|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 6:29PM
#11
|
Date Joined:
Feb 17, 2010
|
Gonna second Spirit of the Century and add to it all other variations of the Fate system. In fact there are a few different versions of Generic Fate Systems that can be purchased as PDFs for cheap and tailored to whatever setting you want.
A lot of your complaints seem to be about Fantasy Fatigue so get away from that. Instead of doing fantasy do:
Pulp Fiction
Super Heroes
Detective Noir
Urban Fantasy
...IN SPAAAACE
dystopian near future
Current Sci-Fi
Once again I have to say that the Fate system is probably your best bet for a game that can be tailored to any sort of genre. Heck you could even do it yourself with little trouble. I once did a startrekesque space exporation game with about half an hour of houserulling off of the Spirit of the Century rules..
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 6:38PM
#12
|
|
|
Another thing you might try doing that worked for me - stop thinking long-term. Sitting down and thinking about how to fill a year-long (or more) campaign with stuff is not only daunting, but usually ends up meaning the PCs are hunting for their food or shopping for potions some sessions. Shopping and whatnot is stuff I can go do with my girlfriend in real life and score brownie points; it's not something I care to do in a fantasy game because the rewards won't be nearly as interesting as the former. It's hard to look forward to sessions like that as a player or DM in my opinion. But if we're stealing a crashed spaceship, launching into a Spelljammer-esque adventure killing space pirates and giant space hamsters, count me in!
Narrow your focus - Heroic tier only. Or maybe just levels 4 to 8. Or just one level. Pick a single location and make it awesome rather than a whole region with different cities or the like. Drill down into what makes a location interesting thematically and turn the volume way up. If the players are really engaged by it, maybe you continue with a follow-up adventure. Or maybe just call it a one-shot and do something else.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 10, 2012 - 6:39PM
#13
|
Date Joined:
Nov 17, 2011
|
Running a Dresden Files FATE game right now, and it's amazing. Completely different from running or playing D&D, and I think it's improved the D&D game I run as a result.
I think everyone should play a completely different style of RPG occasionally, if nothing else to learn what works and doesn't.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 11, 2012 - 7:57AM
#14
|
|
|
Thanks for the insightful feedback. I'm going to start with picking up some new books. Any feedback on Shadowrun 4e?
I will consider retiring both campaigns and start fresh to clear the burden of those efforts. Having a tight small story arc spanning only a couple levels seems like a nice way to concentrate an effort as well.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 11, 2012 - 8:25AM
#15
|
|
|
Having a tight small story arc spanning only a couple levels seems like a nice way to concentrate an effort as well.
Check out my sig for those two articles - not planning out a story arc will help with keeping you interested. At least, it did in my struggle with burnout. A good way to ensure you're not planning out the plot or storyline is to use location-based (closed location) adventures. The Haunted Keep. The Dungeon of the Worm. The Shrine of Nerull. That sort of thing.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 11, 2012 - 9:03AM
#16
|
Date Joined:
Jun 25, 2009
|
First, some context. I've been playing D&D since AD&D 2nd edition. I've been DMing on and off since that time and almost always create my own campaign world or towns in existing worlds (Forgotten Realms or other). I've always tried to make my games 75% roleplay and 25% combat mix, roughly...
I've always had a wax and wane of interest and creativity with tabletop gaming and have played a few regular groups over the years. Everyone is very mature and we typically don't have drama issues.
All that said, I'm finding myself exhausted mentally with the game. I enjoy the time with friends drinking beers and goofing off, but the desire to inspire players with fear, heroism, peril, etc has steadily fallen off over the last year or two. It's gotten to the point where I've handed over the DMing reigns to friends as I just don't have the interest in maintaining my campaigns.
When I think about it, I think the real reason behind it is that I don't find much novelty or excitement in the usual fantasy tropes any longer. There aren't many scenarios that I find exciting to dream up and flesh out for players. After 20 years, I get the feeling that I've told all the stories I wanted to tell and had adventures in all the situations I wanted to test them with...(defend the castle, lone winter cabin hunted, countless dungeon crawls, rescue the person, return the item, destroy the bandit leader, attacks on caravans, secret trade power struggles, cross-plane nefarious alliances, alamo-style defense against countless horde, etc etc etc). It all feels somewhat tired.
Anyone else gone through this kind of dry spell? What did you do to invigorate yourself as DM?
