The trick with running a long-term game is to show up to each session and run the game. That’s exactly what I am aiming to do tonight as I reach Session 24 of the Mystamyr campaign.

Showing up is easier said than done, of course. Work happens on a Monday, as do the regular management meetings which are scheduled after regular working hours are done. Then there’s the drive home at rush hour, finding something to eat, and finding time to deal with all the other things that need to happen before you sit down to play (like writing the blog).

But it seems that doing an act of tiny prep, day by day, makes it easier to feel ready to show up. The small additions to a dungeon map over the past week led to the inspiration to key that map over the weekend which, in turn, I hope to tempt the players to explore. I don’t think I would have been able to sit down with any confidence without that map.

This is the truth of it: when you commit to small actions on a daily basis you build a little bit of momentum. It seems that showing up for 2-5 minutes each day becomes the fuel for showing up for 2 hours at the session. Inspiration arises from the effort expended. Allowing yourself the smallest space to play as a GM pre-game makes it possible to turn up as the GM in-game.

At least, that’s how it seems to me.

Game on!