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Post by dmsam on May 22, 2016 14:07:16 GMT
So my game grinds to a halt when one of the three of my players decided to leave, and the other two unwilling to continue with the dwindling cast. I have played through about 60% of my current campaign, with the climactic conflict still veiled.
Should I just end it and tell the party the rest of the story? Or should I just put everything on indefinite hiatus in hopes that someone will join?
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Post by joatmoniac on May 22, 2016 20:56:19 GMT
So my game grinds to a halt when one of the three of my players decided to leave, and the other two unwilling to continue with the dwindling cast. I have played through about 60% of my current campaign, with the climactic conflict still veiled. Should I just end it and tell the party the rest of the story? Or should I just put everything on indefinite hiatus in hopes that someone will join? Assuming you mean that going forward you will have two players instead of three: I think that if you want the story to pan out I you should try and keep pushing forward with what you have. You could have the two players left each run two characters. I have done it before, and it can still be a ton of fun, and to me seems like the least likely situation for keeping that story alive and well. The other option may be a story adjacent to the one you are running while looking to fill the group out more, so same world, same time frame, but different characters, and this could even potentially lead into the first idea if you aren't finding anyone. Third would be to keep playing something, but have the game be on hold, however the longer it is on hold the less likely it is that it will come back. You could put a time frame on it? If you don't have someone that has joined the game and helped get it going again then you tell your players what the rest of the story was going to be. Just a few ideas that bounced around and out of my head! Hope some of them are helpful to you. |
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Post by dmsam on May 23, 2016 6:23:55 GMT
Unfortunately this is the second time something like this happened. 2 people left out of 4, I switched the setting (within the same world) after recruiting an additional player, played for another 7-8 games, and then another left. . .
I really need to do some self reflection and see if the problem is on my end ._.
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Post by joatmoniac on May 23, 2016 17:14:52 GMT
I really need to do some self reflection and see if the problem is on my end ._. While that is never a bad thing I would make sure you reflect on as much of the circumstances as possible. Were the people that left new players? Were the game types being played different from what those players like? i.e. war gamers in theater of the mind. Life circumstances that played a factor? If they were new players is pen and paper just not for them? Were they not invested in the game for one reason or another? I hope you get it all squared away and have a consistent group to play with! |
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Post by dmsam on Jan 10, 2017 0:23:04 GMT
I believe that certain personalities are not conducive with epic, multiseasonal games. After reviewing the reasons why some of my players left, they are:
1. Setting - one of my players is bored with the setting, and wanted to play in cyberpunk or sci-fi. The change in setting is incompatible with the theme and tone.
2. Gaming for Social Reasons - another player plays because he wants to play with friends. Since his buddy above left, he did not want to play anymore.
3. Real Life - Of all the games that fall apart, I find that most happen in the holiday season. DnD and similar games require the sort of dedication and commitment that video games often do not (unless you grew up raiding Black Temple or Sunwell). With new year and a break, having to obligate several hours a week is understandably difficult.
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Post by lasersniper on Jan 10, 2017 4:10:52 GMT
The holidays are a killer of campaigns. I have lost several games to them, and it wasn't necessarily anyone's fault. The end of the year really shakes things up with all of our lives, and in the readjustment period, our gaming lives often get left in the dust so to speak. It is important to keep in contact with friends and make plans for past the holiday season. I find it also helps when you have a planned stop of the campaign instead of letting plans fall through during holiday season. When holiday events and family supersede other plans, it makes it feel to all parties that this isn't really that important and hurts habit forming, which, lets be honest, is a HUGE factor in long epic style campaigns.
Now I am not saying hold your gaming plans in higher regard, just that during the stressful end of the year, it might be easier to put the campaign on a nice safe shelf to be picked up at the start of the year. Instead of trying to pick up the pieces like those plates you dropped during family dinner. It also really helps to end it on a solid hook. Think of it like a season of a TV show. There is a conclusion, but there is always that mystery and plot thread open, making them excited to return.
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Post by friartook on Jan 10, 2017 15:10:18 GMT
Our group had our first real game session in close to two months last night. After multiple weeks of last minute cancellations in late November, I just called a break to reset in 2017.
Since that "reset", One player has moved to Helsinki to stay with his brother for the foreseeable future (but they both say they want to jump back in via Skype), one player requested a chance to try out GMing a one-shot, one player asked if her BF could come sit in for a guest spot, one player requested we choose a system and campaign and stick with it for most of 2017, one player's GF asked if she could join our group, and a former player said they'd join back up if we rebooted a previous campaign we were running.
So...
All that to say, part of GMing is rolling with the changes. We are more than storytellers and arbiters of the rules. We are managers. Part of the GM's job is to work with all the needs of the all the players and try to find a place where everyone is happy. It's certainly not "the fun part", but it is important.
I'm not sure I read this correctly, but it seemed like you were saying the last two players didn't want to continue. Perhaps its time to put your current campaign on the shelf and open yourself up to a new setting and/or system that interests those players. Try refocusing. Instead of focusing on the campaign story you have currently, open the floor to your remaining players and find out what they are interested in. My favorite campaign so far is the one where I allowed my players the most influence on the worldbuilding. In fact, that's the one I got a reboot request for.
Anyway, I hope you can salvage your group! Don't despair over only having two players! My group fluctuates from 3-8 players, and I'll be honest: I pine for a 2-3 player steady group. The chaos and madness of a big group can be a lot of fun, but you can really delve into RP and character development when you have fewer players. Best of luck!
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Post by dmsam on Jan 10, 2017 19:44:34 GMT
And that, is exactly what I did. I told the last two players that I will not be running this particular game anymore, and instead started a new one with a handful of very enthusiastic folks who was looking for a DM on roll20. Since then, we've ran 17 games in a row without cancellations, even though the dreaded holidays. I have went further with the plot with this group than I ever did with my previous one, which is a plus.
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