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Alternatives to game sessions

or Dealing with Creative Burnout

What do you do when it all seems like too much of a chore to prep for a game? How do you cope with the feeling that nothing you do is good enough, or that life is sapping your energy so you have nothing left over for creativity? Why does it all sometimes seem just too darned hard?

I’ll be honest for a moment, 2024 and 2025 really did a number on me. Yes, I was doing a lot of things that I had wanted to do – interviews, attending conventions, running games for international folks – but it all came at a price: Burnout.

We often forget that TTRPGs are a creative endeavour, and that creativity isn’t a resource you can just turn on and off at will. We require rest and, dare I say it, a little boredom to help fuel it. When life gets in the way of a good time, as it so often has a habit of doing, it can be tempting to power through the inertia in an effort to just have some fun. And sometimes that works. And sometimes, it doesn’t.

As a GM, we are so focussed on weaving a good story for our players that we often forget that we are also there for a good time. So, when we start to feel run down, or lacklustre, or just plain tired, we soldier on thinking that the game will give us the boost we need to keep going. But what happens when that stops being the case, and the game (or games) we are running actually start to be part of the problem, not the cure?

There is nothing wrong with taking breaks from your games. Navigated correctly, communicated appropriately, it can mean the difference between just dropping a game entirely or revitalising your creative brain. Just as players sometimes need to take a break because life is interrupting their ability to enjoy your sessions, you are also completely valid in needing to take a break too. Chatting with your players about what is going on, how long you think you’ll need to recover, and what they can do to help is a great way of keeping everything transparent, so they can help support you.

But what if it’s just not fun anymore and you want to stop it altogether?

Well, that’s completely valid too. There’s no GM Bible that decrees “Thou must finish the game to everyone’s satisfaction!” Sometimes games just end because they’ve got to the end of their benefit run. And yes, it’s sad, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be the end of your group catching up and hanging out. You can always find new ways to engage with TTRPGs, without adding to the workload that got you to burnout in the first place.

Slide deck nights (aka: PowerPoint Party)

Everyone makes a slide deck about a system or setting they’re excited about, or a BBEG they’ve been dying to include in a game, or any other aspect of the hobby you all love. Just quietly between you and I, I would love to do one of these. I think it’d be super hilarious and fun to boot. Keep it short and simple. Include all the whacky transitions you can think of, and have fund teaching your friends about things you’re into, and learning more about your folks!

Mini painting session

Just want a super chill night with little to no prep? Why not grab a mini each and just paint it. No agenda. Limited pre-session prep beyond packing your paints and brushes (and your mini, of course). Just a group of friends, bringing life to a bunch of lil guys! It’s a perfect palate cleanser if the game prep is getting you down. Just don’t drink the paint water.

Silent reading night

Snacks. Drinks. Book. Done. TTRPG books are, of course, preferred, but not necessary. You can have some suitably themed music on in the background if that’s your jam, or not as your attention requires. Everyone gets cosy, opens their books and just enjoys some parallel … ermmm… reading?

Window Adventuring Party Mansion Shopping

Now, hear me out – bring your own device, open Zillow, and start looking for the perfect place for your adventuring party or coterie of kindred to take over. Zero dollars spent, and max window shopping vibes. The more ridiculous, the better. I mean, if they didn’t want us to click on their property, why would they have included that photo? You know the one I’m talking about. The GM can also share suggestions for the ultimate BBEG lair, because everyone needs a base of operations, amirite?

Image: John Pizzi Real Estate

Get crafty

Make friendship bracelets in your characters colours or themes and share them with your fellow party members (and the GM, of course). Make mood boards for notable NPCs. Make a deck of cards from your characters and NPCs. Whatever it is, make it low-cost, low-effort and fun.

Food and drink pairings

If there is a cookbook from your system of setting (such as the Heroes Feast D&D cookbook, or perhaps the Fallout cookbook), why not choose a recipe each and make a night of it? Alternatively, you can each make a dish and drink of your character (the GM chooses an NPC or perhaps the setting overall) and share it together. The idea of eating something you thought your character’s parent might make them when they were a child is just so (if you’ll forgive the pun) delicious!

These are just a few ideas to give your self a reprieve from game session prep while still hanging out with your group. What ideas would you like to try? Can you think of any others? I’d love to hear about what you and your party might get up to

What’s in the Con Kit?

If you’ve been invited to run a game at a convention, it can be daunting to know what to bring with you. On one hand you don’t want to leave something vital behind, but you also don’t want to bring your entire house with you either. It’s impractical to bring absolutely everything, but getting caught short of something that you could really use is an ever-present concern.

Here’s a bit of a peek at what is in my convention kit, or ConKit, for Vampire the Masquerade, though this list could easily be translated for your TTRPG of choice.

For setting up and packing down

Anti-bacterial cleaning wipes and zip-lock bag

These are a necessary inclusion to my kit. You don’t know what condition the tables and chairs are going be in when you arrive, so having something you can wipe them down with is ideal. Players who come to your sessions with food and drink may spill, so having something to clean up messes is always vital. The zip-lock bag gives you somewhere for the wipes to live after they’ve done their job, if you can’t get to a bin right away. Simply wipe down whatever needs it, pop the used wipe into the bag and zip it up, keeping the mess and moisture far away from books and the like. Then, when you are able, you can simply take the bag, open it up and tip the contents into the trash.

