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View Full Version : A scary thought...



Jerthanis
2011-02-13, 10:20 AM
Having officially passed the "have been gaming half my life" point, I've been reflective lately. I started counting the games I remember, trying to guess the percentage of games I've been in which had anything memorable happen in them, and what they were, imagining being old someday and still talking about that one game in 2005 rather than that one game in 2025.

Then I got to thinking, if I live to the age of 85, and I continue playing weekly, and the average campaign lasts 12 to 15 sessions... I've got about 200 -250 campaigns left in my life. Obviously, I'm still rather young, but I never really thought about it in concrete terms like that. When I hear the number... 200 sounds rather small. Do I really want to run a... I dunno... 'darker and edgier Care Bears' game, knowing it's taking up the slot of a surprisingly limited roster?

I guess what I took out of this line of thought is, "Life is short, swing for the fences in your gaming." if not everything.

TooManySecrets
2011-02-13, 10:33 AM
Then I got to thinking, if I live to the age of 85, and I continue playing weekly, and the average campaign lasts 12 to 15 sessions... I've got about 200 -250 campaigns left in my life.

If you live to the age of 85, you'll have spent about 28 years of that time sleeping. If we assume it takes 1 hour to prepare and eat a meal and you eat three times each day, you will spend almost 11 years eating. You will work about 28 years.

I guess my point is this: once you start measuring and dissecting how much time you have left, it's very easy to lose track of the fact that that time is still left. By all means, re-examine whether something is personally worthwhile, but don't get paralyzed by indecision or give into despair.

Though it's good that you're getting your mid-life crisis out of the way now.

Quietus
2011-02-13, 10:34 AM
Obviously, the solution is to game every single day, multiplying the number of potential campaigns by 7.

Vknight
2011-02-13, 10:35 AM
Dude that is depressing please no more

shadow_archmagi
2011-02-13, 10:41 AM
Do I really want to run a... I dunno... 'darker and edgier Care Bears' game, knowing it's taking up the slot of a surprisingly limited roster?

yes yes yes

Gnome Alone
2011-02-13, 10:49 AM
Seconded on the edgy Care Bears game. (Murder Bear, Ennui Bear, Cancer Bear, Disfigurement Bear...)

Also, personally, 200-250 campaigns sounds like a LOT to me. And if you're really still running games when you're 85, hell, you'll probably be really damn good at it, and have some high-quality ideas.

Fox Box Socks
2011-02-13, 11:55 AM
I want my Care Bear Stare to turn things into stone. That would be awesome.

...wait, what were we talking about?

Amador
2011-02-13, 01:26 PM
Darker edgier care bear world (http://imago.hitherby.com/?p=64)

Delwugor
2011-02-13, 03:01 PM
I try to find something memorable in every campaign I play in and every character I play. So when I'm 85 (40 years from now) I'll have a bunch of small great memories individually not much but having 250+ of them would be great.