Handling GM Burnout

[Drakevarg]

To be more specific, I don't think I'm getting burnt out on GMing so much as I am getting burnt out on this campaign. I struggle every week to actually finish my prep work for the next session, and usually settle on getting it maybe 60% done and either ad-libbing the rest or just hoping the players screw around enough that I don't need to. Trick is, I'm not really ready to start a new campaign either. I have a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff to finish up before I can run that, but it's hard enough to finish that up when I'm already flash-frying my creative energy trying to get my current campaign prep done.

Some context: I'm currently running an Age of Rebellion campaign with the Star Wars FFG system. The story is literally the plot of Dark Forces (1995 Doom-clone that I'm fairly fond of) reinterpreted as an RPG. Part of what made the concept appeal to me was having a campaign with a very clear storyline and end point for once, instead of a meandering 'epic' that falls apart after a few months. After the players finished the first mission, I realized that they had like twelve or thirteen missions left in the story. Not wanting to spend the next three years on this campaign, I declared that I would be switching to a different campaign after Mission 4 (which ends in a big explosion, seemed like a decent climax) with the intention of coming back later, but we're still in the preamble to Mission 2 and I find myself staring despondently at my planning document.

The campaign I plan on switching to after this one is 3.PF, a system I am much more familiar with, without the constraints of a set-in-stone storyline or an established setting. I feel like it would reinvigorate my passion for running these games. But I have homebrew work I need to finish before I can really put any thought into anything else for that campaign (unless I just ban casters for the first arc or something while I work on spell list stuff), so to keep the group going in the meantime I'm stuck running this Star Wars game that I'm admittedly mostly going through the motions on.

I still like the premise of the Star Wars campaign, and I'd happily step into a co-DM seat for it if anyone else in my group had actually ever played Dark Forces, but I really don't know what to do about this burnout besides soldier on until I implode completely. Does anybody have any suggestions here?

[TyGuy]

to keep the group going in the meantime I'm stuck running this Star Wars game that I'm admittedly mostly going through the motions on.


You're burnt out because you're not excited to run the campaign. It's not interesting. When it's not interesting, it's hard to get inspired or motivated.

You need to get the spark back or move on. To get the spark, I recommend forgetting about the current state of the game, the characters, the momentum. Perform a low concentration activity like a walk or jog and think about the coolest aspects of your campaign/ setting. Then think about even cooler stuff that relates to it regardless of anything else.

[Mastikator]

You could always stop GMing before you implode rather than after you implode. In both scenarios the game is over but in the first you didn't implode. You don't owe your players a game. Tell your players you need a break, that someone should take up GMing perhaps in their own campaign, maybe even a different system.
Bring a water spray just in case someone acts like an entitled brat instead of showing empathy and compassion. Because that is owed to friends.

[King of Nowhere]

Talk to your players and see if some of them can help.
In the worst case, you'll have some sympathy (ok, i guess in the worst worst case they act like brats, but i'm assuming they are decent people and friends). Maybe one of them will take up dming. Maybe they will help with prep work.
Either way, I never regretted asking my group for help

[Sneak Dog]

I suspect a lot of GM burnout is because preparation time isn't balanced against the time spent playing and enjoying the game. Take a break, GM something more comfortable or take a player's seat for a bit, and perhaps consider how you could make it easier to prepare in the future. Or just drop it and GM other fun campaigns.

[Alcore]

For your specific problem (having lost your spark and zest for the game) try watching material related to the campaign. If playing Curse of Stradh, for instance, try watching a movie about Dracula. Watch several. See something cool, get invested again.

My main concern is it sounds like weekly sessions :smalleek:

Normally I would recommend you take a small break; a weekend with no gaming. Not even researching for your next session. Just turn into a vegetable. Everyone needs time to veg and GM burnout is often because it feels like work that you do when not working.

[False God]

I found Star Wars FFG fairly stressful to run, FYI. There was always something that lent itself to running into roadblocks to otherwise smooth gaming. Actually I find Star Wars as a whole pretty easy to get burnt out on.

