what do you do during the slow months?

[randomhero00]

Play RPGs? Slow months as in you aren't or are playing very little PnP RPGs. I play WoW pretty much. I wish I had something better though.

[valadil]

Slow months? What are those?

Hypothetically if my three groups simultaneously stopped playing and my neighboring groups, who I've been invited to but haven't had time to join, suddenly filled their tables, I guess I might have a slow month.

If all that happened, I'd offer to run a game. Or I'd make plans for the next game I intended to run. While I appreciate improv, I put a lot of prep into my games so I have a solid basis to improv around. I like building a collection of ideas - NPCs, plots, combat scenarios, puzzles, etc - in between games so I have plenty of stuff ready to go when it's time to GM.

[Tyndmyr]

Slow months? What are those?

Hypothetically if my three groups simultaneously stopped playing and my neighboring groups, who I've been invited to but haven't had time to join, suddenly filled their tables, I guess I might have a slow month.

If all that happened, I'd offer to run a game. Or I'd make plans for the next game I intended to run. While I appreciate improv, I put a lot of prep into my games so I have a solid basis to improv around. I like building a collection of ideas - NPCs, plots, combat scenarios, puzzles, etc - in between games so I have plenty of stuff ready to go when it's time to GM.

This, pretty much. I'm playing one pbp game, play one game 1-2 times a week, and play another one 1-2 times a month. That is roughly as much as I can fit into my schedule, so I turn down additional opportunities.

I've never had a great problem finding people to play with. It's somewhat less common for me to not be DMing at least one game, but I'm finding the break somewhat relaxing.

[XiaoTie]

Slow months are those with little to no pnp rpg? I call those "pretty much always" . It's a sad thing, really.

I can't find groups to play in and I can't find players to play in a game.

[Sillycomic]

Craigslist?

I moved to another city about 2 years ago and had lots of downtime. I didn't know very many people here, so I started to find groups however I could. Local gaming store, Craigslist, internet meetups and the like.

You can get groups together for random games such as Risk, Munchkin and the like... then just mention something a little more hardcore such as D&D or Cthulhu, and you're golden.

[TheCountAlucard]

Play RPGs? Slow months as in you aren't or are playing very little PnP RPGs. I play WoW pretty much. I wish I had something better though.

Actually, our gaming group's late-spring/early-summer might be pretty busy. Among other things, we're going to...

1) Finish up on one of our Exalted games.
2) Finish up on another of our Exalted games.
3) Finish up on a D&D game.
4) Replace 1) with a space opera-themed game.
5) Replace 2) with a Shadowrun game.
6) Replace 3) with another D&D game.
7) Possibly start an Infernals game.
8) Possibly start another game.

Out of these, I'm going to be personally running three of them. On top of that, I'm trying to get a jeargb.

It's a sad thing, really.

That it is. On the other hand, I find that a brief haiatus from PnP usually precedes a terrifying resurgence in which my imagination tanks are brimming with explosive and grand ideas.

I can't find groups to play in and I can't find players to play in a game.

Yeah, that is sad.

[slaydemons]

Slow months are those with little to no pnp rpg? I call those "pretty much always" . It's a sad thing, really.

I can't find groups to play in and I can't find players to play in a game.

almost + 1 to this I had to teach my friends and I told them they would have to undo any changed done when the tutorial ended or make a new character I told them how to do that most of them was fine, but the wizard who even though I said this every week he didn't hear me and yelled at me because he doesn't get it. I may not be the actual dm but I know the most rules, and the dm was randomly selected so I was the last dm, and this guy is the new dm I might have to do it after

[Jay R]

Mostly in slow months I go to SCA events, but with my group, slow months are usually just months with lots of SCA events we want to attend

[Oracle_Hunter]

If it's a temporary thing, I might run a rules-light game (e.g. Bliss Stage, Mountain Witch) to pass the time, or just play more board games.

When something dire has happened, it's time to hunt up a new group. Whether this means recruiting n00bs and training them in the Old Ways or keeping an eye out for gaming groups in the area, it's very time-consuming.

[ken-do-nim]

Call other friends to play boardgames.

[Akal Saris]

Months when I can't play pnp are usually because I'm too busy with work/school/job search/travel to play. So that's what I'm normally doing in that time period.

When I moved to Japan, however, I had a few slow months with no reliable internet access either (so WoW wasn't a viable option). I filled them by sitting down and re-learning the D&D 3.5 ruleset thoroughly, building characters for fun using the PDFs I had. That's how I got interested in char op, actually. I also signed up for multiple PBP games on RPol.

[Dsurion]

I haven't had a stable group for over three years. Maybe two games between now and then. So far I've just very slowly been building up a campaign, trying to craft the sessions so that I can incorporate more than just railroad stories. I occasionally make characters for games based on whatever interests me at the time. And I'll pore over some books for RPGs from time to time.

Most of the rest of the time I'm trying other hobbies. Dusting off my old M:tG cards, fencing, video games, hiking, reading, whatever.

[Tengu_temp]

Nonexistant. I'm constantly involved in at least several PbP games at the same time. I do have other hobbies too, of course - I can't imagine limiting myself to just RPGs.

[dsmiles]

I have lots of slow months. I paint minis during RP droughts. Ergo, I have lots of minis.

[Dsurion]

I have lots of slow months. I paint minis during RP droughts. Ergo, I have lots of minis.

Would you happen to have photos of said minis to admire? Seriously, I always love looking at the different ways people paint their miniatures. Mostly because I'm inept at doing so myself

[dsmiles]

Just go the the Gaming (Other) forum, and check out the various "Warhammer Models" threads. We post all kinds of cool minis in there, and probably have more than our fair share of lurkers.

[Bang!]

Games are for slow months.

[Dimers]

I make fanatically detailed character builds. I've never used one in a game yet, in over ten years of active gaming, but that's not the point. I enjoy the crunchy sound numbers make. In fact, now that I've had to drop out of my sole group because Real Life interferes with the timing, I'm making a few builds for that DM to use as NPCs.

I also write my own game world and game system. I don't imagine I'll ever use that in a game either, and it's still not the point. The creative expression is what's important, not whether someone else makes use of it.