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I have been running games for many years now (still a long way from mastery), but even I get moments where I don’t feel good enough. When preparing for adventures, I get nervous that I do not know the rules or scenarios well. I can get in my head as if it were the first time I had ever done this.
Preparing for another convention and I find myself staring at my shelf. The many adventures that hold themselves there do not draw my attention. I have a homebrew adventure that I have to get ready for later that also does not speak to me. I am beginning to think I’ve lost my momentum. How do I get my drive back? One foot in front of the other. This is the best way forward. Eventually I’ll get back on track and start to feel like I know what I’m doing again. A few successful runs and all will be well. Or so I tell myself. Seriously though, getting excited about running one-shots again is actually difficult. The first step is reading, then re-reading the adventures I’m thinking of doing. I have to allow myself time to think through it and build from there (maybe even build some new pre-generated characters). I love talking about roleplaying, I love meeting new people and seeing old friends, and I love providing opportunities for others to play and have fun. Remembering why I take the time to read, prepare, and run these games helps me move forward…one step at a time.
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When running a game in what I have coined “discovery” style, it can become difficult to keep track of your world and lore. I have notes in a book with ideas and moving pieces, but even with that things get lost (or just switched around). So how do I keep it together? Honestly, I don’t.
As I was running through some of the things that have taken place in my current campaign, I discovered I’m missing a lot from my notes. I don’t have all the names and places that my players have encountered, and along with it is missing any details surrounding the events. I do have one player that likes to take extensive notes. She told me that she was having some trouble keeping track of who’s who, so I suggested making a “murder” board. She took that and ran with it. I now have something I can refer to for my world. Since then, she has realized that I am using it to help myself remember what’s going on as well, and now she will not share her theories with me. I shrug my shoulders and let it all roll. I have the overall major moving pieces and where it will all culminate, it’s just a matter of how they’ll get there really. However, I am missing the joy of listening to all the speculations and conspiracy theories my players come up with. In light of this though, I created my own board. However you keep track of the world you campaign is taking place in, be flexible with how the players reach the end. And if things get moved around, go with it and work it into the story somehow, eventually it will all be worth it. Super excited to be a part of conventions or even just to go see my family, but forgetting how much work it is to travel…this is the bane of my existence. I get myself scheduled and book the flights, now I have to pack. What do I plan for? How much should I take?
Lists help. I make lists of things I need for the trip and try to plan for the unexpected. It doesn’t always work, but I get pretty close. For instance, I typically finger brush my hair, but one particular trip it was windy and it was too much. So I bought a hairbrush. Other times it’s that extra game that was not scheduled, so I have to pull from memory another one-shot and hope I have what I need to pull it off. When making lists for packing, length of travel and why I’m traveling are taken into consideration. I’d be in trouble going to Chicago for a convention if my sister wasn’t driving to meet us there. Flying with all my gaming stuff would be a pain to pull off. However, going just down the street has its own list of things. If you begin traveling for your own games, be sure to have a list. What do you need to run the game you are planning? Do you need anything for a fan or artist table? And don’t forget the most important…What are you going to wear? There are a lot of questions as to what works best when you begin scheduling sessions for the gaming group you have put together. How often? Which day? What time? A lot of groups struggle with this very thing, session after session. I have been lucky enough to have a weekly game every Tuesday night since 2017. There are a number of reasons for this. Here are my thoughts on the matter.
First of all, the day of the week is the #1 killer for any regular game. Weekends are rough as that is the time for travel, festivals, sports, and many other events that take place in one’s life. These will be missed frequently by your group. Weekdays are less likely to be missed due to the various events, but come with their own problems. This is where timing comes in at #2. Evenings are generally when people want to play, the end of the day is the best time for this type of stress relief. However, week nights are sacred for the full-time job holder (they need to function in the morning). Try an evening time on a weekend and you’re most likely doomed. Any of these times and days could work, but that is dependent on your players. Players are #3 on my list. No matter what day or time that is chosen, you must have player commitment. These players don’t have to sign away their life in blood or anything, they just cannot call out just because something better came along. If a player is missing every other session because of other things, you’ll need to have a chat about commitment, and take into consideration how often you meet. #4 on my list may seem backwards to everyone else. I do not think any roleplaying game should be regularly scheduled as once a month, and I’m hesitant to even suggest bi-weekly. When you meet so infrequently, one absence is felt dramatically (suddenly you’ve gone weeks without playing together). It can also really cause the story to stutter. I strongly encourage meeting weekly. This way, when someone has to miss it, it's not so bad. I feel I need to explain this a bit more. Missing 1 out of every 4 sessions sounds the same, mathematically, no matter how often you meet. However, if you meet monthly, then you go two months without playing together. Let me tell you, it is hard enough to get players to remember what happened week to week, but two months?! While meeting weekly, then you only go two weeks between sessions. And I know what you are saying, “But, Jodie, that is bi-weekly.” Yeah, but the commitment was for weekly. Your players are going to miss sessions and with weekly sessions it's no big deal. But longer times between sessions allow for other things to creep in and take over your players’ interests and time. So, those are my thoughts on it. My group has been meeting weekly since 2017. We have done multiple long campaigns and several shorter ones, including one-shots. We have cycled through four GMs (I’m the main one) and several additional players. We meet during the week, every week, in the evening, and my players are committed to showing up every time. If you are struggling with a regular group, try something new and drastic…plan for every week. |
AuthorJodie 
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March 2026
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