This entry is part 1 in the series My Biggest Mistakes

rpg blog carnival logoMistakes – ones you’ve made in the past and how you got past them, one’s you’re making now and don’t know how to solve. That’s the theme for this month’s RPG Blog Carnival.

I remember reading some great advice awhile ago: it’s ok to make a lot of mistakes as long as you don’t make the same one twice. At the game table it’s easy to forget stuff, make a bad judgement call, let emotions override polite behaviour.

One of my biggest mistakes was actually away from the game. For the first few years of Roleplaying Tips I also got a new job that required quite a bit of overtime, I was getting writing contracts, and the ezine was chewing up a lot of hours every week. I decided to stop gaming for awhile. That “while” turned into a five year hiatus. That’s five years of non-gaming I’ll never get back!

Today my schedule is no different. There are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want. However, I made a conscious decision to claw a game night out every two weeks, plus some prep time on weekends. I’m busier than ever before, but the sky has not fallen and giant fires have not flared up because I take this time out for gaming. And I’m actually less stressed because I’m getting my gaming fix in again.

I’ve been keeping this up since 2005 and still going strong. Real life has its pressures, but a bit of planning and protecting my time lets me game without problem. This is healthy for establishing better life-balance, maintaining (and making new) friendships, and keeping my creative juices flowing in all aspects of my life.

Long live RPG!

Remember to check out the previous RPG Blog Carnivals:

August 2008: The Core Mechanic: Death and Undeath

September 2008: The Fine Art of the TPK: Homebrew

October 2008: Musings of the Chatty DM: Superheroes

November 2008: The Dice Bag: Religion

December 2008: Critical Hits: Transitions and Transformations

January 2009: Unclebear: New Years Gaming Goals and Resolutions

February 2009: The Core Mechanic: Monsters and Maps

March 2009: The Book of Rev: War

April 2009: A Butterfly Dreaming: Humor and Gaming

May 2009: Roleplaying Pro: The Future Of Roleplaying

June 2009: Mad Brew Labs: Steampunk & Klokwerks

July 2009: 6d6Fireball.com: Dungeons & Dragons

August 2009: Chgowiz’s Old Guy RPG Blog: Conventions, Ren Fairs, Carnivals, Oh My!



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