There is a brick wall that all creative people hit while being creative. It often comes out of nowhere, because we’re too busy making stuff to notice what’s directly in front of our faces. Other times, we see the brick wall and decide that putting our head down and plowing into it at full speed is the optimal choice because… hey, maybe we’ll break right through!
It’s theoretically possible, though mostly metaphorical, but even if we did break through, it would cause serious physical harm. It’s not called a brick wall for nothing.
What is Burnout
Burnout – the unromanticized version of writer’s block, artist’s block, or whatever you call your creative black hole – is not only common, it’s almost inevitable. It will happen, it will suck, and you will get through it. Feeling overwhelmed, uninspired, or frustrated (or just plain pissed off) at the creative process and its emotional toll is natural. Don’t hate yourself for the burnout. It’s not a reflection on your worth. It’s part of the nature of creativity and living a creative life.
Why Does Burnout Happen
But why do we suddenly get stopped in our tracks? What triggers the fight, flight, or freeze response in us as creatives? Great questions, but there isn’t a single trigger. It’s usually a build up of many small things that alone would be trivial, but taken as a whole, consumes our passion for creating. Common causes of GM burnout for me are:
Drama at the table
When the table is arguing about things that aren’t directly tied to the game, I know it has gone off the rails. Personality clashes are bound to happen among any group of friends and are almost guaranteed among strangers getting together for fun. Everyone has their own motivations for playing, and often people are not playing for the same reasons. This misalignment of expectation and motivation inevitably causes drama. Not every game is for every player, so be kind and offer a person a seat at the next game if you’re finding a clash of personalities.
Too many threads
Oh boy, are GMs their own worst enemies sometimes. You spent all this time crafting an entire world. You created different factions all vying for control, an intricate web of politics and deception, war, love, all of that emotional jazz. And then… oh my god, no wonder you’re so overwhelmed! This is exhausting just imagining. I don’t know how you do it.
Too much prep
One of the most enjoyable parts of running RPGs is preparing an adventure for your players. But sometimes, we labor for no reason, because the moment the game starts, the players take control and walk away from our intricate ideas into uncharted territory. This is the most exciting and frustrating part of TTRPGS. It’s the one aspect that can’t be captured in any other medium. But, it means that no matter how hard you work between sessions to give your players a great time, you might have done it all for nothing.
Too many or few players
Finding the right table size for you to run is incredibly difficult because the appropriate number changes depending on the game, the style, and who is in your group. Too few players means that not enough action happens and there might be a lot of shoulder shrugging when trying to make decisions. Too many and everyone wants to go in different directions and that leads to another type of analysis paralysis. The more players, the slower the combat and social situations, but too few players and those same situations are incredibly difficult to navigate. It cuts both ways. Over time, you will develop a sense for the number of players that is right for you.
Too many games
Preparing an adventure every week takes time and effort and creative energy. No matter how many of these attributes you have, if you are preparing too many games, you will burnout. The creative spark is rekindled during rest, and if you don’t rest, you hit that metaphoric brick wall without enough steam to do anything except crack open your brainbox.
What To Do When Burnout Happens
Take a break from the group
Breathe. Stretch. Walk. Wait. Sometimes just stepping back from the game gives you perspective and refreshes your creative juices. Taking a break from the game for a week or a month or whatever time you feel is necessary is a great option. Ideally, you’ll want to take this break at the warning signs of burnout, because often if you push yourself into the burnout stage, returning to running games feels like work instead of a fun hobby. Don’t put pressure on yourself to pick up the game in a week or a month. Setting artificial deadlines can work for creative efforts, but it rarely works in recovery from injury. Be kind to yourself.
Play the Game
Have another player run a one-shot, or take turns running one-shots.
Just because you’re on a break doesn’t mean the whole group needs to be! Sometimes, the best medicine is having fun. Ask your players if they’d like to run something next. Maybe switch it up with a board game night. Anything that breaks you out of the habits which caused your burnout is awesome. Being a player can give you the opportunity to learn as well, and often learning is inspiration for creativity.
Prep less, play more
Simplify your game by beginning at the mouth of a dungeon and go from there. Buy a short module and run it by the book. Grab a map and a random encounter generator and let that be the whole of the session. The key is to avoid things you hate so you can concentrate on the parts you love. In a premade adventure, you’re free to add all the parts that inspire you as a GM and let the adventure do the heavy lifting for the aspects you don’t find enjoyable. With pre-mades, you get to choose how, when, and what you use.
Prep more, play less
On the flip side, maybe you love worldbuilding, plot structure, crafting adventure hooks, and the like. If this is where your creative juices get their charge, then spend more time doing what you love. You don’t have to run weekly games – they can be bi-monthly or monthly. They might not even have a set date – they can just be when you’re ready. If that’s how you work best, then fuck the schedule. You’re running the game and it’s ready when you say it’s ready.
Avoid Burnout
The best way to deal with burnout is to avoid it as often and vigorously as possible. Don’t run into that brick wall; go around it. But how? You can take any of the steps above to circumnavigate burnout just as easily as using them after burnout happens, but here are a few extra ways to avoid burnout.
Learn your personal warning signs
This is going to be different for everyone, but there are some common obvious signs, such as what I refer to as the “trinity of burnout” feelings: frustrated, uninspired, and overwhelmed. While it’s natural to feel these, if every time you go to prep or run the game you are hit with an immediate rush of negative emotions, you’re probably on your way to burnout. It’s time to take a step back, reevaluate what you love about the hobby, and concentrate on those things that bring you joy.
Switch games midstream
There’s no law that says you have to run the same game every week. You can try side stories, board game nights, or other TTRPGs. A week off can inspire creativity and clarity. You deserve a rest, but if you love running games, you can take the time to do a quick one-shot in the middle of your campaign to explore other ideas.
Don’t run games for people who aren’t enthusiastic
While we don’t want to blame the players for our burnout, it can be a real drag to prepare an adventure for players who don’t really care about the story. They might be close friends who play because they want to hang out with you and other players. They may also be in the throes of burnout themselves and are just going through the motions. It’s a tricky situation, but giving your creativity to players who don’t appreciate it can cause burnout very quickly. Selecting the right players is difficult, but it’s worth it.
Treat yourself for running a game – it’s a big accomplishment
Running a game is an amazing thing. You just created a world and story for your friends to spend time exploring. You took the ancient art of storytelling and shared it with a table. You made the world a little better and brighter. You are a genius in this very small way. Celebrate it. Revel in it. Let yourself off the hook for any mistakes because they pale in comparison to the fantastic job you just did. Have an ice cream. You deserve it.
- Burnout happens in every creative endeavor
- Three warning signs are: overwhelmed, uninspired, and/or frustrated
- Know your personal warning signs so you can avoid them in the future
- Take a break early. Schedules can be changed
- Run games for people who are enthusiastic to play, especially new players!
- Reward yourself for you accomplishments
New Players Save the Day
New players are oftentimes the most enthusiastic because they are experiencing it all for the first time. Running a game for 3 new players and 1 experienced player is a joy. That experienced player can take the role as the GM assistant to take some pressure off you as you teach the new players. Seeing the game through new eyes is invigorating.