Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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I need help! How do you get past the fatigue? Currently running a campaign and i am really struggling with it. There's nothing per se wrong with the campaign and the players are having a great time - its me. I've just completely lost my DM mojo and its a chore at this point. But I dont want to just quit it coz that would be letting people down and im not that person. I have said that after this campaign, I will not be DM going forward as ive been the DM for about 6 years now (with the exception of a couple random one shots). omegle
The normal solution to DM burnout is... stopping DMing for a while. If you don't want to quit, find someone who wants to run a medium sized self-contained story for a couple weeks to months, then return to the campaign.
If you feel like you're burning out as a DM, find a satisfying way to end the campaign and take a break. Maybe be a player for a while or just stop playing. It can be very stressful to keep making a campaign for others and sometimes it's just not the right role for someone. It's okay to pause and take a break.
He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
"When are we gonna take a snack break?"
Is this a home brew or a predesigned module? Home brew is tricky as no one else can probably step in, if it was a purchased module, see if someone can swap their PC with you.
If it is homebrew, get to a natural stopping point. This allows all to hold. Take a siesta and then come back to the campaign.
I have had this happen before. Despite some people's opinions, I find DND to be a labor intensive hobby. Much more so than other things I enjoy. I spend 3-5 hours of prep for every hour of game time.
I agree with the above. Back off for a period of time and do not jump back in until you find it fun again. If you don't get the itch again, either just play or do something else.
Velstitzen
I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
You are a player, too. Your fun matters. There is no shame in stopping if you're not enjoying it.
You can just talk to the players. If you say something to the effect of "Hey folks. It's nothing to do with you, but I've been finding myself not really having fun running the game anymore. Would you rather bring the campaign to an early end, put it on a possibly permanent hiatus, or do you have another idea?", they ought to understand. (And if anyone treats you like it's your job to be their fun dispenser, don't play with them ever again.)
DMing is TOUGH, it is so creatively taxing and can really wear you down. I've personally experienced a lot of DM fatigue in my time. Of course, you can always take a break, but everyone else has already talked about that so I'll offer a different solution: Read a book.
I don;t mean that in a mean way or as a jibe, just actually read a book. I can't tell you how many times I've felt tired of my campaigns and then have read some book that reinvigorated my creative juices and kept the brain churning away. It's not just fantasy books either, sci-fi, mystery, mythology, anything at all you can rip ideas from. To quote U2, "VEery artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief." Cannibalize books and steal their ideas. When you run out of ideas, DMing stops being fun. Books help.
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You don't have to quit the campaign. But it is okay to just "pause" the campaign for a bit. Find a beat in the story where the party has just accomplished something, and continue with, "...and then you all take some well-deserved downtime". Have a frank discussion with your players that you need a break from the campaign, but it's not over! The characters are doing downtime activities, and maybe researching the Big Bad™, and while they're busy doing that, you and your players will do something else for a bit. Still get together! The sessions must continue! But instead of grinding through the campaign, maybe you just get together to play board games for a few weeks. Or maybe a super silly one shot or two. Or maybe let one of the players practice at being a DM for a one shot, with you as their coach. That way, when the big campaign ends, someone else will be ready to take over as DM.
It's okay to need a break. We all need breaks. It's better to be honest with your group and take the time you need to get your mojo back. It's better to suspend the campaign for a bit, and then return to a great adventure than to grind your way through something that leaves you increasingly tired and resentful.
Anzio Faro. Protector Aasimar light cleric. Lvl 18.
Viktor Gavriil. White dragonborn grave cleric. Lvl 20.
Ikram Sahir ibn-Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad. Brass dragonborn draconic sorcerer Lvl 9. Fire elemental devil.
Wrangler of cats.
If you have a few months or less before you finish the campaign, you might prefer just pushing through to the finish.
If theres more than a few months,.you might consider cutting your schedule in half. I.e. if you meet every week now, change to every 2 weeks.
The other question is what is taking most of your prep time? I spend chunk of time getting maps ready and orgamizing the monsters. And a few hours plotting the npc drives and how to respond to various player responses.
Maybe consider what it taking most of your prep time and dialing just that part back. If you plan lots of combat maybe find a way to cut back. Use theater of mind for some combat? If you plan out elaborate puzzles maybe do them half as often.
Do you often find that you're prepping material you don't end up using in a session? One reason you might be getting worn out is if you're over-prepping. If you don't want to take a break from the campaign or hand the keys to someone else (not that those aren't reasonable suggestions, absolutely consider it!), try cutting back on the work you're doing between sessions. Try to gage how much content your players actually go through in a session, and don't prep too far in advance. It's OK to only prep for the next session each week. In some ways it's even easier just planning session to session, because it gives you more flexibility to react to the actions of your players and respond to player choice since your plans aren't so set in stone when they throw a wrench at you.
So, IF that happens to be a problem for you, consider just doing less work!
EDIT: re-reading your op, you say you've been dming for 6 years? That's a LONG time. You should definitely consider taking a break! Good luck!
Rest, the only way to recover from burnout is rest. The modern world doesn't like to hear that but it's true. If you're feeling burnt out on D&D, then a break from D&D is the only way to recover. Don't even use the time for prep, just take a complete break from D&D.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
Being burnt out on DMing isn't necessarily the same thing as being burnt out on D&D; being a player is not the same experience. My usual burnout experience is running out of inspiration, but playing in someone else's game doesn't require that type of inspiration, and the experience of seeing how someone else does it might give me new ideas.