Hi all,
Dunno if you experienced the same problem at some point, but my RPG group is currently on the verge of dying after 4/5 years of great gaming and less than memorable moments, and I don't really know what to do.
Let me explain: we started playing together around 2005 on a regular basis, and at the time the campaign was going strong, with the usual small casting changes from time to time (nucleus of the group has stayed very consistent over the years however). Experienced D&D players, with a good knack for roleplaying as much as roll-playing, I truely had a blast as a DM, and the players were very complimentary about the campaign. We were playing regularly (2/month) with the occasional break due to summer and christmas holidays.
Then one of the players went back to his native country,and the group atmosphere started to change a little bit - it was one year and a half ago. Bickering and rule-lawyering made its apparition at our table, with one of the players really heavy onto passed gaming experiences, etc... while playing.
To counter the boredom and start something new, we started playing one-shots with different systems, and the D&D campaign died out, with several attemtpted replacements that didnt hold up the attention of the group long enough so abandonned (my fault as much as the players).
We have recently started a new D&D campaign after nearly a 3-4 month break (I mean total break, no gaming whatsoever during that time), and I'm back to DMing, after our newest player DMed a few games (quite fun and cool).
Problem is last game was an awful experience, with one player even telling me that the new setting I chose is a "s%#&hole" (I'm still mad, same guy who breaks the game with his gaming memories), and not even bothering making adjustements to his character (we converted from 3.5 to 3P). For 7 hours, it was a constant fest of solo roleplaying without sense, 0 teamwork and "look at me to see how it's done" from the most vocal players to the shier ones. The adventure was not the greatest either, but I mean we truely didnt have a good time AT ALL. In the end, group discussed all the bad points about the adventure, and we decided to meet again in two weeks time.
Today, 2 players have sent me an email to cancel, and two guys just litterally wrote me that "if we play, cool, if not WOW is cool too". I know it may sound stupid, but I'm a bit disgusted right now, and with the bad blood that has accumulated over the last year, I am at crossroads now.
The quality in gaming has decreased constantly over the last year, and I realised that apart from gaming, we strangely dont' have that much in common, never go out for drinks, etc... I put a lot of love and energy into my games, come up with nice handouts, campaign diaries, etc... while the players have as of last year forgotten the rules, background, forgot their sheets, and generally dont seem interested in playing or putting the efforts in good gaming.
As a result, I am increasingly frustrated and annoyed, as I'd love to enjoy good games, good fun, and also play whenever possible, not like my players feel like it!
So what do you think I should do? Help me guys, your feedback will be most helpful.
I'm sorry to have to put it like this, but this sounds like a bad relationship you need to leave. If this was a girlfriend or boyfriend then it's be time to break up and find someone else. Soemtimes a relationship jsut reaches a point with time where things or circumstances have changed and it's not viable anymore. Especially if you're this frustrated.
To often people stay in a relationship hoping for it to get better when there just isn't the factors for it. It's like when a gambler in Vegas believes they have to keep gambling because thy've made such an investment and want to somehow get some of it back. While it is possible, the odds are always favoring the house. By this logic you can cut your losses and be happy with the good times you had or keep investing believing your hawked car, house, and maxed credit cards will somehow net you a payout equaling something close to the investment lost.
Another angle on it is that having the same group for so long is a double edged sword. With time it becomes increasingly hard to suprise each other or do something new. Without that chemistry, things will fall apart eventually. I know guys who have played together for 20+ years and are bored to death of each other. The only reason they stay together is that they stubbornly refuse to upgrade from 1e.
This is just my opinion... hope it helps.
EDIT: One other thing... when a player ceases to respect the GM, the unspoken agreement to let the GM run the game is broken. It's impossible to play that possition if authority if the players don't give you any [authority].
If they're blatantly disrespectful, look at this way: Allowing them to be a jerk is enabling them. Enabling them only delays the hopeful evolution of them growing out of it. With years of management experience I learned that keeping on a bad employee doesn't help them, it prevents them from learning to better themselves for a their own future. Disallowing them forced them to rethink the destructive behavior. Just sayin....
In all honesty....
Give up. Find another group.
They don't want to play anymore, and it sounds rather obvious.
Gather your group in a different spot than your gaming place, such as a bar or a restaurant.
Explain your feelings and listen to theirs.
Nobody should take anything personal, the point is to have a discussion, to the best interest for everyone.
Together, as friends and adults, you should be able to talk openly about the issues and to find a way to reorganize your group around a game concept which would satisfy everyone.
