"Losing my mojo" Topic

All,
I think the lockdown is really getting to me. I am still buying and painting figures, building terrain and planning projects. But when it c9mes to actually playing a game, I come up short. I just can't seem to come up with the enthusiasm. I used to enjoy solo gaming, now it is an empty exercise.
What are you all doing to deal?

I am running a Napoleonic game with two guys from our gaming group – Austrians vs French using Black Powder. They email me their orders, I move the troops and my wife does all the dice rolling

It's been fun

Problem is, my gaming group is myself and my son in law. Most of the games we play are card based systems, not ideal for email or face time games.

I picked up Five Parsecs From Home to do some solo stuff and it has been really enjoyable. You can find the rules over at Wargames Vault. Easy, straight forward sci-fi miniature combat rules with a bit of campaign and RPG elements for your crew. And they were designed as a solo game to begin with so I believe they work pretty well.

The rules I have all work reasonably well,solo, I'm just having a really hard time getting enthused.

Mostly, I've gone all in on the visual art side of the hobby since the shelter-in-place order, painting and basing miniature figures and making and painting vehicles (and a few buildings).

To the extent I think about gaming, it's to generate campaign ideas for role-playing games and scenarios for convention miniatures games.

I am glad others feel the same! Most of my rules are solo playable, yet when I was talking to one of my gaming buddies last night, we both agreed we were not enthused for doing solo games. We really miss the social side of Wargaming, the chat and banter, laughing, grumbling and sympathising with your opponents die rolling!

I think we will all be better when Victory over the Covid-19 bug is achieved, and we can get back to our normal, happier lives!

I'm just waiting until I get interested again, which is what I've always done.

I could never get into solo gaming or any of the other ideas when you cannot have face to face opponents.

So that means I just paint away and read in the spare time I have. None of the guys who game at my house are much interested in talking on the phone even. A couple text, but that is about it.

But the interest is still there for gaming. I am just waiting until it is safe again. So many people refuse to wear masks, so it may be a long time until this mess dies down.

Tom

In past years, the late spring to Millennium Con in November was my convention season. I'd go to 3 or 4 local meets, some game days at Metroplex shops, & attend 2 or 3 events in Austin or San Antonio & in neighboring states. I'd renew acquaintances, play new rules, run a game myself, buy figures & books, eat at favorite restaurants, drink at bars I discovered & visit local historical sites. I miss it big time!

I generally feel that way about solo games. You could vary the rules? I find the Mersey activation system helps a little. Or the Koch card draw. I sometimes get some joy out of a strict historical replay, which serves as a test of rules.

Failing any of those, do the things you still enjoy and wait. Things may or may not get better, but they're bound to change.

SpuriousMilius – totally agree with your thoughts – hopefully we are back at it soon enough. We are still planning on MillenniumCon in November.

I agree with the others here. It's a difficult time but rest assured things will get better. Turning your attention away from play for a little while can help I think. Reading a good book or watching some decent documentaries.

I have found in the past that actually sitting down and reading some books about real historical battle can be very inspiring. Then engaging that narrative from one of the combatants perspectives. If youre a bit of a story teller you could even provide a few background details on certain personalities in the engagement (maybe even writing some fictitious back story on the commanders etc..) The success of this can depend on the scale of the battle with smaller skirmishes working well for this.

Personally I like to add a lot of friction to the system to give a greater sense of certain elements of the unfolding battle being completely out of your control which can add to the sense of something organic unfolding. Places you in the position of reacting to the unforeseen circumstances.

Anyway just a few thoughts but I hope you find your mojo soon. I'm sure you will.

+1 War Panda.

I finally acted on a long-time desire to acquire a copy of "Range & Vision" ….. A history of Barr & Stroud. Interesting stuff.

B

I feel the same way. Humans are social creatures; we need other people. On top of that we need something to look forward to. Strip that away in the form of lock downs and show cancellations and it can be very mentally trying on us. Hopefully once we open up and aren't subject to government orders that seem capricious and random, (tell me again why I could go to the store without a mask until two weeks ago?), things will improve.

I've definitely lost my painting mojo – had a dozen Norman cav on the go for a bout two weeks.