The most obvious thing to say but also the most forgotten sentence in the history of RPGing is: You play the game to have fun. There, I’ve said it. Now I feel better. With all the work that a GM puts into the game and all the time and energy players expend to make characters, having fun can sometimes be forgotten as the reason behind it all. If for any reason you are not having fun playing, then you should identify why and do something about it. If the reason cannot be resolved, then you should stop playing. There is no point in doing something you are not enjoying.

Player burn-out is something that can make the game stop being fun. Burn-out is a term that is used to describe when players have basically become sick of playing, either through an intense gaming schedule or unusually long game (the term is used in other ways, but this is the most common usage of the phrase). Avoiding burn-out is the responsibility of not just the GM but the players too. A few quick tips to make sure burn-out doesn’t hit you are:

• Insist to your GM that you take regular breaks during the game and make sure he is aware of your preferred length of game (see Commandment 7).
• Don’t play too often. Once or twice a week is enough for most players.
• Switch games systems once in a while, or change existing characters for a new party in an ongoing campaign. A change can be as good as a rest.

Avoid playing when you’re really stressed-out or angry about something.
Player burn-out can also be caused by frustration with the game in some way. To avoid causing others frustration, always remember Commandment 6, and to avoid misunderstandings always use Commandment 7. Make sure that you are playing a game that suits you, look forward to playing, and heed the commandments above. This will give you a much better chance at having fun.

My final piece of advice is: Relax. As you are here to have fun there is nothing to get stressed about. Is that game ruling annoying you? Relax. It’s only a game. Has the evil overlord foiled your well-laid plans? Relax. It’s supposed to be a bit of fun. The moment you get stressed about something is the moment the game stops being fun. Most RPG gamers hate their hobby to be called ‘just a game’ but at the end of it all, no matter which way you look at it, a game is exactly what it is.