Good luck :)
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Agreed with the others.
Rez gave the suggestion that most copies my own thoughts, "cherry pick" one or two of the Players that get along with your style of play and start a game elsewhere.
Even if it's only 2 or 3 other gamers and you end up with a tiny table (DM & 2 PCs, maybe), it's better than wasting your precious free time every two weeks for a miserable gaming experience.
Wish the other Players luck in their groups -- hopefully both groups will end up enjoying their own games.
This happened to my group about 10 years ago. Do yourself a big gigantic favor and leave the group. Go out into the world and form another one from scratch. In our group, the end result was a lot of really bad feelings, a couple of lost friends, and a couple of them ended up leaving gaming behind forever. I ended up not gaming regularly for a couple of years myself and then it took a bit of work to get back into it.
Sometimes this just happens.
Thanks for the advices folks,
I think you're all on something here, and that rather than trying to keep this group alive for peanuts, I should really think about myself and my pleasure.
What drives me most insane is that feeling that these guys are just "clients": they come playing when they want it, and lose interest 5 sessions into the campaign. They all talk about oneshots and casual gaming, I'm more of a hardcore guy who really wants that tremendous fun and involvement associated with a long running campaign.
Good news is I found a potential new player, and two guys from the group I wouldn't mind playing with again(one our newest player, great guy; the other the lad who introduced me to the group 5 years ago, and who is a shy guy, so not very vocal at the table). So I think there's hope, but the cancellation emails I received really irked me.
WOW better than real gaming, at the table? Huh!
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Yeah it sounds like you need to look to form a new group. With out knowing about the rest of the players it is hard to say if you should try and take part of the group with you and then look for replacements or not. If any fit and it seems 2 do by your last post. Then I think talking to them about starting a new group and why might be best.
Then look for some new players to fill out the ranks. It might take awhile to find new players that fit but if you bring them in a couple at a time and slowly rebuild the group you should get what you want. Of course finding new players is not always easy.
It's good to hear you may be able to preserve the core of your group - that was going to be my first suggestion.
You are probably well past the point where the larger group can be saved, and here's why: you said that in the last year your players have begun forgetting the rules and their character sheets and generally not showing much interest in the game. Those are not the reasons your gaming group is deteriorating, those are the symptoms. Whatever actually caused it happened before all of those things started, and you have to figure out what that thing was and address it if you want to bring back the group. It sounds like it may been that one player you mentioned leaving a year and a half ago, but it could also have been something else or a combination of different things.
Man, I feel your pain. While I left my old group on much better terms than you, I too went from playing with a great bunch who were all pulling in the same direction about 4 years ago, to a group where pretty much every week I felt my blood pressure rising due to somebody's behaviour. Between the no-shows, one player who wasn't prepared to take an equal share of GMing, one guy's inexorable descent into alcoholism (sad, but he won't listen or take our help, and it makes him into a total zombie during the games so he's actually a hindrance), and the guy whose cheating I finally couldn't stomach any more.
I hope you rescue it, or at least find another group/more players. I've been whoring myself out ever since looking for somewhere else to play but despite the fact I live in a town with plenty of gamers, all I've come across are cliques, people young enough to be my kids who want to mess around, people who would rather spend all day talking about all the cool stuff their WoW character just got, people who can't play regularly because of work/kids etc, or plain old fashioned weirdos.
So I'm trying to keep the flame burning with pbps. Not quite the same buzz, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I sign up for an MMO...
I've been watching how different people impact my gaming group. We added a new guy about 6 months ago, and started to have problems with a different guy a few sessions later. This spread. Then the new guy left and we're shifting back. It's weird.
Bottom line - It's out of my control. And yours.
I started a smaller core group game and we've been having a lot more fun.
Good luck.
If you wouldn't enjoy spending time with these people beyond gaming, that is the problem.
Either correct the social situation or end the gaming. The latter will be much easier than the former. Social dynamics can be very hard to correct once they are out of control, and trying sometimes makes it worse.
If you don't want to stop gaming altogether and you can't find people you enjoy hanging out with who play, I recommend playing over the internet with your friend who went back to his native country, or anyone else whose company you enjoy.
My ideal gaming group dispersed years ago, but we have continued playing on maptool and skype. Now the games are better than ever, and we get an excuse to keep in touch.
I've said many times on these boards, 95% of game problems are social problems. It seems like you have noticed this instinctually, so find a social scene that is more to your liking, or try to improve the existing one before you expect a game to work.
