Hello everyone! It’s about time I hunker down and discuss one of the more plaguing issues as a DM: DM burnout. DM burnout can be described as the dungeon master’s equivalent to writer’s block. Sometimes, after playing a lot, a DM can experience this feeling. They’ve burnt through their best content. They’re run dry of ideas and inspiration. Heck, maybe they’re even getting bored of playing. The same ‘ol thing every session can get drawl. Whatever it is that triggers this state of mind, DM burnout can be one of the most frustrating things for a DM (And even the DM’s players) to experience. Hopefully this’ll help ease the load.
Guys, let’s get something straight right off the bat. DM Burnout is a normal thing. Experiencing a bump in your inspiration, especially if you play frequently, is something that can definitely happen, and it’s often tough to approach. In my experience with it, I found it the most difficult to approach my players with it. I was uninspired, unmotivated, but still enthusiastic. I loved playing, but I couldn’t quite find the reasons to get excited to do so. However, my players were still ready and rearing to go, and I had trouble bringing it to their attention. I didn’t want to offend them, or make them upset. I didn’t want them thinking I disliked playing, or get any sort of wrong Idea.I was left at an Impasse, and i had no idea how to go forward with it. Here’s how I went about dealing with DM burnout.
For starters, The first step is to bring it to the players’ attention. This can be tough, but players, you need to be kind to your DM. It takes a lot of effort to DM and make the amazing game you play fun. You can’t blame your DM for burning out. I understand if you really like your campaign, and not playing can be agonizing, but you need to give your DM time. DMs, the second thing i’d do is take a break. Take however long you need, but express to your players how you’re feeling, and make sure they know that you just need a little bit to regain yourself. This doesn’t mean your game is over, it means that there’s a bit of a intermission between acts. Take some time off to find your place again.
Next, I recommend you shift focus. Instead of planning more again, you need to find what it is that makes you so motivated to play. For example, in my case, My favorite thing about my campaign is watching how my PCs interact with NPCs. So, I dug back and looked at my best NPCs, and looked back on the best moments I had with them. What made them so great. This got me thinking again, and it even started to fire me up again. It took a few days to get there, but once I got there, I was ready to move on to the second step.
Next, I began to plan again. But, I used a different formula. I began to plan something I’d find fun to DM for. Because, believe it or not, the DM has a right to have fun too! The DM’s job is to make a world for the players to explore, but it’s no shame to create something that you’ll enjoy DMing for. Of course, you should be sure to make sure the players also will enjoy your new idea, but spend time making something interesting. What that’ll do for you is make you eager. Make you hungry to try your grand plan. Your master scheme.
Lastly, I’d say that the best thing to do is to take just a bit more time to make sure you understand what brought forward this burnout, and make steps to avoid it next time. But remember that DM burnout can come around more than once in your DMing lifetime. So don’t be shy or upset when it happens. Take care of yourself as a DM, so you can continue to make great stories for your players to explore as a part of this amazing game!
To review, here’s the steps again.
1.) Bring it to your player’s attention.
2.) Take a break.
3.) Find your spark
4.) Make something to look forward to!
5.) Reflect and identify the reasons behind your burnout.
6.) Get back to the action!
Hope this helped, everyone!
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