u/FirstSwimming5361

I’ve been running an online D&D campaign for a group that met through Reddit. We’ve been playing together for over a year and have become close friends. For most of that time, sessions felt effortless. The players were excited to be there, roleplay happened naturally, everyone contributed to conversations, and the group always seemed eager to see what happened next.

Lately, though, something feels different. The game isn’t falling apart, nobody is causing issues, and everyone still shows up consistently. But the energy just isn’t there anymore. Players seem less engaged, roleplay is more limited, decision-making takes longer, and there are more moments where nobody has much to say. I find myself working much harder as a GM to keep things moving and get reactions from the group.

What makes it difficult is that I can’t tell whether this is just a normal phase in a long-running campaign or whether the players are genuinely getting bored. They still say they’re having fun, but the enthusiasm and excitement that used to be there feels noticeably diminished.

For GMs who have experienced this, what ended up being the cause? Was it burnout, campaign fatigue, story issues, real-life distractions, or something else entirely? More importantly, what actually helped restore player engagement and excitement after a campaign hit this kind of slump?

I’ve been running an online D&D campaign for a group that met through Reddit. We’ve been playing together for over a year and have become close friends. For most of that time, sessions felt effortless. The players were excited to be there, roleplay happened naturally, everyone contributed to conversations, and the group always seemed eager to see what happened next.

Lately, though, something feels different. The game isn’t falling apart, nobody is causing issues, and everyone still shows up consistently. But the energy just isn’t there anymore. Players seem less engaged, roleplay is more limited, decision-making takes longer, and there are more moments where nobody has much to say. I find myself working much harder as a DM to keep things moving and get reactions from the group.

What makes it difficult is that I can’t tell whether this is just a normal phase in a long-running campaign or whether the players are genuinely getting bored. They still say they’re having fun, but the enthusiasm and excitement that used to be there feels noticeably diminished.

For DMs who have experienced this, what ended up being the cause? Was it burnout, campaign fatigue, story issues, real-life distractions, or something else entirely? More importantly, what actually helped restore player engagement and excitement after a campaign hit this kind of slump?

I’m 22F and had an experience last night that I can’t fully process.

I went to a friend’s birthday party and a guy I didn’t know offered me a weed gummy. I’d been drinking a bit and said yes without thinking much. I’ve used weed a lot before and have a pretty high tolerance, but this hit completely differently. I took less than a quarter and it absolutely wrecked me.

I got extremely disoriented—could barely talk, couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t really ask my friends for help. At some point I ended up alone and the same guy came up to me again. He started flirting and getting close in a way that made me uncomfortable. I was basically nonverbal and couldn’t respond properly. I ended up just walking away and hiding in the bathroom until I felt safe enough to leave. Later I found out he was also acting weird toward one of my friends.

Physically, it didn’t feel like any edible I’ve had before. I was still very high the next day—like couldn’t walk straight, nauseous, completely out of it. It’s been about 36 hours and I only now feel somewhat normal again. That alone is really unsettling.

What’s messing with me now is how I’m interpreting it. Part of me thinks this guy had bad intentions. Another part keeps minimizing it—like I accepted the gummy, nothing “actually happened,” so maybe I’m overreacting. I also can’t shake the thought that it might not have been just weed, but I have no way of knowing.

I feel off about the whole thing but also keep questioning whether I even have the right to feel that way.