Had the bad day where you feel like events are burying you? It might be the job, a person, or some other event you have to deal with. The frustration builds and you feel like you could just lose it on someone or something. Everyone has a bad day, a stressful week, or something that came up and the moment of all those little things turns our attitude sour. It has happened to me lately and I was trying to work through it when I had another person bring up some very situations they are dealing with.We got together and voiced our frustration, anger, fear, and whined. Most of issues we were dealing with were situations we couldn't, or shouldn't, do anything about. Which in itself creates frustration. After we had whined enough we started talking about ways of turning the frustrations we were dealing with into something positive. It started with the comment, "I appreciate gaming at times like this because I can go kill something without hurting anyone."
Just about every gamer I know has used gaming, especially role-playing games (RPGs) or video games, as an outlet of cleansing a bad attitude. Other people might go to the gym, or for a walk. Some even turn to numbing their senses. But, gamers are a different breed. We use our imaginations to create peace of mind by destroying something in a virtual world. Yeah, in some ways we really do have a twisted sense of reality.
Done in a group setting it can be great therapy. You tear into the monster with reckless abandon. There is no worry about what happens to you, because when you are done you can stand up from the table. If you are successful, there is a relief. If you were not, you grab another character. The other people you are gaming with take your lead; resulting in a game that is truly different than the usual weekly game you play. In the end the aggression that was bound up inside has been released without committing road rage or any physical destruction. Of course that hamlet the characters were visiting isn't doing so well.I have shown up for a game night and let people know I had a bad day, or week, and others have done the same. We make sure they are not going to be the game master (GM) because we like our characters. We have even shifted games from what had been planned. When it is known that someone's had a bad time recently, the game usually takes on a higher combat level. This gives the outlet without causing the harm. Our group even has a campaign setup for gladiators which works wonderfully well when there is the need to be high action with less "thinking." It also works well for handling the idiot who almost caused on accident on the freeway.
There is another way of turning those frustrating experiences into positive game nights. Use them to create an encounter. For me this can start off as a difficult task because I am so focused on the crap I am dealing with. I start out by sitting at my computer, pulling up a blank document, and just start writing about whatever is bothering me. Then I allow the situation to morph into an encounter.
Developing an encounter is about creating a situation or combat players will enjoy. Sometimes it can be tough coming up with unique and fulfilling new material. Life events that create emotional angst have great seeds for developing encounters. The situation can be used to create a personality, a place, and a set of circumstances that can get your players emotionally involved.You can probably tell this article developed out of one of these experiences. I also have several new encounters and personalities to introduce to my group.
If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.
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