Decisions: RPGs versus Real Life

[Jürgen Hubert]

Last Monday, I faced the following choices:

(a) I could go home and continue to read my copies of the GURPS Basic Set.

(b) I could go home and start reading my newly-arrived copy of Eberron, which I had been trying to get for months.

(c) I could to to a political rally attended by our foreign minister, Joschka Fischer.


In the end, I opted for (c), since the books would wait for me, while our foreign minister most assuredly wouldn't. And I plan on joining the Green party anyway.

But I had to think about it.


So, when was the last time you had to decide between doing something RPG-related and something else? And how did you decide?

 

[evildmguy]

My gaming group has had life interupt it quite a bit these past few months. In fact, so much so, that my morale was pretty low. When two guys ended up pulling out for the month of September due to life, I had the option of playing a different system with two guys or freeing up my game night to play poker.

I played poker.

My morale was hit that bad in how irregular it had been such that I decided to play poker instead.

The only bad thing was that playing poker was a LOT of fun! However, as soon as the gaming group can be regular again, I am there!

Have a good one! Take care!

edg
Alternity Pimp

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

The only bad thing was that playing poker was a LOT of fun! However, as soon as the gaming group can be regular again, I am there!

Well, if you are playing card games, how about the Munchkin Card Game?

 

[Arnwyn]

So, when was the last time you had to decide between doing something RPG-related and something else? And how did you decide?

2 weeks ago. My S/O's friend is getting married, and we're invited. The reception/dinner is next Saturday - my normal gaming night.

I'm going to the dinner - it involves food and makes her happy, and it's only a week delay for the gaming session.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Well, usually, when something special happens, people skip the sunday game and go attend whatever it is instead (like a Concert). Sometimes it leaves the table with less players, sometimes the game is cancelled for that day (especially if the DM is one of those attending to the other stuff). Personally, the day we play is a fixed date, and I treat it as such - I won't abandon it at a whim, and I don't plan to do something on that day If I can do it on some other day. If it's important, though, and can't be held at any other day, the game is skipped, of course. But since the game's on sundays, it's not very often that I miss a game (in fact, it hasn't happened as long as I can remember. Those times I had something else to do on sunday, the game was cancelled anyway, often because the DM attended, too.)

The other group I'm in doesn't have a fixed day, anyway (though we prefer wednesdays now). We decide about a day beforehand, and all in the team have to agree on the date. Once set, I attend, though, unless an emergency occurs (since I can say no to dates I couldn't attend on, anyway).

Your example whouldn't even be in question (except that I wouldn't go watch Joschka), since reading books is something I do in my spare time and have no fixed date on that. Of course, I could be uninterested in whatever is going on.



I have, or rather had, players in my groups (the one I DM'ed and the ones I play or played in) who handled it another way. They often decided to do something else on a whim - it wasn't something that they had to do or something important or anything, they just didn't feel like gaming or would rather go to the lake and lie in the sun. While I don't say that tanning on the lakeside is a bad thing, I consider it extremely rude to go there instead of going to the game, especially if they said beforehand they'd come, they wouldn't even tell the people that they wouldn't come (we often had that) and when that would cause the game to be cancelled for that day because we didn't have enough players.

I really was fed up with that b.s. and found a working solution: I quit every gaming group where this would happen often. So now instead of being in half a dozen campaigns (with most of them being cancelled more often than they would actually take place), I only play in two campaigns, but those almost never get cancelled.

 

[Belen]

For the longest time, I planned my life around the game. Whenever I made plans, I would consider the game day and the game first.

After the latest burnout, I decided to schedule the game around my life. So it will no longer be the end of the world if I have to cancel a game or worry about disappointing people. That is just no way to live.

Dave

 

[wedgeski]

2 weeks ago. My S/O's friend is getting married, and we're invited. The reception/dinner is next Saturday - my normal gaming night.

I'm going to the dinner - it involves food and makes her happy, and it's only a week delay for the gaming session.

I would officially consider that a no-brainer. I love my gaming but it's down at number 4 or 5 in the priority list. Thankfully, opportunities to game now come once a week, so even on that priority scale, I game much more often than not.

 

[Belen]

I really was fed up with that b.s. and found a working solution: I quit every gaming group where this would happen often. So now instead of being in half a dozen campaigns (with most of them being cancelled more often than they would actually take place), I only play in two campaigns, but those almost never get cancelled.

A week's notice should be cool. I, too, would get a bit peeved if someone calls a few hours ahead and cancels for something other than an emergency or a lady.

 

[adwyn]

I'm self employed, and anything beyond sixty or so hours in the week becomes a fight between "go to the office and catch up on old paperwork" vs. "go home and work on an adventure for Sunday".

For that matter, right now I'm sitting at my desk responding to this and ignoring my IN basket.

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

Important things in real life should take precedence over gaming. Though, with all due respect, attending a political rally for Fischer (or anyone else) would never be something I would cancel my game for. Politicans v. my game? My game impacts me more and I know I would have more fun. Unless of course, the politican was an adult film star, all her friends would be there and there would be tons of booze. That might get me to a political rally.

Hmm, I seem to have wandered off topic . . .