@Cupcake said in Re-Igniting Playspiration:

Should I be Kondo-ing, or grit my teeth and keep trying? Is there some other tactic to consider?

I wouldn't suggest muscling through it and gritting your teeth. That tends to result in resentment. Sometimes no matter how hard you beat the horse it won't Jesus.

My advice:

Step away. Make some tea. Ask yourself what you are really looking for in the hobby, if there was a time you had that, and how long it's been. Ask yourself if you currently feel like it's possible to get back to that. Is there hurt? Does the hobby make you feel negative things that dont feel good? (Self esteem, exclusion, unwanted).

You know you, and if you don't, knowing you will almost always help you find your way through times like these. When it comes to hobbies or social stuff it's not always a particular game or a person that is ruining it, but it can be tied more to unfulfillment of something that you may not be consciously aware of.

Example.

I was "forever GM" for my RL tabletop group for about 12 years. For 12 years I held this candle that I would get to PLAY in a Star Wars RPG game. For 12 years I kept running games my group loved and would always dangle this "okay who is running next?" carrot. No one ever bit. Eventually I said "after this one I'm done running, so if we want to keep playing one of you needs to step up." The group drifted apart rather than try to run, and I never got my SW game.

I was upset. After some tea and instrospection I realized that it wasn't because I never got my SW game, but because I had relied on my friends to give back and they never did.

Now, as a result, it wasn't a happy ending, but at least I am more aware that I need to seek a new gaming group rather than try another single year of beating my head against that wall. Unfortunate, but at least now I can own my feelings on the issue.

Waitwaitwaitwait! Nononono! I got it!

Modern Day Dragon Age. Especially triggered by the Kirkwall Coffee mini-series.

Kirkwall Coffee

I don't know how this would work, but I doubt it could be done with any degree of seriousness and still be any good. Serious moments, but not "gritty fantasy" serious.

And we'll get some info on the state of the Sabbat in the PG.

@RDC - I do quite enjoy the Heartstriker books and the DFZ setting, at least as reading material.

(To be fair, I basically just love anything Rachel Aaron writes: the Eli Monpress fantasy epic, the Paradox SF trilogy, the Heartstriker/DFZ semi-post-apocalyptic urban fantasy, the Forever Fantasy Online LitRPG books... she hasn't really misfired yet in the stuff I've read.)

Eyyyyyy. Resurrecting with new information.

Over the weekend I was privileged enough to get a game in with the creator of "Happiest Apocalypse on Earth". He is an avid fan of the "X CARD" and he described it in a way that clicked well with me.

He said that he finds that players often seem more likely to get grimdark (my fave!) when there IS an x-card on the table because they can do so knowing everyone has the ability to opt out at any time; that the existence of the X-card makes it more okay to make bold/daring IC decisions because theyre comfortable knowing that anyone who doesnt like it can X it.

The X card can make a player less nervous to try things.

I really liked that.

I know I have carried a concept over a few times, but I tend to generate backgrounds and descriptions uniquely. There was a period in the 90's when I tended towards a very similar description for characters, but I grew out of all that when I became fascinated by building powerfully flawed characters for each setting. Now I'm old and lazy and I want all my PBs to be either Abe Vagoda or Vic Tayback, regardless of character particulars.

@Sparks said in Will it PrP? A place to propose PrP ideas and get feedback:

@Coin said in Will it PrP? A place to propose PrP ideas and get feedback:

@Sparks said in Will it PrP? A place to propose PrP ideas and get feedback:

@Coin - based on all past experience with my tabletop group, if I were to think of four possible ways to end a time loop in something I was GM'ing, they would choose the sixth of those four.

That's why you number them non-sequentially.

Then their choice would be option i. Wherein 'i' here is the mathematical symbol representing the square root of -1.

If you do not believe me, you underestimate my players' capacity to throw a wrench in my carefully-laid plans. (I have a lovely little document detailing the campaign's current state I can show you later which might make it clear why I believe this...)

No, no, I believe it.