Man, I feel your pain. While I left my old group on much better terms than you, I too went from playing with a great bunch who were all pulling in the same direction about 4 years ago, to a group where pretty much every week I felt my blood pressure rising due to somebody's behaviour. Between the no-shows, one player who wasn't prepared to take an equal share of GMing, one guy's inexorable descent into alcoholism (sad, but he won't listen or take our help, and it makes him into a total zombie during the games so he's actually a hindrance), and the guy whose cheating I finally couldn't stomach any more.
I hope you rescue it, or at least find another group/more players. I've been whoring myself out ever since looking for somewhere else to play but despite the fact I live in a town with plenty of gamers, all I've come across are cliques, people young enough to be my kids who want to mess around, people who would rather spend all day talking about all the cool stuff their WoW character just got, people who can't play regularly because of work/kids etc, or plain old fashioned weirdos.
So I'm trying to keep the flame burning with pbps. Not quite the same buzz, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I sign up for an MMO...
You don't happen to live in Ireland, do you? Too bad cause we could have started a game... :)
You don't happen to live in Ireland, do you? Too bad cause we could have started a game... :)
No, but in a country not a million miles away over the Irish Sea ;)
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Here are my two cents. In my experience, the best thing that keeps a party of characters together is long term goals. If its the players that are at each other's or your throats, that might be something else. But the best way to stave off boredom in a roleplaying game is to develop long term goals in campaign.
I have a wizard character, for example, who eventually wants to open a school and become a Mage of the Arcane Order.
In this way, prestige classes (even the overpowered ones, sometimes) are good to keep around because of the long term goals that the characters (and their players) develop to pursue them.
If the players aren't reacting well to your campaign, ask what they would add to it, and see if you can incorporate it. I know your pain, though.
I've been trying to start up an Arcana Evolved campaign for years now, but most of my friends do not see the archaic, romantic aspects of the setting, so they refuse to play AE. As a DM, though, I haven't been telling them that the psionic monk warriors they've been fighting are actually Psion/Ritual Warriors. :P
Of course, rule 0 is Have Fun. If you're not having fun, and don't know what to do to change it, stop playing with that group!
There's a suggestion in one of the rulebooks for Iron Heroes that might work for you. Bring everyone together and let each person create a part of the campaign world. There's a roleplaying-type game I invented a long time ago when I was bored which I call Divinity. It might work to bring some life to a bored gaming group.
Divine Turn
A deity can either:
- Create 5 squares of geographic features (on a normal sheet of graph paper representing the campaign world globe or plane)
- Create or introduce 1 dragon creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 fey creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 humanoid creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 magical beast creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 monstrous humanoid creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 2 outsider creatures (of opposing alignment).
- Create or introduce 4 vermin creatures to a geographic area (+1 if Animal is a chosen domain).
- Create or introduce 4 animal creatures to a geographic area (+1 if Animal is a chosen domain).
- Create or introduce 6 plants to a geographic area, one of which is an intelligent plant creature. (+2 if Plant is a chosen domain).
- Create a player character race when there are four or more geographic areas on the campaign map.
- Destroy 3 squares on the campaign map by geographic upheaval (Flooding, Vulcanism - mountains or lava, Desertification).
- Destroy 1 square on the campaign map by magical event.
Anyway, most of my fellow players find it a fun game, and it often results in an interesting world to campaign in. The players have a vested interest in the world and their characters often feel strong ties to the deities that they were playing as they created the world.
There are other rules than that, and it needs some work probably before it is completely balanced, but so far we've been able to get around any balance issues.
Here are my two cents. In my experience, the best thing that keeps a party of characters together is long term goals. If its the players that are at each other's or your throats, that might be something else. But the best way to stave off boredom in a roleplaying game is to develop long term goals in campaign.
I have a wizard character, for example, who eventually wants to open a school and become a Mage of the Arcane Order.
In this way, prestige classes (even the overpowered ones, sometimes) are good to keep around because of the long term goals that the characters (and their players) develop to pursue them.
If the players aren't reacting well to your campaign, ask what they would add to it, and see if you can incorporate it. I know your pain, though.
I've been trying to start up an Arcana Evolved campaign for years now, but most of my friends do not see the archaic, romantic aspects of the setting, so they refuse to play AE. As a DM, though, I haven't been telling them that the psionic monk warriors they've been fighting are actually Psion/Ritual Warriors. :P
Of course, rule 0 is Have Fun. If you're not having fun, and don't know what to do to change it, stop playing with that group!
