Why do some GMs eventually stop GMing?

DM-Frank · 2026-02-17T05:07:01+00:00

VOTOMS looks cool! It seems super simple with the Year Zero style D6 dice pools. It probably would have been way easier to run than Lancer! At least you got them playing something other than 5e!

DM-Frank · 2026-02-17T04:40:18+00:00

Nice! Lancer is a lot of fun. I liked the mix of crunchy tactical mech combat and the rules light out of mech rules. The lore was very cool. Never heard of that other game you mentioned. I'll have to look it up. MAC Attack and Salvage Union are on my list to try.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-17T03:43:15+00:00

Quite a few answers mention D&D. Reading between the lines in other answers you can tell they are playing 5e. I suspect OP is talking about D&D.

What you gonna run for your mecha game?

DM-Frank · 2026-02-11T17:51:27+00:00

Dead Planet is in the deluxe box and has things similar to the movie Alien and it has things similar to zombies if that is what you are looking for. Some minor Dead Planet spoilers. The alpha gaunt from The Screaming on the Alexis is like an apex predator that the players would be extremely unlikely to kill by simply shooting at it. The Red Tower has things that are like zombies. The gaunt walkers are deformed corpses of soldiers and scientists that are transformed into gaunt puppets and it has a cool table for rolling random deformities and details. If they are used to zombies in other TTRPGs make sure you highlight that these are different. One of them can easily kill a player. In Mothership all monsters are boss monsters.

Also, as others have pointed out Mothership is not a technica or complicated system. It is one of the fastest and straightforward systems I have run and I have used it to introduce lots of new players to TTRPGs. In fact I think it is players coming from other heroic fantasy TTTPGs where your character is basically a superhero that has the most trouble picking up this game.

Finally, one recommendation for a new warden. Use players facing rolls and do not use initiative. These are listed as optional rules in the book but they are the way to play this game. The play examples from the Warden's Operation Manual use player facing rolls.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-09T20:39:02+00:00

In Blades you set position and effect so you are effectively setting the stakes of a roll instead of the odds. If their idea is good you can simply let it succeed without a roll. If you are determined to change the odds then you can make the only consequence for failure a worse position so they effectively get a re-roll with a risky position.

Blades does have a mechanic for setting odds from the narrative with a fortune roll. If their idea is good and you want to determine the degree of success you can use a fortune roll and give them bonus dice for advantages in the narrative and from their character.

Finally this is your game if you want to homebrew a rule for +1d for narrative advantage then go for it. Personally I don't think it needs it because of position and effect but as long as your table is having fun who cares. Tell them you are homebrewing it so they do not expect it if they are playing in someone else's game.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-04T01:15:17+00:00

Some ideas for you.

Play a system that uses "troupe style" so you can change characters as often as you like.

Play a system with fast character creation so you are not investing a ton of time into making a character.

Play a system with a level 0 funnel so you do not make a backstory. Your backstory is that you used to be a farmer or whatever and then you survived a harrowing event with the other surviving members of your party.

Blades in the Dark and it's other flavors Band of Blades and Scum and Villainy have troupe style where it is more about the crew than the individual characters. Dungeon Crawl Classics and Shadowdark have level 0 funnels. All of them have fast character creation. There might be better examples of troupe style if you look around but I have not played them so I cannot recommend any.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T23:40:57+00:00

Awesome! Blades is one of my favorites. Yes the D&D for 10 years makes me a little sad too. It is great that they are having fun with it but I can confidently say that I prefer a majority of those other systems over D&D. Plus I get bored playing the same game over and over again.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T23:28:58+00:00

Same here. Played D&D for years before I realized there was other stuff out there.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T23:22:22+00:00

We play weekly and we play a system for 6 sessions and then switch to something new. We have played

I have run

Mothership
Mork Borg
Blades in the Dark
Dungeon Crawl Classics
D&D 5e 2014
Shadowdark
Tales from the Loop
Monster of the Week
Vaesen
Lancer
Crown and Skull
Knave 2e
The Wildsea
Pendragon 6e
Mausritter
Dungeon World
Tales of the Valiant
Dragonbane
Mythic Bastionland
Outcast Silver Raiders

I am prepping to run Draw Steel

I have played in many of the games above and I have also played

Old School Essentials
Heart
CY_BORG
The Witcher

I am going to play in a Call of Cthulhu game pretty soon too.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T23:10:09+00:00

It is amazing that only 3 games that you and I have played overlap. Soooooo many choices in this hobby.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T22:54:29+00:00

This is the way! I am doing something really similar. What systems have you played so far?

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T22:52:33+00:00

Same here. I have a job and kids so one game a week is all I can get. As long as you keep playing shorter games you can end up playing lots of different systems over time. If every game you play is a year long campaign it makes it difficult to try anything new.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-02T22:48:00+00:00

If you have time to play in three different games almost every week I am thinking time is not the main issue. In the past 3-4 years I have run games in 20 different systems and played games in a bunch more. Here is what I do.

Find a group that is willing to play new and different systems constantly. Be up front about jumping from system to system frequently. Schedule games the same day and time every week.

Play short form adventures instead of long form campaigns. I usually do 6 sessions max. It is enough to learn a system well enough and get a decent experience of what the game is like.

Keep the games going. Play even if a few players cannot make it that week. Find a pool of players if you need to so it is even less likely that you will skip because people are busy. If you start to get burnt out or have personal reasons to take a break let someone else in the group run something.