@Apollonius said in Scene Set Ideas:

A building/house/shop/church/grave is burning/destroyed by earthquake/flooded/swallowed by a sinkhole, time is running out, do we put out the fire/let Timmy burn alive/explore ancient ruins filled with unspeakable horrors/TS.

I put out the fire by vigorously TSing on Timmy's burning corpse in the ancient ruins filled with unspeakable horrors, which I am clearly TSing.

How is this even a prompt? It's like, Tuesday. 😞

that's my fetish

@Admiral said in From my heart.:

So I'm going to forget this nonsense until it becomes relevant again

I totally believe you. You're totally gonna forget about this.

@Pyrephox said in GMs: Typical Player/GM Bad Habits:

@Killer-Klown These days, I take a lot of my GMing tips from watching really good movies and TV shows. Shows that deal with very competent protagonists (like Leverage, Person of Interest, etc.) give some very good tips on how to challenge characters like that without no-selling their abilities, and how to have setbacks, reversals, and complications that don't amount to 'and you find nothing' or 'this is a dead end'.

These days, I will sometimes literally sit down with a pen and notebook and watch an action movie, or a mystery show, and write down how it handles plot structure, revelations, setbacks, and clues. And try to translate those dynamics for RPGs. It's made for more interesting and dynamic games, to me.

Not long ago (couple years?) I was rewatching Fringe and I found myself taking notes regarding how they tie in all the conspiracy shit together in the long-run.

That show is a masterclass in "look at all this shit you thought was random one-offs or inconsequential information that is suddenly fucking amazing clues".

@TiredEwok said in Dealing with bad actors:

@Coin

Okay, you win. But no fair pulling the cute puppy gif card, damn you!

sorrynotsorry

@Killer-Klown said in Echoes in the Mists - Discussion:

@Alamias You know, they do allow Tzimisce there as a HRed bloodline.
So that's probably more (in)appropriate

You have a good point.

@Thenomain said in Not even sure what to title this, but here goes..:

@Arkandel said in Not even sure what to title this, but here goes..:

No, I'm Lilith.

No, I'm Jenny.

...

Well there goes 30 years of careful cultivation.

I didn't want to. My hand was forced.

No, this is Patrick.

@surreality People with good intentions let you decide your level of involvement and vulnerability. Yeah. Fuck that guy.

I find it is more common for people to feel resentment or discomfort because they are projecting what they think others will think/do. So they go along with what they think others want and then feel grumpy and that leads to a cascade of other things. So like, if a scene is veering into topics they cant be part of, instead of just making a good exit and try to pick up later or just telling people that they are digging the group but things are heading into CoI or whatever they will stay and fret because they think if they leave everyone will hate them (almost never is this true).

I see more problems arise sentiment wise when someone doesnt allow themselves to be able to leave a scene politely/positively and so they stay where they are bored/uncomfortable/irritated. It is definitely a skill to be able to leave a scene well and oocly positively, I think people often feel awkward about it, and there are a lot of bad feels/perceptions of others/fretting as a result. That can feel like control on many ends.

@Botulism I will probably always take Doomed every time you offer it purely because I ❤ you and respect your desire to some day throw my character face first into a wood chipper, nuke her, have her eaten by kaiju, etc.

Plus, seriously, y'all, getting to write a death pose is fucking fun, ok?

"To throw a bad vampire orgy, I don't know how one would recover! Half the bats you see, they are just vampires who have thrown terrible orgies and they are too afraid to regain their vampire form. They just flit around. Shame bats. Bats full of shame. And you know them, because they don't fly as high."

@Ghost said in Death of Stalin/Paranoia game:

On second thought, this idea could also become WORKING A NORMAL ASS JOB IN A NORMAL ASS OFFICE MUX

😞

For some reason, The Office, but as a MUX, and not 'The Office' sounds amazing.

@Thenomain said in Incentives for RP:

Okay! Now that everyone has settled on their opinions on what makes a good game, go out and make one!

...

Hey, it was worth a shot.

Workin' on it.