Dealing with GM Burnout

Running a game — particularly a full-blown campaign — can be the most draining activity known to man…aside from soccer, of course.

Burnout happens to the best of us — and it’s no surprise. Running games can take a lot of work.

All sorts of prep is involved, even if you’re using published material. There are a multitude of game factors to keep track of throughout the session. There may be clashes with some players over rules or story. And when a GM emotes, describes, acts out, or otherwise paints their word-picture of the scenario…that can be exhausting.

So, yeah. Burnout happens. And it can be a serious problem. A bad case of burnout can drive a talented GM away from the game for years — or even forever.

It’s important to recognize the approach of burnout before it happens. More importantly, here are some suggestions to keep a full-blown burnout from arriving.

Invite a guest DM to run some one-shots

Take a break every now and then by inviting someone to be a guest GM for a one-shot. This could be a friend from outside your normal gaming group, someone from a gaming group outside of your current campaign, or one of your very own current players. The idea is to give…