Tonight I wanted to take a moment to breathe as the last few months, weeks even have been fairly non-stop. As I committed myself to pushing out an adventure a week. Some weeks I managed to get through two but rarely have I missed one, in over a year now.
But tonight as I stare at the miniatures built, some with paint on them and the zine ready to be started. I need to take a moment to relax and put it off for tomorrow.
Not everything needs to be be treated like a tournament level movement phase. Not everything needs to be rushed in order to meet a deadline or an invisible barrier that you set yourself. Sometimes taking a moment to breathe is a good chance to assess the next steps and ensure that the next step is the right one.
The same goes for DMing.
As the beginning of a new campaign for me looms on the horizon, next weekend to be exact the excitement and trepidation begins to set in. However, being in this gig for as long as I have the excitement builds and the pressure that I set on myself drives me. Taking a moment to breathe to look at the adventure, or series of them, that I have planned can sometimes be enough.
Now, I have thought of session pre-zero, session zero and the overall plot, secondary hook and twists in the main story. But there is a lot to be done before I can say that the campaign is ready and fit to be consumed. However, I know my ruleset and I know my style. I have a clear guide document that the players can read to understand how I run the game. Having created a few homebrew creatures, magical items and I roughly know the frequency in which to encounter these things.
I have created a semi-Lovecraft inspired campaign where the players can flit between the adventures and the system shouldn’t punish those who can only make it every so often. However I have contingencies in place and a large potential for new players joining mid-adventure. This shouldn’t be an issue.
Having these scheduled, or impromptu moments to breathe and reset priorities helps. It helps me and I can guarantee for the DMs who push so much emphasis on getting it right for their players, our players, it makes it easier. Learn your craft, study what you want out of your session like I have and I can ensure that these nerves will pass.
However
These moments to pause should help us focus on what we want, like I have made tonight about what I want to focus on. I have decided to tweak the frequency of a few types of encounters or adventures and in doing so I hope to make them much more exciting. Having two veteran players joining me, potentially a third, and a few new ones. I need to balance the base mechanics with what I believe will give my party the biggest sense of amazement and enjoyment.
I always plan to thrill my party, never setting myself a lower target that people asking for the next session. This excitement and enthusiasm drives and maintains my motivation for the craft. I am excited for this new campaign, and a new era of my Tabletop as I shelve one army to pay another, and the future guides me onwards.
So as a closing note I want to encourage you to take a moment to stop and take a moment to breathe. Like what I did, take a moment to think and considers what’s best for you. And, like most posts, I want to remind you that tomorrow is another day, another week really, and so I hope to spend my day off wisely. Creating my end of week Zine for the City of Temptations Zine as well as a new adventure, something a bit out of sequence but fitting for what lies ahead of me this week.
And finally, I wish to encourage you to get back to your tabletop. I managed to even sneak in a game of Wingspan this weekend which was a rare delight. And finally, I hope you don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe
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