the hobby again, you'll know.

Sometimes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and taking a break will work wonders. Sometimes, it's more about putting your nose to the grindstone and determination to get it done. This is definitely the former. RPGs should be fun leisure time activities, not feel like work. What it sounds like, is that the OP is burned out and can't keep up the sustained passion necessary to carry through. A game like D&D, more often than not, is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep the spirit alive by cutting it some slack instead of pushing yourself too hard, too fast.

[Side Note: From the thread title, I initially thought this conversation would be about D&Disco fever. This is much more depressing... but I hope my advice helps.]

GoblinGilmartin
2015-01-08, 06:24 PM
I should say that I've never been a very good player. I get bored easily if I'm not constantly engaged.
All of the suggestions so far have given me something to think about...

Jay R
2015-01-08, 09:59 PM
Read your favorite novels. Watch your favorite movies. Listen to your favorite songs. Take a walk under trees. Find a fencing club or SCA and actually hit people with swords.

You may want to play next week, or next month. Or five years from now. Or even never.

Don't worry. There's a great big wonderful world out there. D&D is lots of fun. I've played it off and on since 1975. But you don't need to be dependent on it.

jedipotter
2015-01-09, 01:14 AM
This wasn't the only experience, I've had MANY a failed skype game. and the last three-ish IRL games have ended waaaaay too soon in various ways.

Ever since then, I get this feeling of angst whenever I think about DMing or preparing for a game, and I don't know how to shake it... I want my hobby back.

This is really common. Even I used to get that bad feeling. Back when I'd make a nice little short easy adventure. I'd take way too much time to get everyone together at the same place and time. Everyone would show up...and things fall apart. Out of the five hours, we might game for a whole half hour...then get distracted or something would come up. And people were late and people would leave and on and on.

After a bit, I decided to change things. I made my really hard core house rules. Like three strikes and your out of the game(unless your house did explode three times or something of at least that level of event). I'm busy and only get the couple hours to game...and I'd like to game every minute. Not, say, watch You Tube videos. And I found i was not alone. There were others who just wanted to game. And still more there were others that ''amazing just shaped up'' when told too. Though there were plenty that got booted.

Now a days it's amazing. Game starts at 6 pm, most players get there before 5. That gives a whole hour of all the social stuff. Dinner is planned ahead of time. The stock things up ahead of time (Joe likes Red Bull, so I have him bring over at least a case for every game, and leave it at my house for next time.) There are no cell phones allowed. And at 6pm, we start several hours of intense gaming.

Raine_Sage
2015-01-09, 01:19 AM
Seconding the advice given above but as someone who gets anxious about running games myself something that works for me in particular is picking up a game that's not only new to me but completely new to the other players at the table too. The experience of "learning together" helps alleviate my fears about screwing something up, or worries that I won't be able to keep up with player expectation.

Using indie games is my prefered method since they tend to be both obscure (better for that going in blind feeling) and unpolished (no one really expects the rules to be that tight) which gives the DM a lot of leeway. I find that running a little oneshot game in an unfamiliar system helps promote a relaxed atmosphere and helps me work up the nerve to tackle some of the more involved mainstream systems.

aspekt
2015-01-09, 04:04 AM
For myself, I have only played as a PC a handful of times and I started playing in 1980?

I have found that often when I'm burned out on playing but still have that unfulfilled feeling it's because I am looking for a creative outlet.

If you have any other creative outlets other than being a DM explore those for a while. Or you could just spend some time world building, drawing maps, creating story arcs or histories.

But do these things for your own enjoyment. Don't think about using them in an actual game, just create and leave the pressure behind.

Peebles
2015-01-09, 04:34 AM
Taking a break definitely helps if you're only really entertained by being the DM. I dropped out the RPG scene for a couple of years, not that I would ever recommend staying away for that long, but I've recently dipped back in and the motivation is definitely back.