Our solution was to run an extremely pointless campaign in D&D 3.5 where we pretty much rampaged around doing whatever we wanted. Hilarity ensued, and eventually people showed up again. It’s not necessary to change the system though, just take a day and ignore any sane limits ingame.

We’ve all been there – one guy in the group just isn’t digging the game. He still shows up to hang out with friends, but his heart isn’t in it. Everyone else starts to feel it, and the malaise gets to everyone.

If you proactively check to see that players are getting the game they want, you can reduce the odds of one player’s boredom becoming everyone’s burnout.

John – That player who loves fantasy, but finds D&D a bit too constricting? That could totally be me.

I definitely agree with the switching the system and setting parts of this article. Go from D20 Fantasy to Savage Worlds Sci-Fi or BRP Horror. If you switch the setting and system up, it really changes the flow of the game for everyone.

When players paint a mini, it means they’re into the game, into what you’re trying to accomplish as a DM and that’s cool.

@Peter – You are correct, different things for different people. That’s what makes this hobby great.

@Troy – There are those that will complain about using miniatures, but for me, its always fun. It always fun to ask who is this person, what does s/he desire, and what colors would s/he wear?

@ nblade and peter: It all depends on the gamers and the timing of the switch. It would be bad to drop a card or board game into the middle of an intricate fight or detailed plot where things are happening and story is being moved forward, but when there is a lull or an appropriate junction it can work wonderfully. I ran a chess game once where the group met a contact in a restaurant. Before he would give them the information someone had to show that they were worthy enough in chess. So we played a quick game (of the knights chase variation, or king arthur chess) and then moved on. We were about 1 degree away from actually larping because I, playing the NPC, and the player, playing his character, were talking in character and deeply immersed in the in-game conversations parries and retorts. We terminated the chess game half-way through because we wanted to get on with the action but it made for an excellent distraction and story immersion exercise.

Non-RPG games are a great way to shake things ups and to have something to do if a session might be canceled due to lack of people showing up.

Our dm suggested this in our group. But to me this is a bad idea. I don’t like the fact that we are not roleplaying but that I am wasting time on boardgames or videogames. I”m not a big fan of competetive games and feel that the time I use while doing that is time I could use do to something usefull (or relaxing)

just to illustrate that different gamers have different needs and that you should be carefull with solutions for the whole of a group

Rather than be bored with the system, per se, I wonder if the boredom comes more often from genre than the rules. I think the solution John suggested, say moving from D&D to Iron Heroes, is a good one. But I think the subtle difference from Tolkenesque fantasy gaming to Swords’n'(sorcery) might be more compelling than the specific rules. Either way, you are making a slight shift.

I think the typical Halloween/horror switch is usually a good way to mix things up in the autumn. Board/dice/card games work in the winter (Inn Fighting or Three Dragon Ante, anyone?).

Sometimes a one-shot infusion of unexplored gaming type is all that is needed.

I agree , Non-RPG games are a great way to shake things ups and to have something to do if a session might be canceled due to lack of people showing up.

Personally, I like changing the system every once in a while, but players tend to try to stick to what they know.