What Do You Do During Your Off-Season?

[Retreater]

After several sessions of guest running a short campaign for my group, I'm going to be taking a break from the GM's chair while another player resumes the GM duties on his ongoing campaign.

Following the group's standard operating procedure, I will probably resume GM duties in another six months or so. (We have a co-DM group.)

While I will be playing and enjoying the ongoing campaign, I'm wondering what I should spend my time doing?

Is it too early to start planning for my next campaign? What types of projects would be worthwhile to undertake during this possible planning phase?

(Not that I'm going to devote as much time to it as when I am actually DMing; I do have other hobbies too.)

Retreater

 

[the Jester]

Read more.

I don't have an off-season, I'm pretty much always the dm. Which is okay.

 

[Vikarr]

Is it too early to start planning for my next campaign?

I don't think it's ever too early to start planning.

What types of projects would be worthwhile to undertake during this possible planning phase?

I recomend progects you wouldn't normaly
have time for. I spend long gaps updating AD&D adventures so I can run them, and working on my campaign world. I also find that times when I don't have to provide regular adventures are good times to work on a stockpile (of adventures act.) for emergencies.

 

[Zhaleskra]

Do my best to make it no longer an off season. Granted, being near colleges, early spring ain't the best time to gather a group. Also, work on "scaling" adventures to systems that I feel better suit the theme of the campaign world.

Letting someone else GM? Unwind, relax, and enjoy being a player.

 

[Crothian]

I'm going back to college and working on a new degree!

I also read more, work more, enjoy more movies, and also become the leader on the new group since I do the most things of all the players out side of game.

 

[Rel]

WoW

 

[Barastrondo]

Keep a sketchbook/notebook/journal/whatever. Whenever you have an idea that might make a good game, or even just add something nice to a game, jot it down. This is the perfect time not to commit to any one particular idea to run next, but just to entertain 3-18 potential new game ideas at the same time, and see which ones get the most play when you're jotting stuff down. I often find that it's times like this that I can accurately sort the "I'd kind of like to run this" ideas from the "Man, I could run this for years" ideas.

The really handy thing about this approach is that it's an excellent barometer for when you're really set to run again. If the ideas are just kind of trickling in here and there, enjoy it, keep relaxing. If they're piling up more and more quickly and you just gotta start expressing them, that is a good sign for your enthusiasm and energy level when it's time to get behind the screen again.

 

[nedjer]

Draw mainly

 

[TarionzCousin]

Panic less--especially in the hour or two immediately before the game sessions.

 

[scourger]

I plot my revenge. I mean, I plan my next campaign.