"I think I am at a crossroads..." Topic

Just a little rant about my group.

Our DM started our current campaign in 2001 in April or May. The intent was to have a campaign with his newly acquired 1st edition AD&D books and supplement. It was a bulk paper box full of books, magazines and modules. I think he paid $50 USD for the lot.

The campaign was supposed to last through 6 chapters and perhaps 3 years. Here we are on year 13 and we are on chapter 5. Sort of. We are currently playing alternate characters to wrap up a part of an unrelated story arc. So as you can see, the campaign is more involved, our group is insufferably slow, the DM is expecting too much out of the group or a combination of the three.

For the record, I dropped out some years ago when my second child was born. I did eventually come back because I was not really seeing any of my friends by any other means. It is, in short, my only connection.

Now to the present. I am finding that I am liking the campaign less and less. It is terribly involved. Lots of intricacies. On a cuple of occasions our DM asked why I thought the game was going so slowly. I did tell him that the group is plodding but also that he was expecting way too much from them. The plot was too intricate. Often quests are multipart. I would think 2-3 legs of a quest would be fine to wrap it up properly. However, the quests seem to go more like 8-12 parts. So, with this, I am sort of not really engaged with the story line. In short, I really just don't care about the story.

Now, there is something else bugging me about my DM friend as well. It seems that the NPCs that are with the party are noticeably stronger than our strong characters. And example: We went to a square where some youths were unfairly strung up to die…sort of Crucifixion style. They were guarded by several of the cities finest. Our rescue party consisted of a mage, a Dwarf warrior and (I suspect) an archer class character. So the dwarf struck at one of the guards (they ranged from 3rd to 7th level) and scored 4 points of damage. I thought "We are going to be here a while." The archer then struck and did something like 24 points of damage. In fact he did high end damage like that the whole fight. Thankfully the guards morale collapsed after a few deaths and they surrendered. he also has a healer (not clerical magic) that can turn invisible and cast wile invisible. To this point, I feel like the NPC while the NPCs feel more like the main characters. Fairly annoying.

Finally, the campaign is fairly railroady. It didn't start that way but our DM has, over the years, become more like this…or maybe I just never noticed. He has an idea of how the story is supposed to go but our party does get to develop large parts of it. That is somewhat fun…or at least was.

Anymore, I am developing a strong dislike for RPGs. It may be from the bad taste this experience is giving me. It may be that my tastes have changed or that the challenges of RL are pushing me toward games that can be finished quickly and put down. Maybe I'd just rather not play the same game every week. Who knows?

Not even sure where this is going. As my friends are, RPDG'rs or MtG players, I am pretty much quickly becoming a solo gamer with the exception of the occasional game with some friends over in Herndon…when I can make time to get out there.

So what is a fella to do? I could drop out and lose contact with my gaming friends. I could keep on, go for minimal participation and enjoy the company of my friends. I suppose option 2 is better for the obvious single reason of being able to see my friends.

If you made it this far thanks for listening.

Anyone hit a similar or dissimilar crossroad?

Do you have only the one DM? Nobody else running games?

Do you want to be a DM? That would let you try the other side, and give the DM a break.

Or perhaps its time to try another game system, maybe see if you can get a few gamers into that, even if you need to get your DM to run it.

I've never been in a campaign that lasted more than a year, at one session every couple weeks. The idea of one lasting 13+ years is mind boggling – I have not lived in the same location for 13 years straight till my current address.

Back to a solution, sounds like you need to move on and find a group with tastes similar to yours and a campaign length to match (having children changes ones priorities – mine are now older teens and I still have to plan around them).

Do you have only the one DM? Nobody else running games?

Do you want to be a DM? That would let you try the other side, and give the DM a break.

We had another for a time. Our current one wanted a break and we'd play 3.5 ed for the alternate game. In this vein, it was a bit more hack n' slay but he knew to let the party do as they wished. I don't want to DM. I don't really have the time to do it properly.

Have you chatted about this with your gaming friends in the group (that are not the GM)?

I've talked to a couple of the players about it. One has observed the rail-roady. I also sensed that our DM really wants to finish the darned thing but as the other observed, "If he does, why are we playing alternate characters?"

He's suffering from DM fatigue, frustration with the players and painting his campaign in a corner. System wise there is nothing new for DM&players. His NPC's are stronger because the DM is less interested in the player characters and more interested in his campaign arc. Thiis is a observation not a indictment. I've been there, done that.

Find a genre that's new and fresh to everyone, compose a new campaign world, use a different system.

I recomend Savage Worlds-it's easier, action oriented and both GM and player friendly.

Take a break and play a multiplayer boardgame like Firefly or Descent. That way you can discuss it with DM&players while playing a game. Better atmosphere for change.

