Matt Mercer admitting DM burnout makes me want to try again
Falling victim to DM burnout is far more common than you think. But if it can happen to Matt Mercer, then maybe I should stop beating myself up.
Published 21 hours ago
Even master storytellers need to rest
Image: Critical Role / Photographer: Robyn Von Swank
Matthew Mercer is one of the most popular Dungeon Masters in the world. Alongside other stellar DMs like Deborah Ann Woll and Aabria Iyengar, Mercer gave me the courage to try my own hand at being a Dungeon Master.
Yet despite being as talented as he is, Mercer admitted on the Crispy's Tavern: Tales and Tea podcast that one of the reasons why he walked away from being Critical Role’s Campaign 4 Dungeon Master — the role now lies in the hands of the prestigious Brennan Lee Mulligan — was largely due to DM burnout. After falling victim to the same issue, Mercer’s admission resonated with me but also inspired me in a way I did not expect.
Unless you’re very lucky, we’ve all experienced burnout before. It’s a type of mental exhaustion, often caused by prolonged and overwhelming stress. On the podcast, Mercer went on to say that, as one of Critical Role’s co-founders and the storyteller behind the previous three Critical Role campaigns, he’d started to feel “a continuous need to produce creatively.” Feeling like that was both a drain of emotions, and something scary to tangle with.
Image: Critical Role/Wizards of the Coast via Polygon
Hearing Mercer candidly speaking about the creative pressure made me look back at my own “career” as a Dungeon Master. DM burnout is a very real thing, and for anyone who has either played Dungeons & Dragons as a DM or is close to people who do, it’s easy to see why.
While Dungeons & Dragons is a collaborative experience, with the DM narrating the story and their players reacting to it, it can also be incredibly time-consuming for the former. While players also have a lot to remember and think about at the table , the Dungeon Master has far more to juggle with. From enemies' motivations to their stats, the lore of the world the players are moving through, as well as the many different items and quests the players can participate in. That’s not to mention all the times they have to improvise and come up with things on the spot.