Top 7 Reasons D&D Campaigns Fail (And How to Save Yours)

July 31, 2025
Posted by Luke Hart

By Luke Hart

Today, we’re going to talk about something a little painful—but very necessary: why so many RPG campaigns fall apart.

We’ve all been there. A campaign fizzles out, games get canceled, the group ghosts the chat, and that epic story you were building together ends mid-sentence. But why? Why do so many D&D campaigns die before their time?

Let’s break down the top 7 reasons campaigns fail—and more importantly, what you can do to prevent your game from becoming just another forgotten tale.

By the way, if you need a quick adventure to run for your group when you're in a pinch, check out all the one-shots we have to choose from. Grab an adventure, read it in about 15 minutes, and you’re ready to run your game!

Watch or listen to this article by clicking the video below.

1. The Scheduling Spiral of Death

The number one killer of RPG campaigns? Scheduling. According to every poll I’ve run and every conversation I’ve had with fellow GMs, getting a group of adults together regularly is harder than slaying a tarrasque.

Here’s the fix:

Pick a recurring time that works for most players most of the time.
Make that time sacred. Don’t cancel just because one person can’t make it. If five people show up and one can’t, play anyway.
Don’t try to schedule each session after the previous one. That system fails.

And remember—sometimes people say they’re “too busy” when the real issue is something else entirely. So don’t let a single absence derail the entire campaign.

2. The Game Master Is Horrible

Look, it happens. Sometimes the GM is the problem. Maybe they’re unprepared, toxic, overly adversarial, or just not fun to play with.

Being a great GM takes practice, humility, and a willingness to improve. If you suspect you might be the weak link, don’t despair. There are tons of resources out there (including this blog and my YouTube channel) to help you level up your GM skills.

The good news? If you’re reading this, you probably care enough to get better.

3. The Players Are Horrible

On the flip side, sometimes it’s the players who tank the game.

Maybe it’s Main Character Syndrome, disruptive behavior, constant distractions, or a toxic attitude. The fix here is straightforward but hard: talk to them.

Explain the issue.
Try to work it out.
And if it doesn’t improve, don’t be afraid to remove them from the group.

It’s never fun, but sometimes the best thing for your campaign is to prune the dead weight.

4. Nobody’s Having Fun

You can have a table full of great players and a skilled GM—but if people aren’t enjoying the game, it’s still going to fall apart.

If the fun is fading, hit pause and talk about it. Don’t assign blame. Just ask, “Hey, are we still having fun? What could we change to make this better?”

Sometimes it’s a pacing issue. Sometimes the stakes are too low. Sometimes it’s just burnout.
Figure it out together, and you might be able to turn things around before it’s too late.

5. Interpersonal Issues

Bickering couples. Lingering grudges. Passive-aggressive sniping. Interpersonal drama can poison a game faster than a green dragon’s breath.

Some problems can be talked out. Others? Not so much.
When things get toxic and stay that way, you may need to remove one or more players for the health of the group. It’s not easy—but once the drama is gone, your game can thrive again.

6. Unmet Expectations

If players signed up for a heroic campaign and ended up in a grimdark tragedy—or vice versa—they might start to check out.

This is why Session Zero is critical. Set expectations before the game begins:

What’s the tone?
What style of play?
Will PvP be allowed?
What kind of story are we telling?

Revisit those expectations occasionally, especially if the campaign starts to shift. It’s easier to keep everyone engaged when they know what they’re getting into.

7. Lack of Player Agency

Here it is: the railroad.

If your players feel like passengers in your grand story rather than protagonists in their own, they’ll disengage—and possibly quit.

The fix? Create situations, not scripts.
Let your players make real choices that change the world. Don’t plan what must happen. Instead, set up what could happen, and let their actions shape the outcome. That’s where the real magic lives.

Easy-to-Prep One-Shot Adventures

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