There's a suggestion in one of the rulebooks for Iron Heroes that might work for you. Bring everyone together and let each person create a part of the campaign world. There's a roleplaying-type game I invented a long time ago when I was bored which I call Divinity. It might work to bring some life to a bored gaming group.
Divine Turn
A deity can:
...
- Create 5 squares of geographic features (on a normal sheet of graph paper representing the campaign world globe or plane)
- Create or introduce 1 dragon creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 fey creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 humanoid creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 magical beast creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or
Cool idea BTW...
<snippage>
I've been trying to start up an Arcana Evolved campaign for years now
Ready when you are ;)
Seriously?
I've had all the AE books for years and apart from a brief guest slot in a friend's campaign, never had a chance to play. The setting just oozes flavour, so your group are seriously missing out if they aren't prepared to give it a try.
I'd prefer to play (as it looks like I've just talked myself into running a Pathfinder pbp here...). If you are wiling to run a game as a pbp - either here or another board/forum - then I'd love to be part of it.
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Here are my two cents. In my experience, the best thing that keeps a party of characters together is long term goals. If its the players that are at each other's or your throats, that might be something else. But the best way to stave off boredom in a roleplaying game is to develop long term goals in campaign.
I have a wizard character, for example, who eventually wants to open a school and become a Mage of the Arcane Order.
In this way, prestige classes (even the overpowered ones, sometimes) are good to keep around because of the long term goals that the characters (and their players) develop to pursue them.
If the players aren't reacting well to your campaign, ask what they would add to it, and see if you can incorporate it. I know your pain, though.
I've been trying to start up an Arcana Evolved campaign for years now, but most of my friends do not see the archaic, romantic aspects of the setting, so they refuse to play AE. As a DM, though, I haven't been telling them that the psionic monk warriors they've been fighting are actually Psion/Ritual Warriors. :P
Of course, rule 0 is Have Fun. If you're not having fun, and don't know what to do to change it, stop playing with that group!
There's a suggestion in one of the rulebooks for Iron Heroes that might work for you. Bring everyone together and let each person create a part of the campaign world. There's a roleplaying-type game I invented a long time ago when I was bored which I call Divinity. It might work to bring some life to a bored gaming group.
Divine Turn
A deity can either:
...
- Create 5 squares of geographic features (on a normal sheet of graph paper representing the campaign world globe or plane)
- Create or introduce 1 dragon creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 fey creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 humanoid creature to a created geographic area.
- Create or introduce 1 magical beast creature to a created geographic area.
- Create
Any way I can get a copy of the full rules for that? I would love to make a collaborative world in such a manner....
Hey guys, I have never played by PBP before, but if you're happy to have a complete newbie, I am very interested to give this a try too. :)
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Sure... I'm not sure how competent a DM I'll be. I only have one other game I'm DMing at the moment. I've mostly played PBPs. But I've noticed that I'm often ready to post more often than the DM is... lol. :)
I'll post an interest question in the Looking for Gamers forum, so we can get out of this one. Here it is!
As for the Divinity game, I'll see if I can find it and post it someplace else. Keep in mind its not entirely perfect, and could use a lot of tweaking and balancing.
I don't have that adventure, stardust. Got all the rulebooks, plus a couple of third party supplements. I've added my name in your interest thread.
Greyblade, if you are interested in another game, I have offered to run some Pathfinder for a couple of other people who were new to pbp and couldn't find games. More details here:
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/connection/firstTimeP BPerLookingForAGame&page=1#10
I said I would take a third PC, so if it appeals, the place is yours - we're all pretty new to this so hopefully we can learn/have a bit of fun together.
Greyblade, if you are interested in another game, I have offered to run some Pathfinder for a couple of other people who were new to pbp and couldn't find games. More details here:
Replied to your invit on your thread. Thanks a mil, I'd be delighted! :)
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Sure... I'm not sure how competent a DM I'll be. I only have one other game I'm DMing at the moment. I've mostly played PBPs. But I've noticed that I'm often ready to post more often than the DM is... lol. :)
I'll post an interest question in the Looking for Gamers forum, so we can get out of this one. Here it is!
As for the Divinity game, I'll see if I can find it and post it someplace else. Keep in mind its not entirely perfect, and could use a lot of tweaking and balancing.
I wait with bated breath....not looking for perfect, I love the concept and would love to play around with it...
