Take time to recharge the batteries

As some of you have no doubt noticed I haven’t posted much of anything of late and there were two main reasons why.

First off my offline world saw a sudden increase in work load and shortened deadlines and while I enjoy posting and gaming they just don’t pay the bills (as least not yet!).

The second deals with the reason for this post – every gamer whether you’re a player or a GM needs some downtime.

There are many, many articles, postings and email discussions that cover the aspect of GM burnout and how to combat it but they’re not the only ones that burn out – players can too.

Does your group game every week? Are the sessions enjoyable or does everyone seem to be uninterested (even during combat)? Do you look forward to gaming or are you thinking “it’s gaming night, guess I better get ready < sigh >.” All those things are warning signs that a group burnout may be occurring and needs to be addressed. Some groups see this and think it’s time to pack it in but what is needed more often than not is a break from role-playing.

Notice I did not say to take a break from getting together but from role-playing. There’s a good chance that your group is more than just a bunch of folks that get together once a week but you’re also good friends and you enjoy their company. While you might decide to take a week off (which if fine) change up what you’re doing. Have a boardgame night instead, or maybe get together for a movie (rented or at the theater) or as my group has done in the past, have a BBQ and invite the “extended family” which includes significant others and in my group’s case the kids.

Here in the Northeast of the US this is a great time of year to do this as the weather is nice (okay hot and humid but it’s better than subzero temps) the days are longer and the kids are out of school.

Go on, have a good time the gaming table will still be there when you get back and who knows? Maybe you’ll enjoy the game just a bit better when you get back.

May your dice roll well.