One thing immediately comes to mind when I see this word.

Burnout is the endgame villain of everything. That includes being a GM, a blog author, a game designer, and the list goes on. From my experience, burnout doesn’t necessarily come just from having a bad time. It can come from doing something for a long time, even if you are enjoying it greatly. And that may not even be the main source. Maybe you are just working a lot and having to prep, organise, and run the next session is stretching you a bit too thin.

I’m not going to say it’s fine. I mean, in the context of being tired and wanting to run the next session, sure, it’s fine. Just postpone it. The issue is to find the source of your burnout and somehow bring balance to the Force. About a month ago, I was totally lost. I took a bout 10 days off and, even if I didn’t get to physically rest, I did find some peace of mind. I am still trying to find my balance, but at least now I am not overwhelmed by everything.

Now, there are a ton of tips to address GM burnout. And one I see a lot is having someone else run a session or two. That’s a good tip. However, I must take it a step further, because that’s not always feasible. There will be a case where there isn’t anyone willing to run a session. That’s fine. Not everyone wants to be a GM. A good alternative is taking a step back from the hobby. Maybe you’re tired of playing RPGs in general. Take a step back from tabletop RPGs. Do something else. Play some video games, card games, or board games. Go fishing or whatever else comes to mind. It is not a bad thing to take a break. Let your mind breathe a little.

After my break, I feel better overall. I wanted to run the last session of the Sunless Citadel, but I couldn’t get to it. Now I am planning on prepping it and getting the group together, while also preparing something for Death in Space. Because even if my burnout was not TTRPG related, it affected the amount of energy I could pour into my hobby. But remember that this is half the battle. You need to find a balance. As for that, I cannot give you any tips. Not because I don’t want to, but because I am still trying to figure it out myself.

And that’s all for this one. Next prompt is “renew”.

And until next time, have fun!

P.S.: You can find all of my posts for this year’s RPGaDay here. Thanks to AUTOCRATIK and Casting Shadows for hosting another year of the event.