DMing help please...

[tiaxrulesall]

-okay, so i am running my first campaign, and my first time at 4E this summer

-i had a much larger campain planned, but i had not anticipated how few encounters the group would get through per session. it is currently 1-2, i had planned like 4-5

-anyway, we are going to have to stop because we all have to go back to different colleges in early august, so i am looking for advice on ending campains short in a satisfactory manner...

-currently the PC's have fought their way out of the arctic gulag like prison of the BBEG, and are about halfway through the dwarven tomb whose ruins the prison was based in.

-they were going to find a portal to a lost dwarven city (think moria), and then eventually work their way to civilization, and aid the resistance movement in overthrowing the BBEG

-i am realizing that this would take about a year to accomplish, and is far to railroady, so any advice on ending this in a satisfying manner?

-also, i found that i really don't enjoy DMing that much compared to being a player, any advice for making DMing more fun? i thought about running a DMPC, but the online consensus was strongly agsinst this...

[KillianHawkeye]

If you want to cut things short, then my advice would be to have them find the portal immediately. And instead of making their way back to the surface to join some resistance movement, just have them fight the BBEG in the dwarven ruins. You may have to make up some reason for him to be there if the PCs weren't already following him, like it happens to be his secret base or something.

Also, DMing isn't for everyone and can be difficult for first-timers. You may want to give it some more time or try running a different system. Sorry I don't really have advice for this one.

[Raum]

-also, i found that i really don't enjoy DMing that much compared to being a player, any advice for making DMing more fun? i thought about running a DMPC, but the online consensus was strongly agsinst this...

What is it about GMing you dislike? What parts of GMing do you enjoy? The simplest method of making GMing more enjoyable is to minimize the dislikes and maximize the fun. Hard to be more specific without knowing what you dislike / like.