Rubbish bag

Having a larger bag on hand for the end of the day when packing down is always a good idea. Keeping your area clean and tidy goes a long way to ensuring event coordinators will ask you back again. I tend to check in between sessions as I’m resetting my table for any rubbish or things left behind by players. Rubbish goes in this bag which slides under my chair. Items left behind by players goes into my case, or to the sing up table, if I have a chance to get there before the next wave of players.

For the game sessions

Flat dice trays

Dice trays that pack flat and then clip into shape are invaluable for convention GMs. They take up next to no space in your bag, but are completely functional when set up for game time. I have one per player, but can run with fewer if some need to be loaned to other GMs. I got mine from Meeples & Dragons, but you can find similar across the internet. They also wipe down well with the anti-bacterial wipes mentioned earlier, and are easily replaced if they get ruined.

Dice sets

Try to have on full set of dice per player at your table. When signing up for a convention, you will likely get asked how many people your game runs well with, and will probably have the opportunity to set an upper limit. You should aim to have a full set of all player needs for this upper limit, just in case. Whatever game system you’re going with, you don’t need to use expensive dice sets. In fact, dice have a tendency to go walking at conventions and other events, so it’s better to go with easily replaceable sets. I have five full sets of Vampire the Masquerade branded dice, but I also take a simple numerical set of D10 dice in two colours, to showcase that you can play the game with just normal D10s. At a pinch, you can run a table of six players with three sets, but it does help the speed of your session if everyone has their own.

A copy of the core rule book

Do not take your special limited edition to a convention. Well, don’t take it to run games with. If you’re getting it signed, that’s a different deal. The rule book you take for the table will get ruined. It will get spills and wear and tear, and you need to be okay with that. Ideally, have one copy of the core rules that is your convention book. This keeps the wear and tear and risk to just one book that you can replace when it’s time. As a little suggestion, put sticky tabs into any sections or pages you think you will need to reference frequently or quickly. The last thing you want, when you’re on a time crunch in a short game session is to be frantically hunting for that page.

Laminated character folios, whiteboard markers and whiteboard cleaning wipes

I know there many game runners, GMs, DMs, STs, etc who are happy to print off multiple copies of their character sheets and just go through them throughout the duration of an event or convention. Me? I prefer one copy, laminated, and good to go for the whole length of the con. The whiteboard markers allow players to take notes, edit trackers and scribble all over their laminated character sheets. The whiteboard cleaning wipes allow you to clean all that off at the end of a session while you’re resetting the table. Pop them into the zip-lock bag, along with any antibacterial cleaning wipes, and you’re good to go for the next session!

Your game notes

This may seem like an obvious choice for inclusion to this list, but you would be surprised how many GMs end up winging it because they’ve left their notes, or story guide, behind. Don’t be that person. Besides making you feel silly when you realise you’ve left them behind, the stress of trying to wing it every session across multiple sessions over multiple days is going to leave more drained than just having your notes on hand.

X cards

Most events insist on some kind of safety tools at tables. The simplest to explain to folks who may have never played a single session of a tabletop roleplay game before, in my humble opinion, is the X card. It is the easiest to deploy at a table, and requires the least amount of set up. I use a square card with a use X on one side and my business card (a QR code to my Linktree with my logo) on the other. This type of hybrid business card works a dual purpose and means less stuff to carry.

For your peace of mind

Powerbanks and cables

Every event tends to have the same problem in that there are a lot of people using the mobile phone network, so you will use much much more of your battery power than you expect. Having multiple power options at hand is essential for communications, but also having them on hand for your players if they are waiting for friends to join them, for example, can lead to a better experience for them overall.

Water

Have a small water bottle with you at the table and a larger one in your bag. Not every event will think to have refilling stations for water bottles, and they may be a distance away from the tables you’re at, so having a larger water bottle in your bag allows you to refill your carry bottle easily. And you will need it. Conventions are loud and can get humid, so regularly hydrating is necessary if you want to go the distance.

Hand fan

Stagnant air in a convention centre is definitely a thing. A hand fan helps. Likewise, folks with less than agreeable hygiene can be somewhat mitigated with a hand fan that has been sprayed with perfume, essential oils or the like.

Hand sanitiser

People. Surfaces. Dirty. Gross. Clean your hands regularly, or you will get ill. Hand sanitiser helps when you don’t have access to a bathroom to use soap and water.

Snacks

It can be hard to get to food in a timely fashion, let alone through a line that has formed to get an overpriced, under-seasoned burger. Snacks help to bridge the gap when this happens, and stops you from really wanting a TPK because of the hangries.

Other things you might want to have on hand just in case

  • a change of clothes
  • a book
  • headphones
  • change of socks
  • change of shoes

Hopefully this list helps you get through your convention GMing experience with a bit more ease. Have I forgotten something, or do you have an inclusion in your ConKit that you want to share with others? Let me know! You can drop me a line here or DM me via any of my socials.