Scribbles and Horrors

For a long time I had difficulty playing D&D. I didn’t lack enthusiasm or know-how, I didn’t lack interested friends, and yet the organizational-scheduling side of play was extremely difficult to get going.

RPGs are tricky activities, because the Referee (or DM, GM, MC, whatever) is saddled not only with running The Game, but also with organizing The Event. Getting any number of people together for more than an hour is difficult these days; figuring out how to get people to show up for an ongoing commitment like a campaign is even harder.

For me, the solutions came by adjusting my expectations about attendance. I run Open Table games now, at fixed times in semi-public spaces. My games are built around the idea that not every (maybe not even most) players will come to every session. For the kinds of games that I like running, it works!

I’m interested in others’ experiences, in the problems and solutions in RPGdom write large, so I’ve written a survey which I hope people will take the time to fill out.

RPG Scheduling Survey

The survey will run through the end of the year, December 31st, 2026. Please share it far and wide!