Your DM Feels Worn Out? Then He Is Inspired Again!
This sort of describes how I was feeling this past week. I was a little worn out and wanted a break from running and playing Tabletop RPG's. You see I run a game at home, a game for my wifes family that changes locations, D&D Encounters, and one shots online every once in awhile. Seems like getting burned out would happen frequently for me but it doesn't.
This past week at Encounters I was really not feeling it. Had one player who kept dropping being the only guy to rush into combat as a Barbarian. Seeing his frustration and the fact I was tired I know I brought the energy level of the group down. Hate feeling guilty about it but it is the reality of it. I didn't bring my "A game" this week. It didn't help that I was feeling under the weather. Luckily I have two weeks off from this and I plan on returning better than ever.
A couple weeks before this I ran the game for family and was feeling worn out then too. That group sometimes makes me stress out a little due to their arguing over treasure, tactics, and one player who blatantly rushes in usually. Not sure how to gauge their interest level either. Feels like 1 of the players doesn't really care about the game and is only playing to hang out with the group. Another player gets really stressed out if they get hit and if anyone is low on HP. To me it is just a game and shouldn't be something that causes stress at all. Should be fun for everyone and it shouldn't at times feel like a chore. This group has gotten better with each session and I really hope it continues to get better. Just not sure if I could handle it falling back into the constant bickering and drama at the table.
Then there is the group I ran for last night which always comes out to my house to play. It consists of my friend Nate (WASD20 on YouTube), Dustin and his fiance Nicole, my wife, and we welcomes a new player last night Steven. Going into the session I was a little nervous about bringing a new player into the group. This is normal for me because you never know how it will throw off the balance of the group. Will they be a disruptive player? Will they be an awesome player? Well he came over and was very open to talking to and getting to know everyone. He handled himself well. There were times when I think he wasn't sure how I handled something but he went with it. Also coming from Pathfinder to 5e there were some questions that he had which is to be expected.
So playing with my at home group last night truly rejuvenated me! Got me excited to run games again. The new guy fit in well I think and the rest of the group has been getting along great for some time now. On top of that the players brought the game back into focus for me without me having to push them on the rails and that is a good thing because I try not to railroad anything. Going into the session I was worried my hooks were weak (they are to be honest) but now I feel like the campaign has its vision again. The players look to go after the big plot hook in the next session with the Temple of Elementals and I couldn't be happier right now.
What is this blog truly about? I think it is about the fact that when you have a good group of players they can breathe life into your gaming when you feel worn out. Good groups in general can make for good gaming. That energy will carry on to other games and sometimes can pick those games up as well. So go out and find a good group for you!