45 years game experience talkin' here-it'll work.

I agree with skippy0001 on his DM analysis.

If the world is more important to him – What he should do is break each story into a small arc of 6-12 games and refresh players in and out of the game. That way people can have breaks, new players can be introduce, etc….

For you, I would suggest a change in game or a change in social time. My group used to do a round robin for GM/Games and have boardgame night when numbers didn't work out for people.

I'll add one more thought -- your GM is probably not being entertained by his players. It's a weird thing to say, but a GM needs to have fun, too. When the players entertain the GM, he'll be willing to let the game proceed at the right pace and not feel like he needs to force the players to a specific path.

I don't know if the campaign is salvageable at this point -- but the group can be, if somebody else volunteers to GM, and might volunteer a different system.

My favorites are Legend of the Five Rings, and classic DeadLands.

I don't know if the campaign is salvageable at this point -- but the group can be, if somebody else volunteers to GM, and might volunteer a different system.

I don't think the campaign is "broken" per se but I've certainly lost interest. Another is heading down the same path as me and the third is rather indifferent despite the short comings.

I do think Skippy's analysis might very well be spot on. He may be fatigued or simply running out of ideas or just plain sick of it. Don't really know. We just got back from a long hiatus a month ago. we generally break at the beginning of summer and return at the end of September. So letting it go a month or so more won't hurt anything. Things could change.

How many people are up to keeping the group together but trying something new (a whole new genre) with a new DM?

How many people are up to keeping the group together but trying something new (a whole new genre) with a new DM?

I don't think the genre would change. Most of the guys and our one gal like/love fantasy. The minor change could be of a different tech level. ADnD is pretty much high fantasy while we could go with something like a Dark Age vibe.

Try talking to the DM, and/or others about the situation, to see what they think.

I too am amazed you've been playing for 13 years. That seems like more than enough time to wrap up almost anything.

Check out Mythic, which permits quick play, and scenes/events to be made up, or occur on the fly. That system might help to get things moving a little more quickly too.

Mythic has a GME (Game Master Emulator), for solo, or group play, and there's also a full RPG set of rules too, in case you need some fresh ideas.

The point about the players and both the DM hits home. I just gave up RPGs with my mates because they did not let me as the DM have any fun. They always just ignored story lines to do their stuff, and indeed kinda bullied me as a DM (I use bully here very very lightly, more like let us do this or we will leave right now). It was fine to a point but after a point i just did not feel I was getting anything out of it especially when I was putting so much into it. We just moved on to wargaming.

Try the new Two Hour Wargames dungeon hacking and put the DM as one of the adventurers. NO DM, all players and working together.
I think there were also a fan mode for Descent solo play. And surely there are other rulesets in which you don't need a DM.

Alternatively, your group can take turns to design one dungeon evening each, following the main plot of the adventure. I found this last very entertaining as it comes as some sort of group brainstorming with new fresh ideas and fun plot twists, plus having everybody more involved in the adventure.

I too am amazed you've been playing for 13 years. That seems like more than enough time to wrap up almost anything.

Once a week for about 8 months out of the year on the average we game. So if you are putting that all together, that really makes about 8+ years of gaming at the once a week rate. When we first started, I think we managed to play most of the year around. There may have been times when we played a couple of times a week but that was rare.

Still, you just don't know our party. We can talk any problem into submission. It can take a whole night to resolve what should have been resolved in 20 minutes…at least by the DMs reckoning.

I've been looking into solo adventuring. One that does not get mentioned is Universal Adventures. link It is a card driven solo dungeon generator. You have 4-5 decks to choose from. Dungeon tiles, items, monsters and a couple of others to resolve the encounter type tasks. You can plug in any RPG system of your choosing.

I am looking at The THW Dungeon Crawl now. It looks like a pretty good system. I've enjoyed some of the older titles in the past. Some of the newer titles are a little too involved for my taste. This one seems to get back to a simpler method of solo gaming. I also enjoy Rally Round the King.

Maybe try a game of 2HDC with the DM to give him a chance to just play? Maybe he just needs a change of pace.

Your hobbies and past times are supposed to be fun and relaxing, if they aren't anymore it's time to find new pastimes, the same is true of friends. I would talk to others in the group, you might find that you all feel this way, in which case its just a matter of talking it out. If it's just you well maybe it's time to walk away.

Our group just parked our rpg campaign for Descent. Not quite the same but everyone seems to be enjoying it. I plan on starting another rpg probably in January to give the current DM a break to play.

Your hobbies and past times are supposed to be fun and relaxing,

Fun and relaxing are still there…just not in the way it was intended. The game is secondary for me now.