Planning, prep, motivation and you?

payn · Jul 1, 2024

Greetings,

I've worked my way back into gaming out of a hole that occurred during the pandemic. I wont go into details, but lets say I wasn't playing much of anything, nor had the desire to get into anything for a year or two back then. Prior, I had run APs in PF1 for a good solid decade. Often went to board game nights, and dabbled in many one shots. Since, I joined an online game or two, and started playing Battletech locally. I'm back to being actively engaged in several games and excited for future opportunities. However, I still have difficulties getting started, keeping going, and overall finishing the work. By that I mean, organizing play, creating rules documents, developing campaign material, prepping sessions, etc..

So, folks that create material for home games and publishing; How do you do it? How do you get your motor started, stay motivated, and finish the work?

-cheers

Umbran · Jul 1, 2024

payn said:
However, I still have difficulties getting started, keeping going, and overall finishing the work. By that I mean, organizing play, creating rules documents, developing campaign material, prepping sessions, etc..

So, folks that create material for home games and publishing; How do you do it? How do you get your motor started, stay motivated, and finish the work?

Broadly, I do it by realizing how little of it I actually need to do. I manage the work by limiting the overall scope I need.

Organizing play - this was the simplest for me - find a schedule, like "First and third Wednesday of the month", and stick to it. Give your people a dependable time they can build around. Once that is done, "the work" is a reminder e-mail a couple of days beforehand, to see who has conflicts.

Creating rules documents: I run most games pretty straight, without major rules adjustments. I favor games that do what I want, without much more than margin notes. So, I don't need a major set of rules documents most of the time.

Developing campaign material: recognizing that I am not Ed Greenwood, and I have no need to build out huge campaign specs helps here. I need campaign material around the PCs, their backgrounds, and the needs of play. And that can be mostly in notes and bulleted lists, because it is for me, not for publication.

Limiting all those allows me to focus my energy on adventure prep.

GMMichael · Jul 1, 2024

payn said:
. . . However, I still have difficulties getting started, keeping going, and overall finishing the work. By that I mean, organizing play, creating rules documents, developing campaign material, prepping sessions, etc..

So, folks that create material for home games and publishing; How do you do it? How do you get your motor started, stay motivated, and finish the work?

I feel your pain. I've been trying to make it as easy as possible, so it's just a low hurdle to clear. Since I'm not happy with the results, I'm going to try changing the routine instead. I suspect that a new routine will trick my brain into thinking that it's not the seemingly tedious/boring process that it was before.

My former favorite routine was to go to a coffee shop and tap it all out on a laptop, but non-Seattle coffee shops just don't compare

payn · Jul 1, 2024

GMMichael said:
I feel your pain. I've been trying to make it as easy as possible, so it's just a low hurdle to clear. Since I'm not happy with the results, I'm going to try changing the routine instead. I suspect that a new routine will trick my brain into thinking that it's not the seemingly tedious/boring process that it was before.

I have a lot of irons in the fire. I have no problem getting started, its finishing before i'm off to something else. Also, more insidiously, this seems to have infected everything in my life. Work, cleaning the house, exercise, reading, writing, gaming, etc.. ITs like ive lost a balance and cant right the ship.

GMMichael said:
My former favorite routine was to go to a coffee shop and tap it all out on a laptop, but non-Seattle coffee shops just don't compare

Oh yeah I usually put on a vinyl record, open a bottle of wine, and roll a nice spliff. Like im some kind of author.

Reynard · Jul 1, 2024

I'm actually feeling some pretty strong burnout lately, and have found myself canceling sessions and such. Part of it is Real life (we have a big move of house coming up, with all the extra work that entails) but also I am feeling very burnt out with playing online and I just want to play in person again. Prepping in person is simple and fast, and the process of running a game in person is enjoyable even when I might not have done as much prep as necessary. By contrast, i feel like prepping for running via Fantasy grounds is a lot of work, and improvising stuff I did not prep is significantly harder when using a VTT.

payn · Jul 1, 2024

Reynard said:
I'm actually feeling some pretty strong burnout lately, and have found myself canceling sessions and such. Part of it is Real life (we have a big move of house coming up, with all the extra work that entails) but also I am feeling very burnt out with playing online and I just want to play in person again. Prepping in person is simple and fast, and the process of running a game in person is enjoyable even when I might not have done as much prep as necessary. By contrast, i feel like prepping for running via Fantasy grounds is a lot of work, and improvising stuff I did not prep is significantly harder when using a VTT.

