RPGs au jus

It's been a while since I got geared up to run an RPG. In this day and age, getting players together is like herding cats, and I'm not an aggressive scheduler by nature. Last time, when I finally found a structure that allowed me to run a game taking the foibles of personal schedules into account, players did inexplicable things like (in real life) moving to Oklahoma. I guess I took losing out to a state shaped like a saucepan as a bit of a sign that the time really wasn't right to run a game, and I haven't tried to run anything for a while.

I looked at my bookshelves recently. A couple of dozen RPGs sitting there, gathering dust. Bit of a waste. And so many good gaming products on the market that'd I'd like to give a once-over, but I can't justify the purchases if I'm not going to use the things....

And a little voice in the back of my head says, "What if you do use them?"

"Well," I say, "I'd still have the same old problem. It's darned difficult to get a group together for more than a few sessions at a time."

(No, it was not lost upon me that I was carrying on a conversation with the back of my own head. While I had a grandfather named "Voldemars", I do not stutter, regularly wear a turban, or teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, so I figured I was reasonably safe and took it in stride.)

I guess for about half an hour the thoughts "a couple dozen RPGs" and "a few sessions at a time" bounced around my head in a Dentian thought process. When they finally clicked together, it occurred to me that the complicated campaign structure I previously concocted was not the simplest solution to the problem at hand. A series of mini-campaigns might serve just as well. You can pack a reasonable amount of meat into a series of three to six sessions, and it won't require any particular player to be around for more than a few sessions in a row. String these together, and you have a sort of campaign.

I sounded out a few players, and it looks like I've got enough interested. Worked out with them what game we'll use to begin the series, and so I started designing things. That's when I noticed the juices starting to flow.

Now, I'm mostly a player of games at heart. I love it as a creative outlet. The only problem is that how much creativity one can pack into playing is limited by the GM and the other players. If you only play once a month, but have a once-a-week sized creativity cistern, you're a bit stuck. When one is the GM, that limitation is lifted. Players rarely complain that you do too much creative stuff in design and development. It's not the same as playing more frequently, but it is good. Especially when it has been a while since I've taken on such a large focus for creative energies.

Downright refreshing, really. When you find yourself looking forwards to washing the dishes, because that'll be good time to brainstorm game-stuff, you know you're on to something.

History Repeats Itself.... Badly.

I wear a beard. My face kinda requires it. I used to wear a full beard, sort of in the William T. Riker style. One morning some years ago I made a fairly groggy way to the bathroom to undertake my morning ablutions and I turned on my beard trimmer and set to trimming. In my hazy state, I forgot to check how the gizmo was set. The result was startled chagrin and a Reverse Mohawk from my adam's apple to near the point of my chin. The current fashion did not include beards in such a shape, and I had a class to teach later that day. So, I punted and trimmed myself down to a much less odd-looking goatee. I was later told that this actually looked better on me, and so I've kept it as a goatee ever since.

I learned from that mistake. I've been far more meticulous with my beard trimmer. I never use it in the early morning, and I've had no more accidents

Tonight, I noticed that the fuzz on my chin was getting a little long. So, I broke out my trimmer, set it to the proper length, and started trimming. Then Tristan came into the bathroom with Jingle Mouse in his mouth. He dropped the toy and meowed at me in his usual, "please make Jingle Mouse fly for me" way. So, I turned off the trimmer, put it down, and played with the cat for a few minutes. We had loads of fun. I then went back to the bathroom, picked up and turned on the trimmer and set to finishing what I'd started...

Now, everyone reading knows what happened next. This story has no point, no irony or humor otherwise. So, as you've already guessed, I'm now sitting at my computer with a somewhat asymmetrical goatee, waiting for my Lady to get home so she can have some input on how I minimize how dumb I look.

And I think Tristan is laughing at me.