Tuesday, October 22, 2013

"Not with a bang but a whimper"

When I set out to create my blog, one of my goals was to write something every day, to establish Really Bad Eggs as a source of inspiration for roleplaying gamers interested in swashbucklers and to hone such writing skills as I possess. Writing every day was a real challenge, and even composing a substantial post three or four times a week proved to be difficult.

Since the spring of this year, even maintaining this modest output proved very difficult, not for a lack of ideas and topics - there are some fifty partially completed posts sitting in my queue as I type this, and dozens more ideas floating around in my head - but simply because the time I used for writing was devoted to other things, primarily keeping up with the Cabin Girl and the Cabin Boy's array of activities, but also a growing social circle of families. One of the unexpected benefits of participating in youth arts and sports is the other parents you meet; I've been fortunate to make some good friends in the process. As a happy consequence, what free time I have fills even more quickly.

Even maintaining my desultory pace of posting is difficult. There are only so many hours in the day, and in prioritising that day, blogging simply doesn't rank highly on the list. What time I have to devote to gaming I want to devote to my campaign directly: keeping up my wiki, which is badly in need of updating and expanding, as well as playing by email in the months between when we can play face-to-face or via Skype. Put another way, playing is more important than writing about playing, given my constraints.

I've pulled back from the handful of forums where I participate as well; those are an even worse time-sink than blogging, and with far less to show for the effort.

This is not good bye; as I said, I have far too much that I still want to address. What it is is the recognition that Really Bad Eggs will, for the foreseeable future, be relegated to the status of an occasional pastime.

12 comments:

  1. I'm sad to hear that, but I can absolutely relate to the 'so many projects, so little time'-problem. So I wish you happy gaming, will keep an eye on Le Ballet de l'Acier on Obsidian Portal and I still look forward to it when you find the time for a post here.

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  2. Man, don't scare us like that! We'll miss you, but we'll learn to appreciate your occasional updates all the more.

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  3. That all makes perfect sense, Mike. Your blog is always worth my time to read, so when you carve out the time to post, I'm sure you'll always have an audience.

    Allan.

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  4. 518 posts is nothing to sneeze at. I have yet to dig back into it as much as I'd like, but it is a fine resource for ideas. I'd say you've met your goal of inspiration. More of the same, even if only in small doses, will be icing on a very tall cake.

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  5. I completely understand. I wanted to revive my old blog but shift its focus to Flashing Blades...and I haven't had time IRL to do any playing or game prep since I last posted in late July.

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  6. I empathize! Thank you for what you've already shared, and thanks in advance for what you'll share in the future when you can.

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  7. Enjoy your other activities. We'll look forward to your occasional posts. Nearly all bloggers go through lulls as other things take precedence or burnout eats the fun.

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  8. Heck, I cannot even seem to get started! Over 500 posts is awesome! Will look forward to your future posts!

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  9. I hope even if you quit updating altogether you will leave your prior work available. There are more than a few ideas and tables I am sure I will keep coming back for.

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  10. Echoing the others that occasional is better than never again!

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  11. my players did not much like "sea adventures"....there were too many ways for me (as DM) to Kill them...

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  12. We have really been enjoying reading the (often insightful) comments left by others...
    It will take us many more visits to your great Blog to read them all...
    Great RPG Blog, good Sir...

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