I just sent out this e-mail:
"This really sucks, and I’m sorry I have to do it, but I’m cancelling D&D permanently.
I’m not having fun playing it anymore, due to the constant arguing at the table. I’m not seeing a whole lot of interest in it from other people. I just don’t feel like running it anymore.
If you have anything at my house, feel free to come by and pick it up on Friday.
If you want to hang out sometime and do something, feel free to call.
See you guys later.
-James"
God it sucks. I've been running the game every week for over 4 years, and it all fell apart because I let a player's girlfriend join the group. There's only two of the five players in the group that I like playing with now: one of them my wife, and the other has the girlfriend who ruined my game.
I'm going to try to get a game started online now, so that I can still run all this Pathfinder and GameMastery stuff that I love and never had a chance to run with my real-life group.
Anyways, I'm depressed, and just thought I would share.
God it sucks. I've been running the game every week for over 4 years, and it all fell apart because I let a player's girlfriend join the group.
So, how did she ruin it, and why does the letter not read 'Bob, please leave Bobbie at her place from now on'?
The girlfriend is the main issue, but there are other issues as well. Like I said, the only ones I would want to play with are my wife, and the boyfriend with the annoying girlfriend, and he is the type of guy that would quit if I told him to leave the girlfriend at home.
World of Warcraft also had a hand in destroying my game. The players spend more time talking about WoW than D&D at the table, and most of them are more interested in playing WoW than playing D&D.
They more or less just show up. They don't think about the game while they are away from the table. We spend way too much time at the table leveling up their characters or picking out spells because they never have enough time to do so at home before the game, yet they seem to have enough time to level up their horde characters several times during the week.
The girlfriend seemed to bring out the worst in everybody, and I see no real way to fix the bickering at the table. There's not a whole lot of players around here, either, which is another problem. I live in a rather small town with no game shops, and players are hard to find.
If i kick the girlfriend out, I'll be down to myself and 3 players. Two of which do absolutely nothing away from the table.
I just don't want to deal with it anymore.
Also, we have all been friends for a long while. If I kick one or two people out of the game, I'll lose them as friends as well. If I end the game, I'll still keep the friends. I don't know, I've been thinking about it for weeks and there's just no easy way out. It took me a long while to click the send button on this e-mail.
Wow, real tough man sorry to hear it. Listen though, take some time off ( a week or two) and then sit down with your players and let them know what made you send that email. Be up front with them, don't stay silent.
You obviously are passionate about the game like me, remind them of all the things that they can't do in a video game that they can accomplish by using their imaginations at your gaming table.
Hope you manage to patch things up. Good Luck!
-Roth
Wow. That really sucks. I agree with Roth, take a few weeks and try to talk to them about the issues you have. If that doesn't work, online play can be a lot of fun too. Whatever happens, good luck and I hope you find a good group soon.
Never give up and never surrender!
That does suck. But it sounds like you made the right choice. You can always run a solo game for your wife in a month or so if you like. And as for waiting a few weeks it's ok if it takes a few months. It's less about your players now and more about you. Patch up your insides, then worry about your players. If you don't it won't get easier or better.
Director of Game Development
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Man, Clive, I am truly sorry to hear that. I wish I had some decent advice, but you seem like a level-headed guy and probably thought long and hard about this decision; mouse hovering over the 'send' button with your index finger raised, ready to strike. I hope that things take a better turn for you and that your future gaming experiences are filled with quality players.
Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm starting to feel a little better about this. I see nearly no hope with my group getting back together, unless my friend breaks up with his girlfriend (*crosses fingers*), but I've got an online group started with some friends that moved away a while back. We pooled some money together and got some Fantasy Grounds licenses, and I'm really liking the program.
I'm planning on running "Hollow's Last Hope" in two weeks and these guys seem genuinely excited about it, as am I.
Congrats on getting an online group together. I've never played over the internet in real time but it sounds like it could be fun. Best of luck to ya.
4 years. I would say that it has been a success. Finish it roll up your stuff and move on with a new game. You seem to be friends still, that is more important than a game. Sometimes it's good to call it off before it ends in a train wreck and your no longer friends.
I can get that way after a few months of running a game with no issues. The others I play with have learned to find someone to Gm when I get tired. Boy did that help gain some sympathy for over gamed DMs.
The end of something good is always sad. So remember the goodtimes. I think you did the best thing with regards to maintaining your friendships with the people in the gaming group.