Every now and then, GMs get overwhelmed and burnt out, worrying so much about players and rules and games that it all spirals downword into desperation. We all end up there. A while back I wrote a brief note to one such GM, who was fighting character deaths and table chaos, and I thought I would share it for those days when we all need it. We are our own worst enemies, piling on all these expectations. I think we all need to learn to do more of what we enjoy and less of what we don't. Make players be responsible so we don't get hit with everything. It helps a lot with burnout. Make players enforce rules. Find a rules lawyer who isn't doing it to min-max and let them loose on it. Let the characters die. Remind that some fights will be too hard for them, so they should always consider fleeing an option. Use more premade content. Rip stuff out of premade adventures and reuse it. Ban anything at the table that makes your life harder. If they need to check their cel...
Chronicles of an Elder GM Running, Hacking, and Sharing Advice on TTRPGs