Campaigns, stories, and even lives occasionally need to go in new directions or they stagnate and become obsolete or not very fun, or worse become monotonous. In my early days of running games, I feel like there was a formula for running sessions. In my 3rd/3.5 days, combat seemed very mechanical and limited control of the DM because of all the rules. New editions of games might not be for everyone but they sometimes bring things to places that you did not know you needed. The freedom offered to GMs with 5th edition changed the style, for the better, for me as a dungeon master.

In regard to my specific games, in some cases, I have worked myself in a direction that I am stuck with. Yes, it is always possible to see if there is a way to change the direction of the story or I can bring it to a conclusion and finish it off in a way I am happy with. Without going too deep in my personal life, I have been dealing with increased stress and it has impacted all aspects of my life, including gaming. I am using this as a time to wrap up as many of my games as I can and take some time to refresh. My creativity is not wavering and even with my issues I still come up with new story and session ideas all the time. Heck, just re-watching the D&D movie again gave me some cool ideas that I want to do.

I am currently running 4 regular games, which is a lot less than some other Game Masters out there. Two monthly games and one weekly game in addition to one game that meets irregularly. When gaming with different groups with little crossover challenges the method of thinking of stories and continues to challenge me as a Dungeon Master. I enjoy that aspect. I always want to learn and become a better Game Master. But After holding this pace for so long I am eager for the break.

So the message I am trying to impart is,  at times you need to make a change. For a D&D Campaign, there are several options to get over a hurdle such as this.

1. Take a break. You can pause the story and come back to it once you have had time to rethink and revitalize it.
2. End it. As I am, bring the game to a logical and speedy conclusion, even if it takes a few sessions.
3. Shake it up. Make a big sweeping change. This could be something major that changes the whole story. A new villain emerges or a greater threat. The story you thought you were telling is now something else.
4. Talk to your players and make a collective decision as to what should happen next.