Post/Author/DateTime	Post
celestialkin 02-21-08, 11:59 PM	Apparently my group thinks I am a good DM (first timer), which surprised me. They are all close friends (met them though one of them I knew), and the use this time to get together as well, and I believe a few have even worked their schedules around this game. So at the moment I am kind of stuck in the role of DM. The thing is I want to get out of D&D all together right now, and even if I didn't I am running out of ideas and creativity. I had some ideas I had tossed around in my head for a bit, but I quickly used them up, and now I am afraid I will soon only be able to do old dull hack and slash. I am not experienced or creative enough to come up with very detailed stories, dungeons, traps, plots, etc, and so far all I have done is more humor oriented sessions (even in the battles); it worked so far, but I doubt I can go on like that for very long. My game is "very chaotically aligned" (as a player/my former DM said), and it along with funny/humorous ideas work well with me, since that is pretty much my personality and what constantly goes about in my head, but I am getting the feeling it will never hold out for a full campaign or even an adventure, so I am really just a one-trick-pony. Plus my schedule is getting kinda freaky at the moment, and I feel I need to leave D&D to improve myself in a number of ways. So, what should I do? How should I go about this? Any advice from those who have been there? Thanks in advance for your replies! http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/Celestialdragon100/Signature%20dragons%20and%20monsters/Raptar-41-height.gif ****
weasel0 02-22-08, 12:10 AM	Print out this post, take it to your D&D, read it to your group, discuss said reading with your group. Life happens to the best of us. Maybe you don't need to really leave, but instead might want to invest in pre-gen modules so most of the work is already done for you. Maybe you could talk someone else into DMing to take off some pressure. Honestly, I love the game simply cause it's something to do that costs little money on an ongoing basis(compared to going to the movies or renting one every week), and it isn't me being stuck in my basement at my computer for hours.
Talisman 02-22-08, 12:39 AM	Be honest. Tell them that, while it's been a blast, you're going to have to bow out for a while. GM burnout happens to all GMs at some point, and it's FAR better to recognize it and quit than to churn out substandard games the are ultimately frustrating for everyone. I've been on both sides of the phenomenon. Also, explain that you just can't devote the time to D&D itself right now, but you'll be back (hopefully) in the future, when you have more time. These things happen. Heck, I missed a game tonight (bloody ice storm...). There's about a billion free adventures floating around, in case you decide in the future to run again and need ideas. Google is your friend. You can even search this very site for "free adventures." Like the dancing radioactive dino, BTW :)
Loftower 02-22-08, 11:47 AM	In the past I have told my players when I needed a break. They respected that. Usually one of them will run a game to fill the time. Don’t make it a huge deal.
UAMDB 02-22-08, 11:56 AM	I see this as an easy solution. Leave the game. You do not have the ideas to keep running a game. You hae less interest in the game. And you need the time to work on yourself in a number of different ways. I have had players quit my gaming group for very similiar reasons before. It is not a problem for us. Every one of us understand that this is a game. Life and responsibilites come before all games. Now if the real question is "How do I explain this to me group?" then tell them what you told us. If they are your friends then they will understand. Also this does not mean that you will never see them again. Unless you move out of town. You can still get together on odd nights and do other stuff. D&D does not have to be the only thing you and your friends do together. Hope this helps.
celestialkin 02-22-08, 01:46 PM	Thank you for the help guys. As usual, I made things out to be way more difficult than they really are. Called them up and it worked out. Well, see you guys. Maybe one day I will get to come to the DM forums again. :) Like the dancing radioactive dino, BTW :) Thanks. :D http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e189/Celestialdragon100/Signature%20dragons%20and%20monsters/Raptar-41-height.gif ****
Ariakus 02-23-08, 12:03 AM	I hate to see you go, you're a good addition to these forums. I know you said you would come back to the DM forum someday, but you said you tire of D&D as well as your RL making D&D nearly impossible (know the feelin bro). I enjoy your addition to all of the forums I have read you on, you offer a fresh, open minded, and intelligent perspective. Good luck!
CCS 02-23-08, 12:54 AM	To "get out of D&D", to be a better DM, or both? The first is pretty easy. Simply wrap up your current game & bow out completely for however long. Your friends will understand. But this'll be even easier if the group you play with is all excited for 4E. Look over the available info on it & tell them you've decided it's not for you.... The second is also pretty easy. Take it from a vetern DM, you don't have to create the entire world, entire campaigns, or sometimes even fully stat out the NPCs. All you need do is provide a loose framework/context & a few initial hooks. Then list the resources you'll allow the players to use (ToB, completes, etc etc etc). Maybe detail a few initial places/NPCs as well. But after that? You simply respond to whatever the players do. This is thier story, all you're doing is playing the monsters & such. Every now & then though it's still a good idea to toss something of your own into the mix - a favorite module, that cool thing out of the newest book, one of those ideas that spawn at the oddest time.... At first this method can seem really hard. But it's not. :) And once you get the hang of it? Well, then you can DM forever (I think the key being that your not burning up your own creativity since your relying upon the players). Anyways, that's how I DM & it's been working for over 20 years.
silverhawk 02-23-08, 01:16 AM	Don't give up D&D is my suggestion. But make sure your players understand that your "future" comes first. That you want to better yourself and need to. Now on to the next part. IDEAS. Lets take a simple creature the Goblin. I am a truck driver so I am going to use things i see right now to generate some ideas. My Soda Cup. IDEA. A young goblin male, who is a drunkard. His father showed heroism many years ago and the populace of the city let him live within. The young goblin boy is a disgrace to his fathers legacy. The father does not know what the boy does in his spare time, and the populace of the city keep hidden what the boy is doing. My Hat. IDEA. A goblin with a hat of disguise is causing trouble in a city. He is a theif and disguises himself as others so that he wont get caught, and they instead are suspected of causing the trouble themselves. Books. IDEA. The sage the players are looking for lives with a band of goblins. When the players go to see the sage they are surprized to find out that he to is a goblin. Trash Can. IDEA. In the local dump the body of a goblin is found. In his possession is an item from the party, that he stole during that night. This item is known by many who have seen the players to belong to the player it was stolen from. Curtains. IDEA. A traveling theatre group employs a goblin in their acts. And that is just for a GOBLIN. Mystery Every night many people swear that a ghost of a goblin wanders the streets. Adventure. Seek out and destory the goblins. ( your hack and slash. ) Role Play. An old goblin seeks out the players while travelling. He tells them that he receieved a message from the gods and then explains to them that they should travel to the Iron Mountain and their seek the fabled ???. I am sorry but it is IMPOSSIBLE to run out of IDEAS. They are all around you every day. Just look, and listen. Need more ways to generate IDEAS. Buy a book on writing about how to come up with IDEAS. Any how, I say don't give up. Even if you all game only once a month its better than nothing. But above all. HAVE FUN.