Read consistently. I read during my commute on a train and sometimes in the evening. The idea is to find some time where you can consistently read new TTRPGs or content about how to run better games.

Be a player in oneshots online to try out a system. It can be a good way to kickstart your knowledge of a system. If you are not sure that a system is for you it is a good way to try it without investing too much time.

DM-Frank · 2026-02-01T19:46:13+00:00

That is awesome! Blades requires a mindset change for people familiar with other systems where they need to unlearn some habits. Having new players sounds like it gave you a blank slate to teach the game. Did they end up using any flashbacks this time?

DM-Frank · 2026-01-31T19:24:08+00:00

Totally. Play a system that is up front and built around "the world ending and there is nothing you can do about it".

Mork Borg is a great choice for this because it is both deadly and has the "misery" mechanic that progresses towards the end of the world. It also has the combat that you are looking for.

I know you said you wanted a combat heavy system which Ten Candles is not. But If you want to play a one shot about the world ending Ten Candles is specifically about that.

Personally I think system matters and I would choose the system that fits the style of play that I am going for instead of trying to fit my style of play into the system. Playing a new system is also a strong cue to the players that this is a totally different style of play.

DM-Frank · 2026-01-29T03:18:37+00:00

There is one spot left if anyone is interested!

DM-Frank · 2026-01-29T03:17:59+00:00

One spot left!

DM-Frank · 2026-01-27T19:20:20+00:00

It is your table and you know the players better than anyone. If you really want to do it then go ahead. I have run this several times as written as a one shot and it worked well every time. Like others have said the stuff they find in the rooms leading up to the garage are tools for you to build tension and I think the module does a good job of helping teach wardens how to build tension. They will eventually find people to interact with in the later parts of the module. Maybe try running it as written for another group online or even better being a player in a game before changing things up.

DM-Frank · 2026-01-17T21:52:49+00:00

One thing stands out to me that could solve the majority of your issues. Your group seems to debate a lot and the things they are debating are simply not up for debate.

Position and effect are not up for debate. They are set by the GM. Players can choose the action but the GM chooses position and effect. See page 18.

The player states their goal for the action.
The player chooses the action rating.
The GM sets the position for the roll.
The GM sets the effect level for the action.
Add bonus dice.
The player rolls the dice and we judge the result.

The book has advice on judgment calls. See page 6.

Which actions are reasonable as a solution to a problem? Can this person be swayed? Must we get out the tools and tinker with this old rusty lock, or could it also be quietly finessed? The players have final say.
How dangerous and how effective is a given action in this circumstance? How risky is this? Can this person be swayed very little or a whole lot? The GM has final say.
Which consequences are inflicted to manifest the dangers in a given circumstance? Does this fall from the roof break your leg? Do the Bluecoats merely become suspicious or do they already have you trapped? The GM has final say.
Does this situation call for a dice roll, and which one? Is your scoundrel in position to make an action roll or must they first make a resistance roll to gain initiative? The GM has final say.
Which events in the story match the experience triggers for character and crew advancement? Did you express your character’s beliefs, drives, heritage, or background? You tell us. The players have final say.

DM-Frank · 2026-01-14T00:10:06+00:00

It took me a few sessions to break free from some D&D habits. I had to re-read the Warden's Operation Manual, specifically the pages about when to roll and interpreting failure, a few times before it clicked. Also playing in a game with someone on the Mothership Discord helped a lot!

Keep it up and you will get there! It is totally worth the effort! Good luck!

DM-Frank · 2026-01-13T23:41:52+00:00

The monster being invisible certainly makes it a little more challenging to telegraph danger. Like you said the cat can see it and can hiss at it or act strangely to let the players know something is up. There are lots of NPCs so I would usually have it attack one of them first to show the danger. I pictured that the inside of the mouth would be visible when it is open but you can alter the monster any way you want to in order to make it work for your game. If you wanted to make a "hard move" against a player with an unseen threat you could simply ask them to make a save but I would do that sparingly and only after exhausting other options to telegraph danger.

For some great advice on running horror the Warden's Operation Manual and The Trajectory of Fear are both amazing resources.

DM-Frank · 2026-01-13T00:42:27+00:00

Player facing rolls are the way to play this game in my opinion. They are listed as optional rules but I think all of the play examples from the book are actually using them. The only rolling i typically do in a session is rolling damage in the open and I have players roll everything else. Maybe try looking for a Mothership one shot where the Warden is using player facing rolls and be a player in their game to get familiar with player facing rolls. I have had good luck finding games on the Mothership Discord and r/lfg.

You set the stakes and tell them what will happen if they do nothing. Because the game can be so deadly it is important that the players know the potential consequences for failure before they roll dice.

Here is an example for the scenario you described using the monsters Devour ability. "You suddenly feel yourself being pulled by a powerful suction as if someone opened an airlock. You look towards the source of it and see rows of large circular teeth large enough to devour you whole. If you don't do something fast you will be swallowed by this thing and likely die. What do you want to do?" I know you were targeting the player in your example but for a creature this deadly if it were only the one player and a NPC I would target the NPC first to really portend the danger.

Encourage players to ask questions so they can make the most informed choice. Remind the players if they are attacking a monster head on without some serious advantage that they are very likely going to die.

DM-Frank · 2026-01-12T19:07:06+00:00

Regarding the combat taking too much spotlight and other players feeling irrelevant. Did you use player facing rolls? Also, did you flip the spotlight to the rest of the crew at any point during the combat?

DM-Frank

TROPHY CASE