Break thoughts:

Anyway, I'd definitely recommend a break before you get so burnt out you turn your intended climax into a dud by just desiring so strongly to get through with it.

If you feel bogged down in Mission 2, talk to your players, see if they feel bogged down too. Letting your players "screw around" for 40% of the session may be part of the reason it's getting bogged down, and increasing your burnout rather than decreasing it. Get some of their input on what could be done to move things forward. You'll have more fun if they have more fun. They'll have more fun if you have more fun. Maybe they're picking up on your burnout vibes, maybe they're burnt out too from other things and just can't muster the energy to really do the game right now. Maybe everyone needs a break!(wouldn't that be convenient?)

Session thoughts:

I run weekly sessions in my game, and I always cap play time. About 4 hours. It's a good space between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner, it allows me to crack down on people doing OOC stuff at the table by reminding them we're done at a set time regardless of how far they've progressed. I try to prep immediately before the session, though I may make notes to myself throughout the week, I wont put it all together till immediately before, that way it's fresh and I'm engaged with the material the day-of; rather than say, 3 days ago when I got a cool idea.

Part of the problem with a linear campaign is knowing where its going and knowing the ending of the story thus losing interest in replaying or rereading it with the group. I can only suggest trying to find things about the game you sourced it from or the source material that really get you back into it; or, alternatively: go dive into something completely unrelated. Stop thinking about the game Monday through Friday and enjoy something else, when you get back to the game and the prep maybe you'll feel more "Oh yeah this other thing I was having fun with, it's been a while!" Sometimes it works, but if it doesn't you're gonna need to take a break ASAP. Make up a sick day if you have to.

[KorvinStarmast]

Play. Stop GMing. Tell someone else in the group to step up and run a few sessions.
It need not be a whole campaign. Try a few different games, things like Paranoia, Great Ork Gods, or Honey Heist.
Have fun. That will refresh you.

[Drakevarg]

I've talked with my players about this, and one of them has proposed running another campaign on alternating weekends to give me a break. We'll probably be discussing that further this evening. Hopefully that'll both give me decompression time and the opportunity to enjoy being a player again.


My main concern is it sounds like weekly sessions :smalleek:

It's weekly, yes. Give or take overriding life events.


I found Star Wars FFG fairly stressful to run, FYI. There was always something that lent itself to running into roadblocks to otherwise smooth gaming.

I'm curious exactly what you found stressful about it. Not that I disagree, I recall both 3.PF and nWoD being much easier to brainstorm for, I'm just not sure I could articulate why.

[False God]

I'm curious exactly what you found stressful about it. Not that I disagree, I recall both 3.PF and nWoD being much easier to brainstorm for, I'm just not sure I could articulate why.

A lot of it came down to the skills. A lot of them are highly situational while, oh, about a half dozen of them come up on the regular and even then they were often an odd fit. Some of them seemed redundant especially when the game seemed to offer using them interchangeably (Cool and Discipline and Vigilance often overlapped). IMO the skills suffer in the same way D&D skills suffer by being attached to a specific stat. Opening them up to be Skill+Stat as determined by the GM based on player approach helped but then folks had trouble doing the "upgrading" on the fly when mixing and matching Skills and Stats.

The XP was also a problem. The expected "per session" amounts are very close to WoD and seemed very low for the costs, especially later in the trees. 5+ sessions to pick up a single talent? And what, 20+ sessions just to get there? But then the game scaled very poorly, there's almost nothing in the books short of Darth Vader that can challenge a player with a couple sheets behind them and a couple of the "good powers". Speaking of which...

I ended up having to custom-build almost every enemy. The only thing that challenged them were 10000xp-equivelent Sith Lords or literal armies. A Force Rating 3 and the Move power can literally rip starships from orbit.

There was also a bit of an implied demand to come up with "some interesting good effect" or "some interesting bad effect" for threats and advantages for every single demand, which was frankly overwhelming.