+1. I wish I lived somewhere where Pathfinder was more popular so I could find a new group. Most people around here just play Magic.In all honesty....
Give up. Find another group.
They don't want to play anymore, and it sounds rather obvious.
Convert them! I've built my schools social gamers from the ground up just by offering them a slot in a one-shot game.
The problem with this is I try to start up a game and suddenly I have twelve people in the group. :X
Just a little update.
Upset as I was, I took on me to discuss the case with my players. 3 out of 5 had a lot to say as well, and we are now trying to find a middle ground. I'll add a new player I met for a fresh new start.
I am hopeful yet careful, as I sent an email regarding our rebooted campaign on Sunday evening, and I have yet to receive any news. I know it's only Monday morning, 11.35AM here, so I'll wait and see.
And if you find your game group is falling apart, but you are still friends outside that setting, then it probably is boredom as you stated. In those instances we have changed the system used, like a different version of D&D, or even better a different system like GURPS. You should consider changing the genre as well like modern, or science fiction.
There is a dramatic difference playing a random dice system like D20, and then trying a dice averaging system like GURPS.
Don't be afraid to mix it up, and you may be surprised.
I would recommend finding one other hard core DM, then switch campaigns from month to month to break up the monotony, especially players that are always commenting on your campaign (let them give it a whirl).
Personally, I've found that the miserable players tend to weed themselves out. For example, those cancellation emails could be their way of saying, "I'm not interested in playing anymore." If that's the case, let them go. Email the players who are still interested, get a game going with them, and you might find that the gaming experience improves dramatically.
Update:
After two/three days waiting with no answer regarding next weekend, I had enough and officialy cancelled the game and the campaign. Was very calm and cool, and just told them that I'll be happy to play with them again when gaming is going somewhere.
I am now creating a new group, with a new setting, new characters and most of all new table!
Cheers
Cheers indeed!
Just remember the basics we discussed. Gaming is a social experience. No amount of mutual desire for a game can substitute for a good social dynamic between the players.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Just remember the basics we discussed. Gaming is a social experience. No amount of mutual desire for a game can substitute for a good social dynamic between the players.
AMEN. I'm in a gaming group right now that actually does less gaming than hanging out, and it's awesome. A lot has to do with where you are in your life and where your gaming groupmates are. I have a kid and gaming with people who are still in college or just out has proven to be difficult. I'm just not available when they are and we're just at different points in our lives.
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Just remember the basics we discussed. Gaming is a social experience. No amount of mutual desire for a game can substitute for a good social dynamic between the players.AMEN. I'm in a gaming group right now that actually does less gaming than hanging out, and it's awesome. A lot has to do with where you are in your life and where your gaming groupmates are. I have a kid and gaming with people who are still in college or just out has proven to be difficult. I'm just not available when they are and we're just at different points in our lives.
Absolute truth.
Update:
After two/three days waiting with no answer regarding next weekend, I had enough and officialy cancelled the game and the campaign. Was very calm and cool, and just told them that I'll be happy to play with them again when gaming is going somewhere.
I am now creating a new group, with a new setting, new characters and most of all new table!
Cheers
Feel free to put out the invite to any old members as well if you want.
You'll find that they'll either come and relax and fit in (as its no longer 'THEIR' table/game) or they just wont come - which for many reasons would NOT be a loss.(If they don't come, its because at heart they didn't really want to play)
+1. I wish I lived somewhere where Pathfinder was more popular so I could find a new group. Most people around here just play Magic.In all honesty....
Give up. Find another group.
They don't want to play anymore, and it sounds rather obvious.
Try looking on www.meetup.com.
Another thought - mileage may vary based on your group:
A good campaign is contagious. Sometimes all it takes is one or two players to become passionate about a story/character/setting, and that excitement can ripple though the rest of the group.
I know the OP mentioned canceling the game, and maybe dropping the group entirely. But one option might be to just do a little thing with one or two of the more interested players, without the rest. Then you can add returning members or new members as appropriate.
A few years back, my group reached a similar point. Then three of us got together on an evening where the rest of the group was busy doing one thing or another. That one-shot became so popular that it grew into a multi-year campaign involving everyone. And it all started with a pair of dwarf brothers.
In any case, Good luck !
Hi all,
Dunno if you experienced the same problem at some point, but my RPG group is currently on the verge of dying after 4/5 years of great gaming and less than memorable moments, and I don't really know what to do.
