So I’ve been GMing/playing for over 30yrs now (almost entirely sci-fi based RPG‘s).  I recently got an entirely new group of players (all new to RPGs).  They loved the campaigns I’ve been running and having a good time, but they told me about two months ago, they wanted to play D&D. I’ve never gotten into D&D or any fantasy game, I Ran a little palladium and D&D 3e but that was about it and it was decades ago. They seem to really be liking the campaign I created for them, and they all seem to be having a lot of fun. But I’m not :-(   And worse, I think it’s beginning to show. There’s been some comments in the past couple sessions that make me believe the players are realizing I’m not having a good time.

I just can’t really get into the fantasy aspect. Any advice? Since the group wants to keep playing and I certainly don’t want to disappoint them.

Advice to convince you to like D&D?  

Look up Session Zero advice.  You'll see that the goal of the session zero is to make sure everyone is on the same page, have the same interests (or are willing to go with the flow), same gaming style, wants, needs, etc...

Unless you're being paid, just be honest and call it quits.

Also, what is it about D&D that they wanted?  The mechanics, or the setting?  There's a space conversion for D&D 5e.  I'm sure if you google it you'll find it.  (I don't remember anymore).

I always do a session 0. I just never really got into fantasy games. The players  really wanted to try a fantasy game since all of them are new to RPG’s I didn’t want to limit them to my sci-fi desire. We chose D&D since.... well everybody knows dungeons and dragons.  I don’t have a problem with D&D per say, I Actually think the mechanics of 5e are an improvement on 3e.... from what I remember.  I guess I really just don’t like magic?  I know I could limit or remove magic from the game but that’s not my style of DMing and the players are into it.  I’m the only one not having fun... I guess I need advice on how to learn to enjoy D&D???  About two sessions ago a player mention that I wasn’t doing my usual voices for NPCs and it hit me that I wasn’t “into the world” that I created for them.  There still loving it, but I feel like I’m not giving it my all. Because I don’t like it. I don’t know, maybe I’ve been GM too long and I need a break. Also people get paid to DM/GM? What The hell is that?

Read some fantasy books? Watch Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones or Witcher. Anything fantasy related should help. Maybe try doing a sci-fi themed campaign in D&D, like Spelljammer or Eberron or Ravnica. Take a look at all the different campaign settings, some of them are really cool and have a lot of lore. Try watching Critical Role. Learn about the history of D&D, how it was developed, why people enjoy it and maybe it will click for you?

If you don't like it after that, I don't know what to tell you, you're not going to enjoy it.

That’s good advice I think.  I just think the whole “elves, dwarfs, spells and dragons” is boring. Came up with a pretty good campaign that they seem to really like. But I just find it all so… Done. I suppose reading some more creative fantasy will help me get into it. I just don’t find it very exciting. 

What do you find exciting? You mentioned sci-fi. Laser rifles, teleportation, stuff like that, they all exist in D&D. You can flavor your campaign anyway you want. If you don't like the classic "slay the dragon" tropes, you could have it be "Hi-jack a space ship run by hippo people wielding muskets while you are plummeting into a planet that is made of a giant plant". You can do that.

D&D in space is called Spelljammer

D&D with time travel will be released with the next book, "Explorer's Guide to Wildemount", but they are more time and gravity shifting spells and subclasses.

D&D with hi-tech exists in Eberron, with magical technology harnessed from crystals.

Lightsabers exist in D&D in the form of the Sunblade.

Horror exists in the form of the adventure Curse of Strahd, where there is a shadowy plane ruled by a vampire lord.

High-Technology and Magic exists in the form of Ravnica.

If any of these themes are what you like, they exist in D&D, you just have to find the right place. If there's a specific thing that sounds interesting to you that isn't listed above, just ask, and I'm sure we can help you find that.

Honestly Scy Fy can alos be boring, unless its WH40k.

What you find boring is not the type or the universe, but the "classical tropes", i also hate Elves and sneer at gnomes and halflings, but they arn't the only things that there is in the universe and the game.

If you don't like a full fledged High Fantasy, why not Try Curse of Strahd?, with its Horror Gothic atmosphere who's closer to a Van Helsing or a Castlevania?

You have Eberron if you want to have some Steam/Magic-Punk, there's guns, Ships, trains, Androids(Warforged) and others.

You want some crazy, ludicrous adventure into an Alien landscape?, Descent into Avernus is good for you, its litterally Mad Max in Hell, with the Infernal Warmachines.

If your players still wants to play D&D and are ok with it, why not simply reflavor everything with a Cyberpunk/Steam punk flair?...

Honestly whats the difference between a Fantasy fighter and a Corporation Soldier from 2155?, game mechanics works the same, just change the names and flavors of class features, and there's Fire arms rules in D&D for modern settings.

Magic can be magic, and you turn it into a Shadowrun kinda thing, or Magic is rebranded "Psychic powers", byt the end of the day it doesn't make much difference.

There's supplements to add more advanced tech and even new classes/subclasses to existing classes of D&D.