And I completely dumped space combat because it was so non-interactive for the players.

I personally also had an issue with players who weren't willing to buy into some of the inherent camp of Star Wars.

I too primarily play 3.5/Pathfinder and WoD. If I had to put my finger on it, I feel like FFG Star wars tried to run away from the crunchy d20 system while also trying to dodge the WoD Storyteller system and wound up somewhere awkwardly in the middle.

[Drakevarg]

I too primarily play 3.5/Pathfinder and WoD. If I had to put my finger on it, I feel like FFG Star wars tried to run away from the crunchy d20 system while also trying to dodge the WoD Storyteller system and wound up somewhere awkwardly in the middle.

Yeah, most of what you said tracks. I actually quoted this part to my group and we agreed you were pretty much spot-on there.

Tonight's session proved surprisingly fun (a bit of high-risk wackiness with ad hoc houseruling regarding cybernetic implant surgery that nearly got a PC killed), and we've agreed to do the alternating campaigns thing. Next week we'll be trying out a system called ARC, and if that doesn't work we can just try out 5e.

[animorte]

Thanks for this thread. There's a lot of valuable information provided with the responses here that I think many of us could benefit from. I know I already have.

Probably the biggest thing: Recognize it before it's too late and don't be afraid to communicate with your players. This is kind of a life lesson too. If something is bothering you, if it's getting out of hand, don't be afraid to communicate with your family/friends.

[Duff]

Bring a water spray just in case someone acts like an entitled brat instead of showing empathy and compassion. Because that is owed to friends.
Lol.
But also true (figuratively or otherwise)

[Faily]

I'd suggest taking a break from the Missions.

Hear me out. Star Wars is a lot about the character drama: their personal relationships and ties to people close to them. (hence why it's often called a space opera, it's all about the drama)

Take a break from the missions and do some side-stuff that focuses on each PC's greatest interpersonal drama. If you're running with the Obligation rules, this is a perfect way to find the storyhooks (though you mentioned Age of Rebellion so I assume you're doing Duty instead?). Does a PC have a family back home on the farm? Did another run away from a criminal gang and still have ties to those? Does someone have a lover or an enemy (or both? and they're the same person?)? Stuff like that is what makes Star Wars *feel* like Star Wars. If I just wanted to run missions, I could do that with almost any other game, but I feel Star Wars is a lot about the vibes.

What you could also do to get a break from GMing is to let the other players suggest or lead a small side-adventure for one PC's personal drama. Or at least pick their brains for ideas and suggestions.

[Easy e]

My usual and unpopular advice to avoid GM burnout, it to start off-loading more of the GM work to your players. By that I mean, make them tell you what is happening more, and you tell them what is happening less.


Long winded example:

GM: You see a ship that is familiar to you in the dock yard. Whose ship is it?

Player A: Oh no, is it that gangster we swindled a few sessions ago?

GM: If it is, what do you think they are doing here?

Player B: Probably after us for revenge?

GM: Now how would they be trying to get revenge?

Player A: Shooting us in the face!

Player B: Stealing our ship!

Player C: Putting the Imps on our case!

GM: Oh dear. What are you going to do about that?

Also, it let's GMs avoid the annoying Prep work and instead be surprised just like the players are because you also have no idea what is going to happen!

[animorte]

Also, it let's GMs avoid the annoying Prep work and instead be surprised just like the players are because you also have no idea what is going to happen!

I have a habit of doing this regularly. It is quite fun actually, but I understand that not everybody is able to (or cares to) improvise that much.

[Faily]

My usual and unpopular advice to avoid GM burnout, it to start off-loading more of the GM work to your players. By that I mean, make them tell you what is happening more, and you tell them what is happening less.


Long winded example:

GM: You see a ship that is familiar to you in the dock yard. Whose ship is it?

Player A: Oh no, is it that gangster we swindled a few sessions ago?

GM: If it is, what do you think they are doing here?

Player B: Probably after us for revenge?

GM: Now how would they be trying to get revenge?

