It can sometimes be hard to stay on target and keep on going with any project- whether that’s the campaign you just started, the setting that just got released, or other hobbies you’re working on.
So what are some tricks you can use to keep your mojo? First of all, it can be useful to keep a project diary- and start a new one for each new shiny project. Pick up some cheap exercise books and keep them around for when you see an idea. When you see something that gets you inspired, grab one of the empty books and write it down in there. Continue to accumulate stuff- links, names of movies or TV shows that have inspired you, pictures, anything that makes you go “oh, yeah, that’s why I want to do that thing!”. When you find your energy waning on that project, you can run through your old project journal to get re-inspired. Secondly, limiting your project. Not every campaign will be, or should be, a multi-year epic with dozens of PCs and decades of time (in-game) passing. Build up to that, and certainly allow for success, but start with setting a goal (defeat the planetary governor, or rescue the King, or liberate the nation from its invaders) and just accomplishing that goal. If the players want to keep going, leave yourself a hook for escalating the threat (the planetary governor works for the Evil Empire, the King was kidnapped because of a plot by Doppelgangers, the invaders were being driven by commands from a ancient Demigod), but don’t feel the need to use it. Next, have an idea of big events which will affect your project. If one of your players is going out of town for a month, plan that your group still meets. Play Munchkin, play a few one-shots or something, but don’t lose focus and just never bother coming back to the game. It’s also handy to discuss with a group what your threshold is for missing people, before canceling a game. For my seven players, our agreed threshold is two people, which means if a couple is out for the week due to parents/-in-law visiting, we plan to watch a movie, or play board games. That way, we stay together as a group, and people don’t get left out. If something is going to cause a delay or interruption, it’s important to be able to recover from that. Last, and most important, buff your Willpower saves! When you start feeling your enthusiasm for what you’re doing crumbling, or you start hearing the siren song of a new project calling, have the self-awareness to recognize it and catalogue the new thought in a new journal (or an existing one). Then, re-read your current journal and remind yourself why this project sparked that excitement in you, and that you want to see it through. This can also be useful if your project hits a snag or hasn’t been going the way you expected it to. By the way, this doesn’t just apply to your gaming. The reason I use ‘project’ here is because I’m also a wargamer, writer, and work on a whole bunch of other ideas distracting me. And then I’ve got to write a daily post here... you see how this goes? (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 18 February 2019) Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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