I've noticed that too. I ran PF1 APs in person for a long time. I have run a few things since the pandemic with VTT. I do like the VTT option but I feel like much more prep is necessary and the game progresses faster. Not a problem in of itself, but it makes prep feel more involved.

One of the irons I have in the fire right now is making material for a Traveller Pirates of Drinax sandbox for Foundry. I am setting up detailed info drops for when Travellers arrive at certain places and have adventure seeds ready for when they get there. I guess the idea is so that prep will be lite once I get another campaign going. I tried running it twice and had a lot of fun but didnt get to the latter material and/or finish line.

Anyways, I thought not having a POD group at the moment would give me the freedom to work at my leisure. Apparently, thats infinite and having a due date is whats dragging me over the finish line in just about everything in my life at the moment.

John Dallman · Jul 1, 2024

payn said:
So, folks that create material for home games and publishing; How do you do it? How do you get your motor started, stay motivated, and finish the work?

Sense of duty, plus it's fun. I've played lots of excellent games under the GMing of my players, and I run games in (semi-historical) settings that I'm interested in. The research and planning is pretty interesting, I don't have to design lots of monsters or magic items, and there's a real joy in finding the historical weirdness that makes for entertaining play.

Snarf Zagyg · Jul 1, 2024

payn said:
So, folks that create material for home games and publishing; How do you do it? How do you get your motor started, stay motivated, and finish the work?

I know that I might sound like a broken record on this .... but I really recommend occasionally playing a rules-lite game. A fun one-shot. As a palate cleanser.

I have found that running these occasionally (and creating my own, which I try to keep to a two pages or less) helps recharge the batteries.

There are so many great ones out there- ones that are fun, ones that can truly inspire horror, but the one thing that they all have in common is that they get you playing without worrying about prep and rules.

When I do that, I feel recharged and refreshed, and it helps me when I go back to the regular campaign or more typical games.

DragonLancer · Jul 1, 2024

I experienced something similar after Covid. The only RPG gaming I got to do during the pandemic was a fortnightly D&D5 campaign online using Roll20. I have to say I hated it and it's only now that I'm getting to play 5E in person that I am enjoying it.

Anyhoo... my first PF1 campaign back after Covid failed abysmally. In that two years I really felt that I had lost my DMing mojo and I wrapped the campaign up early and let someone else take over. I hated it as I really felt that I had lost the drive and ability to run a game. After 18 months/2 years, I felt rusty as anything.

The Daggerheart playtest... although we only managed a couple sessions so far... helped if I'm honest. Bringing me back to basics. I've lost interest in the overly mechanical Pathfinder (and I don't like the 2nd edition) and D&D5 is reinvigorating me. Unfortunately I think everyone wants to continue the Daggerheart game when I'm now in the mood to run D&D5.

payn · Jul 1, 2024

Snarf Zagyg said:
I know that I might sound like a broken record on this .... but I really recommend occasionally playing a rules-lite game. A fun one-shot. As a palate cleanser.

I have found that running these occasionally (and creating my own, which I try to keep to a two pages or less) helps recharge the batteries.

There are so many great ones out there- ones that are fun, ones that can truly inspire horror, but the one thing that they all have in common is that they get you playing without worrying about prep and rules.

When I do that, I feel recharged and refreshed, and it helps me when I go back to the regular campaign or more typical games.

Thats good advice, but not really what I need here. I need help not getting distracted by the palate cleansers. I need to get back to work, but also into a sustainable routine instead of this manic procrastination mode i've been stuck in.

Planning, prep, motivation and you?

payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario

Umbran

Mod Squad

GMMichael

Guide of Modos

payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario

Reynard

Legend

payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario

John Dallman

Hero

Snarf Zagyg

Notorious Liquefactionist

DragonLancer

Adventurer

payn

I don't believe in the no-win scenario

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