10 signs something is WRONG with your D&D game

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To be fair, if players are giving you negative feedback, they likely are enjoying the game, just some parts of it are frustrating for them. If they aren't giving any feedback (positive or negative), that's a good sign they've stopped caring about the game.

Now I'm even more paranoid, thank's luke

The best complement a player gave me was playing the game online at the airport waiting for his plane coming home from vacation in Australia. I would have been fine with him missing the session, but he wanted to play so he did. Real life does happen. A player can legit miss a session due to circumstance. All good, but Luke is right. If they keep missing a session because real life intervenes they're not into the game. That doesn't necessarily mean it's your fault as DM, but it does mean as DM you need to accept the player is not a player anymore. Obligatory yelling at Luke: Bacon isn't kosher.

Synopsis: 1) Lack of Engagement 0:30 2) Declining Attendance 1:53 3) Limited Roleplay 3:51 4) Lack of Cooperation 6:26 5) No Pre- and Post- Game Discussions 8:55 6) Rushing through Content 11:43 7) Constant Rule Disputes 13:00 8) Lack of Character Development 14:25 9) Lack of Initiative 15:35 10) Negative Feedback 20:03

It's the mark of a good DM, the ones who constantly question how the game is going are the ones who care :)

"Not all players like speaking in character" THANK you! I have struggled with this, because I tend to play characters who are very different from myself, and it's hard sometimes to play them directly. I don't speak like they do which makes improv difficult, I'm generally not a good actor so I'm not good at expressing the mood I want, etc. I tend to be what I call a "descriptive roleplayer". I tend to describe what my character is doing and saying and how they're doing and saying it. I will describe their expression, body language, and the general gist of what they're saying a lot of the time. And so many DMs have cut me off and insisted I speak and act as them, rather than describing them. But when I do that people get the entirely wrong idea of who my character even is. They usually turn into a joke because I initially presented them as serious or confident, but I can't act that way on a moment's notice, so then my character gets made fun of for presenting as serious or confident but then stumbling over their words or sounding unsure because that's how I end up talking while trying to play them. I have flat out stopped playing certain characters because of this. (and don't get me started on DMs who will force bards to perform irl)

If your players dont thank you and kiss you on the mouth after each session, you're not DMing good enough.

I had a DM who started asking me about the game because I did give him honest feedback. And the results were amazing. Afterwards every session, he would ask me because I spoke with the other players and I got all their complaints and I transmitted them. If the players aren't honest with their likes and dislikes with the DM because they feel obligation, pick a player that does speak with you and have him tell you everyone's discomfort. Of course, with the intention to improve. If you use the info wrong (as to find out strategies or so) you will lose the connection.

I have had to quit running a game for my close friends for like 8 of the 10 reasons here (all at the same time). They expressed interest in wanting to play so I set up a game for them. It had been maybe 10 years since I had played before and about the same since I dmed. they were all there every session and they didnt argue with me, in fact they raved about how much fun they were having... but it sure didnt FEEL like it. So I asked what they wanted, how I could improve ect. Got almost nothing for feedback, and in the end I just stopped playing. I honestly felt like it was my fault, i obviously was not good enough, that type thing. Fast forward a few years and they talked me into trying again. this time three of the same people and my best friend. This game online instead of in person. the only one who would talk and pay attention was my best friend, she pretty much was the only one moving anything forward and I am really glad she was there because I started feeling like it was me again, she assured me it was not. I often would feel like I was preforming a one man show (especially when my best friend was unable to make it for the session). I ended up starting a second group midway through and then let this one go on break, never to come back again. The other group I started was with my DM as a player, my best friend, and an online friend who had never played before. They pretty much run the game themselves. they can spend sessions just exploring towns and they latch onto any little tidbit I say. They currently have a to do list of like 15 things they want to explore or learn about. I do not feel stressed out, I can tell they are having fun. It has really helped me enjoy the game again. The close friends still talk about missing the game and wanting to play again but ... I just cant. Actions spoke way louder than words.

At the end of each of my games we do "Good, Bad, Change" and each of my players lists something they really enjoyed about the session, something they didn't like about the session, and something they feel could be changed/improved for future sessions.

I had a player quit because they didn't like the combat and only liked the roleplaying in social encounters 😂

I'm a firm beleaver of the phrase: GMs are not responsable for the fun on the gaming table alone! Of course, as a GM I can influence much more in the session, but TTRPGs are a group activity. So if the game is not fun at the table, what can YOU as a player do about it? It's always easy to blame the GM for not being engaging enough or for the boring story line. But in my understanding the GM is just another member of the group, who is kind enough to take on more tasks for keeping the game running. After I understood this, I'm always striving to do the social interactions of the game properly and to invite other players to join me in funny or indearing conversations. I'm responsible for my own fun. So if there is no fun at the table, then I have to ignite the spark of fun.

The end of the rise of skywalker should have had Rey say her name is Rey Rey Binks.

Your title should really be '' 10 Examples of terrible DND players '' or '' 10 signs your players straight out don't like DND ''

When I see a person on the phone, I start by asking them what are you doing and if they say choosing spells for my character, or next action, ect... I get it. These days more people (I think anyway) have their character sheet online, than printed out on paper. I learned long ago to ask as many questions as I could, in the form of open-ended questions. For example, What did you enjoy about the game? What do you think I could improve? What would you like to see or encounter in the next game? Most people I can tell if they are having a great time, but some people are not as easy to read as others. That "poker face", or that "chess player" who is thinking ten moves ahead of the dm to outsmart the villain might be having a great time. But I wouldn't know until I asked, because from reading their body language they actually looked bored.

Hey! Our last drop-out confessed to not being interested in playing! Okay, I forced his hand by asking him outright if he was going to continue. He wanted to play Mythic Pathfinder where he could cast any spell without first learning it, not have it cast against his spell use for the day, overcome all spell resistance and damage reduction, and apply any meta-magic feat without it using the appropriate spell lvl... and did not want to continue once the GM homebrewed Mythic powers that were less game-breaking than the Pathfinder 1e Mythic book that serves as little more than emergency toilet paper or firepit fuel. PS That player wanted us all to change to 5E in order to continue playing, if not as Mythic. /roflol Yeah, nah.

All good advice, the #1 indicator for me of my game being good or bad is when I told my players that was the at the end of a 1 shot. The players insisted I keep dming when I hadn't planned on it. It's been 5-6 sessions more since then and they still say the same thing. :)

Part that seems to be missing in that roleplay part is the DM tends to move the players (even the ones that did not say they were moving.. not on the map, but in the ToTM) So between DM's need/desire to "control" and Players neglecting to say they are moving... (because they are used to DM's moving them) the players become in-sensed and just sit back and not engage.

Lack of initiative was a big deal for us, I started rolling initiative even when not needed. “I drink my beer.” “Roll initiative!”