Let me explain: we started playing together around 2005 on a regular basis, and at the time the campaign was going strong, with the usual small casting changes from time to time (nucleus of the group has stayed very consistent over the years however). Experienced D&D players, with a good knack for roleplaying as much as roll-playing, I truely had a blast as a DM, and the players were very complimentary about the campaign. We were playing regularly (2/month) with the occasional break due to summer and christmas holidays.
Then one of the players went back to his native country,and the group atmosphere started to change a little bit - it was one year and a half ago. Bickering and rule-lawyering made its apparition at our table, with one of the players really heavy onto passed gaming experiences, etc... while playing.
To counter the boredom and start something new, we started playing one-shots with different systems, and the D&D campaign died out, with several attemtpted replacements that didnt hold up the attention of the group long enough so abandonned (my fault as much as the players).
We have recently started a new D&D campaign after nearly a 3-4 month break (I mean total break, no gaming whatsoever during that time), and I'm back to DMing, after our newest player DMed a few games (quite fun and cool).
Problem is last game was an awful experience, with one player even telling me that the new setting I chose is a "s%*#hole" (I'm still mad, same guy who breaks the game with his gaming memories), and not even bothering making adjustements to his character (we converted from 3.5 to 3P). For 7 hours, it was a constant fest of solo roleplaying without sense, 0 teamwork and "look at me to see how it's done" from the most vocal players to the shier ones. The adventure was not the...
Kill them all with a big meteorite. I've seen it happen. Honest.
To all things there is a season, eh? I've had my best gaming group (the one with whom I fostered most of my preferences for play style) also pass into memory, as well, but that was ages ago. The important points to consider are: do you feel it is important to continue gaming? Then decide if there is anything at all to be salvaged from the current situation.
Firstly, it’s not easy deciding whether or not a group of people, be it friends or like-minded folks who shared the joys of the same pastime together, are firmly set in your past and that it’s time to move on. However, this can be as freeing as it may be initially troubling. Most of us know it’s not always easy to find people to play the game with, in the fashion we’ve grown accustomed and who share the play styles we enjoy most...however, don’t let the comfortable sense of convenience that your (seemingly) splintering group offers, tie you down to this situation you are no longer enjoying.
I’d also be very frank with your group, and any prospective future players you may join with, going forward about what you enjoy and are willing to put up with as a player, DM and general participant in any gaming effort (this can be done diplomatically and w/out much fuss). There can be plenty of room for different styles of play, given the maturity and patience of all involved, but sometimes—for many different reasons--this might not work. This collaborative thing of ours is something we all do for enjoyment and to soldier through tough times is one thing, whilst beating a dead horse is clearly another. Frankly, it sounds like there are some people you are at odds with in your current group and are best left to drift off, if they are of a mind to.
Are you in an area where you have the prospects of other gamers at hand, given some time and serious searching? If so, I’d look to see who still matches your play style closely enough from your old group and see about getting some new blood. No matter what, I would look at a solid reset of any current campaign (the new one in this case), tailored to match the play styles of those involved. Another possibility is to also look for a group that just needs either a new player or DM and try and get involved there, this can definitely add perspective and may (or may not) be just the tonic you need.
Of course, after typing my response, I see that you have already started off on the road of moving forward, good for you and bad for my penchant for slow responses.
In any event, as someone (*cough* in the greater metropolitan NY area *cough*) who is also looking for the right game, I wish you the best of luck!
AMEN. I'm in a gaming group right now that actually does less gaming than hanging out, and it's awesome. A lot has to do with where you are in your life and where your gaming groupmates are. I have a kid and gaming with people who are still in college or just out has proven to be difficult. I'm just not available when they are and we're just at different points in our lives.
My group has been gaming for 20+ years and now our kids are playing. We have three teenagers (18, 17, 15) and 2 young-uns (10) just starting their first PCs. Its pretty cool to see them picking it up.
Sorry, a bit off-topic, but we had a hard time going through the post-college stage as everyone scattered.
Thanks again for all your replies folks.
I started my new game this weekend with 2 new players and one of the lads from the old group, and we had fun! A player from the old group will be joining us in April when his exams are done, for now I play him as a NPC.
I think it was the relaunch that I needed, and it was great!
Funny enough, one of the least motivated players from the old group has contacted us and wants to run a game at his place. Strange isn't it? Told him I had a new game running, so would be busy DMing for a while, however would like being a player for a change!
Oh, and Doug, if you are considering a move to Ireland, my gaming table is open! :)