I'd hate to think it was time to hang up the dice bag...
Why not try something radically different? Ever run an evil campaign? Instead of going for a tale of heroism, fear, or peril, let the players be massively evil. See how badly they can screw up the world, defeat heroes who would take them down, and pillage anything they come across. Come up with a quest where they need to stop the great hero from destroying the crystal of good, and upon doing so, they can corrupt the crystal and gain great powers of evil. A simple change of light to dark can be very...interesting. Especially once players realize they can put a king at their mercy.
Otherwise, what about just playing in an established setting? I like Forgotten Realms and like to use it to take a break from making my own stuff. It also becomes much easier to just set up an adventure/campaign and just go. Since all the info you really need is there.
My username should actually read: Lunar Savage (damn you WotC!)
*Tips top hat, adjusts monocle, and walks away with cane* and yes, that IS Mr. Peanut laying unconscious on the curb.
http://asylumjournals.tumblr.com/
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 11, 2012 - 10:11AM
#17
|
|
|
I'll echo all the other advice in this thread and throw in the following:
Find some new players and DM for them.
Nothing invigorates me more than seeing new players engage with the game. Hearing the crazy ideas they come up with, and helping them turn those ideas into something that works in-game. Watching as their eyes open to the fact that in D&D, you really can try anything you want to try -- there are no shackles other than your imagination and the sometimes cruel, cruel dice.
Sometimes the new players don't like D&D, or they claim to like it but never come back. That's OK, and in a weird way it can also be invigorating, because it reminds me: "different strokes for different folks." What they don't like about D&D might be what I do like about it. And then I get the hankerin' the play/DM again.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 12, 2012 - 6:15PM
#18
|
Date Joined:
Apr 16, 2009
|
When I think about it, I think the real reason behind it is that I don't find much novelty or excitement in the usual fantasy tropes any longer.
What may be so obvious that it gets overlooked... try UNusual fantasy tropes.
(Says the guy who played Rapunzel in a series of James Bond-derived D&D adventures a while back...)
Or reverse the usual fantasy tropes. You can even do Tolkien from the other side...
Or set fantasy aside and do mysteries.
"The world does not work the way you have been taught it does. We are not real as such; we exist within The Story. Unfortunately for you, you have inherited a condition from your mother known as Primary Protagonist Syndrome, which means The Story is interested in you. It will find you, and if you are not ready for the narrative strands it will throw at you..." - from Footloose
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 12, 2012 - 8:30PM
#19
|
|
|
When I think about it, I think the real reason behind it is that I don't find much novelty or excitement in the usual fantasy tropes any longer.
What may be so obvious that it gets overlooked... try UNusual fantasy tropes.
(Says the guy who played Rapunzel in a series of James Bond-derived D&D adventures a while back...)
I can't argue with this idea, considering the proportion of characters in my character builder who are inspired by Gilbert and Sullivan.
Narrow your focus - Heroic tier only. Or maybe just levels 4 to 8. Or just one level. Pick a single location and make it awesome rather than a whole region with different cities or the like. Drill down into what makes a location interesting thematically and turn the volume way up. If the players are really engaged by it, maybe you continue with a follow-up adventure. Or maybe just call it a one-shot and do something else.
As a sidenote, I think levels 4 to 8 are some of the best levels for adventuring. In heroic tier, things are still simple and flow smoothly, but you've still got a few feat slots and powers you can still play with. Plus, at "odd" levels, you don't need to put as many points into primary stats (you get the same effect with a starting 15 and your L4 bump as you would with a 16), so it gives you more opportunity to play unorthodox multiclass or hybrid combinations without worrying about being too MAD.
|
|
|
|
8 months ago ::
Oct 12, 2012 - 8:45PM
#20
|
|
|
You can also try reading some Grant Morrison stuff like the Invisibles or Doom Patrol or the like. I've found it's often useful for crashing your entire imagination and forcing a hard-reboot. It can clear stuff out and defrag your brain quite well!
I'm on a journey of enlightenment, learning and self-improvement. A journey towards mastery. A journey that will never end.
If you challenge me, prepare to be challenged. If you have something to offer as a fellow student, I will accept it. If you call yourself a master, prepare to be humbled. If you seek me, look to the path. I will be traveling it. #SuperDungeonMasterIITurbo
My blog and stuff http://dmingtowin.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
