You may have noticed that my posts have been sparse of late. Even without the excuses of a move, camping, etc, they have been remarkably few and far between for way too long. I will admit that this is due, to a great extent, to a growing lack of direction and motivation in the hobby. I have time, I have ideas, but what I seem to lack is the drive to pull out the paints and putty. I seem to have been doing a lot of what equates to pretty much pointless hobbying for a while, but I think this is because of a shift toward trying to get a game going and not simple love of the hobby.
For RPGs I have had several false starts and some aborted games that have left me feeling frustrated and a bit disheartened. I can come up with ideas and have made characters but getting a game going seems to have become a very big chore. I have a Pulp game planned to begin soon using a simple light system that I know well (D6 Adventure) and am hopeful that the familiar system; small, two-player game; and friendly genre will make for a thrilling, fun and simple game. RPGs are always a bit simpler to get out of a slump on. You can just shelve the books and not feel like they are rotting away.
For the miniatures side of things I think I need to go back to where I was a while ago and start working on stuff for the simple love of the hobby and forget about trying to do stuff to get games going. Games will happen or not, but if I'm working on the things that interest me and that I love then when they do happen, I'll be ready.
Another thing I have to do is stop trying to build entire games. Because of a lack of opponents in my area, I have long felt that, to get any sorts of minis games going, I would have to collect and paint forces for both/all sides of the conflict. Now this is true if I am going to be demoing games, but if I work on a force at a time as the mood strikes me, then eventually I am bound to have at least two forces for one game or another. The added bonus to working on a force at a time is that I will also at least have one force finished for if/when an opportunity to play with another already prepared gamer comes along.
So, what exactly is the plan in a nut shell?
I will finish existing projects for the sake of getting them done in hobby sense. This means taking time and not feeling obligated or pressured to rush them to playable status. I will also collect and build units for games or genres for their own sake and let the big picture develop out of these individual works.
Sound good?
Who knows, but a couple of beers and a margarita have made me introspective.
Take care and don't let gaming become too serious or no fun!
-Eli
Posts
I know how you feel - it is amazing how much life gets on top of things and you concentrate on the real world to the detriment of your hobbies.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me when I tell you the love will come back and go with the flow - it took me months before I was ready and even now I only dabble once / twice a week.
Key thing is to find something YOU enjoy even if you leave things behind - do not feel guilty about not finishing things you do not want to at the moment. Remember this is supposed to be fun and not a task - no ones life depends on it.
Good luck in finding your direction - it will come.
Andrew
Hi Eli,
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. Deadlines and targets can be good for getting things done but they can make it a chore. If you find the answer let me know. :)
Trev
Not having direction is commonplace enough, but the motivation part can be troublesome.
ReplyDeleteHow's the new "game room" at the new abode? If you've got a nice place to retreat to, that might help with the motivation part.
Have you thought of kicking it down to the basics and just doing board games for bit 'til you get a regular schedule and group of players?
I can relate Eli,
ReplyDeleteReal life can just suck all the life out of your hobby fun time, and then we you do get a chance to game your just "slap wore out" and can't get in the mood to "play".
Best of luck to you!
Board games I can get in spades, but it's the rest of the hobby that isn't getting much love.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is that now that I have decided to change the way I think about gaming, I don't feel so much pressure in regard to it.
-Eli
Well I see by the comments we should all move to the same town! I am not so must an RPGer but miniatures yea! I have not played a game in years, and hope to some day but I play them in my head. Well not so true I have played with my daughter who is 6 and we have played SBH. But as for a real fight no:-( I have been in more than one game system in my head at one time for to long and have made a choice on my direction. I am going to build a battle. Orcs VS British Colonials in scifi and 15mm. Thats it that is what I am going to do. I will also collect 28mm Colonials to build a Praetorian guard army again, but this time without buying GW products, unless they come from eBay. But as long as I am alive I will be a gamer, take one day at a time and finish some thing for once.
ReplyDeleteNoel
Keep up the fight! Too bad you don't live near me. We are blessed with plenty of gamers, for some reason I reaching that part of the year where my kids sports take up most weeknights, but my lovely wife has volunteered to the lion's share of chaufferring so I can keep Thursdays open.
ReplyDeleteWhen I start getting burned out, I pick a couple of neglected single figs and spend time on them.For some reason, that always restarts my motor. That and a good book or movie can inspire you again.
-J
Aye like they all said. It's too bad we aren't closer together brother or you could join one of my games! Or heck I could play one of yours! Take care and don't let it get to you too much.
ReplyDelete