Player A: Shooting us in the face!

Player B: Stealing our ship!

Player C: Putting the Imps on our case!

GM: Oh dear. What are you going to do about that?

Also, it let's GMs avoid the annoying Prep work and instead be surprised just like the players are because you also have no idea what is going to happen!


A lot of this yes! :smallbiggrin: This was something I did a lot myself when running FFG Star Wars on tabletop too. Once the players got a handle on the system, it was also easier to let them have a stronger input on driving the narrative forward, as the system works very well for that.

[Drakevarg]

I'd suggest taking a break from the Missions.

Hear me out. Star Wars is a lot about the character drama: their personal relationships and ties to people close to them. (hence why it's often called a space opera, it's all about the drama)

Take a break from the missions and do some side-stuff that focuses on each PC's greatest interpersonal drama. If you're running with the Obligation rules, this is a perfect way to find the storyhooks (though you mentioned Age of Rebellion so I assume you're doing Duty instead?). Does a PC have a family back home on the farm? Did another run away from a criminal gang and still have ties to those? Does someone have a lover or an enemy (or both? and they're the same person?)? Stuff like that is what makes Star Wars *feel* like Star Wars. If I just wanted to run missions, I could do that with almost any other game, but I feel Star Wars is a lot about the vibes.

What you could also do to get a break from GMing is to let the other players suggest or lead a small side-adventure for one PC's personal drama. Or at least pick their brains for ideas and suggestions.

While I get what you're saying, this is actually something I resolved to stop doing. My initial plan was to make it so they would have a steady stream of side quests in between missions, mostly to make the galaxy feel like a big place full of danger and intrigue. But after running the first of such side missions (party came across a derelict warship leftover from the Clone Wars whose droid brain was still trying to keep itself together), I realized that doing so would probably double the overall length of the campaign. And it was slated to go on for way longer than I wanted as it was.

Not to say character drama is out of the picture. While two of the PCs largely leave their character development in the backstory (one is an Echani swordsman who signed up with Saw Gerrera to fight for a bigger cause than bully-hunting, another was a pirate who got press-ganged into the Rebellion when their crew tried taking a Rebel ship and has since drunk the Kool-Aid), one of them still has an ongoing drama to deal with (basically a Catradora situation of two Kage raised together, developing a Foe Yay relationship and winding up on opposite sides of the war). But that's already been worked into the main plot, I'm not going to need to do side missions for that.

But yeah, aside from that while the PCs all have extensive backstories (I didn't learn how FnD did advanced characters until after the campaign started, so I made an ad-hoc system of handing out bonus XP/Duty for each snippet of backstory they could give me), only one of them has a backstory that has any real potential to come up during the campaign, beyond all of them having extensive criminal records. The others just have backstories explaining how they became the people they are today.

Plus, on a more practical viewpoint, my players are all goofballs. It's hard to improv effective character drama when you're bouncing off players who are at least halfway into murderhobo mode. With the one with the greatest potential for backstory-derived drama also being the silliest of the group. To their credit, they're all being goofy in-character, but the game is clearly in a different genre on their side of the screen than it is on mine.

[TyGuy]

My usual and unpopular advice to avoid GM burnout, it to start off-loading more of the GM work to your players. By that I mean, make them tell you what is happening more, and you tell them what is happening less.


Long winded example:

GM: You see a ship that is familiar to you in the dock yard. Whose ship is it?

Player A: Oh no, is it that gangster we swindled a few sessions ago?

GM: If it is, what do you think they are doing here?

Player B: Probably after us for revenge?

GM: Now how would they be trying to get revenge?

Player A: Shooting us in the face!

Player B: Stealing our ship!

Player C: Putting the Imps on our case!

GM: Oh dear. What are you going to do about that?

Also, it let's GMs avoid the annoying Prep work and instead be surprised just like the players are because you also have no idea what is going to happen!

Are entire tables of mature and invested players a common thing? Is having one or two trolls that would make the suggested format untenable the minority?