One of the last campaigns i played was a Mix of Eve Online, WH40k, Cyber/Steam punk with fantasy and Cthulhu, i was playing a paladin/Hexblade Tiefling that had an assault Hoverboard( reflavored Broom of flying), member of a crew of Smugglers/Mercenaries on a flying ship going from place to place in the Astral Sea( cataclysmic event teared the fabrix of the Planes apart, and all the Planes where mixed in some ways)

We got on a Space Hulk, stole a ship, where attacked by Mind flayers AND Khorne Berzerkers and Ice Demons/Aliens, while doing SPatial combat and me and the other guy where on the Space Hulk facing other Chaos Space Marines to find some McGuffin for our job and trying to go back and fight off 2 Frigates run by Cannibalistic Gnomes...

Best campaign i ever had, heavely homebrewed, but still essentially D&D.

Yeah I think I would like ravnica. From what I’ve read so far that seems more my style of fantasy.  unfortunately the group doesn’t want to do that.... yet.  As the DM it’s not about me and the group wants a classic D&D game.... at least for now. Until then I need to find a way to get into game. I keep telling myself since they’re all new players, that overtime, they will wanna explore other Stuff.  I just don’t wanna get bored and ruin it for my players in the Meantime.

Yeah it is the high fantasy tropes that I find so boring. Going and slaying dragons, elves that are super good with a bow, dwarves  that run around with warhammers even though their playing a monk that should be fighting with her bare hands.... you get my point.  I would love to do some sort of techno wizard world setting. But the group really wants to basically play some tolkeen stuff and I’m not into it.  Like I said they’re having fun slaying  dragons, rescuing maidens in distress, fighting off devils trying to take over the world, Stopping werewolves from over running towns.  I know as a player I would be bored senseless with this campaign. But the groups really into it, and I want them to have fun after all.

Cosplay as Doctor Who at your local Renfair?

In seriousness, if you are into sci-fi elements rather than fantasy, you could try blending the two a bit, especially if the world you're running has things like Warforged or Artificers in it, and if you find that works for you and your players are into it then that could be a compromise going forward for future campaigns.

High Elves are Vulcans, Drow are Romulins, Orks are evil Klingons, Dwarves are good Klingons, Goblins are Ferengi, Hobgoblins are Andorins.... You probably love D&D, you gust didn’t reali it!

*re-reads thread*

Ah, okay, so it's the classic tropes that are getting you down.  In that case, a bit of reflavoring might do the trick.  I've toyed around with things like changing dwarves to be more like giant irate bunny rabbits with warhammers, or elves whose culture is based more on feudal Japan rather than Europe.  In this instance, I think I might actually recommend taking a look at some of the other modules like Tomb of Annihilation, which deviates from the typical fantasy tropes and places the players in a tropical jungle filled with hazards like tribal dwarves and roving undead.

Quote from Praxis99 >>

Yeah it is the high fantasy tropes that I find so boring. Going and slaying dragons, elves that are super good with a bow, dwarves  that run around with warhammers even though their playing a monk that should be fighting with her bare hands.... you get my point.  I would love to do some sort of techno wizard world setting. But the group really wants to basically play some tolkeen stuff and I’m not into it.  Like I said they’re having fun slaying  dragons, rescuing maidens in distress, fighting off devils trying to take over the world, Stopping werewolves from over running towns.  I know as a player I would be bored senseless with this campaign. But the groups really into it, and I want them to have fun after all.

 Eberron or Ravnica should fit pretty well to you. Ravnica might be better if you like less "exploring the world, finding magic items, slaying monsters" and that kind of thing. 

I also recommend taking a look at the Plane Shift series WotC put out on DM's guild.  The character options weren't made with balance in mind so you may not want to use them as-is, but the lore and the advice for reflavoring things like dragons and such might be helpful to you.

Add some Mind Flayers and Star Spawn into your games. Maybe some time travel too.

You can always stay in the High Fantasy they like, but maybe try to tweak or change the tropes aroudn in a way that would make it original or at least not boring.

A good inspiration would be the Witcher, it took the classic tropes and while not completly tirned them on their heads, changed them enough that it gave birth to an original and fresh take on Fantasy tropes.

Or like in Divinity original Sin II, Where Elves have cannibalistic customs( they eat their deads as a way to "gain" their strength and memories and pass it on) and such.

Slowly adding some Dark/Pulp material to the High fantasy can work and make it more interesting and unexpected.

Now do remember that as a DM, you are not the one that should enjoy the story, you make the others enjoy the story, and you enjoy their reactions and interactions.

The reactions of my players to things happening in Curse of Strahd is something i love.

I like that idea of slowly blending it. Of course I would need to talk to my players I don’t want to just surprise them, or them suddenly wake up realizing that we are no longer playing high fantasy.

I did actually try that. I told them dwarves were kind of like the eastern culture. Being more like Shaolin monks and samurais. One of the players decided to play a Dwarven Monk. But very quickly they’re wearing heavy armor and fighting with a Warhammer. So that didn’t really work. Unfortunately, good advice though.

Quote from Mezzurah >>

I also recommend taking a look at the Plane Shift series WotC put out on DM's guild.  The character options weren't made with balance in mind so you may not want to use them as-is, but the lore and the advice for reflavoring things like dragons and such might be helpful to you.

 I will have to check that out.

Yeah, the main piece of advise I can give you about any problem you have in D&D that isn't rule related, talk to your players. If they're okay with it, do it.

Also, if you have a good party, if you explain that you haven't been having fun with the current theme, and that you'd like to change it up a bit, they should be understanding and appreciative that you've been doing what they want to do. If they're not okay with changing, that sounds like a bad party, but just keep holding on till you can do what you want. I've had to do that as a DM a few times before.