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| Inspiration can come from anywhere |
Hobby time was getting so squeezed that I decided to take a month out (a lack of enthusiasm didn't help either).
During that time I've had a birthday, bought myself an Xbox One S (which I've played on precisely twice!) and done a host of chores. At best my only available time for any hobby stuff is after 8pm when the boy is in bed and dinner is done. Quite often I don't have the energy or inclination to dig out hobby gear (or set up the Xbox) by that time and end up just watching tv, surfing the net or playing Warcraft on the iMac - all easy solutions at the end of the day.
However, the one way I have managed to keep my toe dipped in the hobby waters is by revisiting some of my rule designs. Having burned myself out with three solid months of going round in circles with my Hood project, it had all got shelved for another day. Whilst I am yet to return to my medieval-inspired game I have been looking at my sci-fi project.
Earlier this year I was sitting in the bath and decided to use the time to devise a rule concept I'd not come across before. It could be for any aspect of a ruleset, but I wanted something new (to me at least).
I had until the bath water went cold - no pressure then.
Ironically, in that stress-free environment I stumbled upon a concept I really liked. The concept didn't fit with my Hood project but it would work in a sci-fi environment. Inspired, I built an idea for a game around it and sent out my draft to the usual suspects - Bull and Mr Awdry - for some input. Typically, a few weeks later whilst at Salute, I was introduced to a game that used an almost identical system. OMG, I thought I had been original, but I guess it's not uncommon for people to come up with the same idea in isolation. It killed my enthusiasm for the project and has been on the backburner ever since.
I had until the bath water went cold - no pressure then.
Ironically, in that stress-free environment I stumbled upon a concept I really liked. The concept didn't fit with my Hood project but it would work in a sci-fi environment. Inspired, I built an idea for a game around it and sent out my draft to the usual suspects - Bull and Mr Awdry - for some input. Typically, a few weeks later whilst at Salute, I was introduced to a game that used an almost identical system. OMG, I thought I had been original, but I guess it's not uncommon for people to come up with the same idea in isolation. It killed my enthusiasm for the project and has been on the backburner ever since.
During the past month I've revisited my notes and tried to expand on my initial thoughts and build it into a playable game. Even if it never sees the light of day, it's been a good exercise to keep my brain ticking and thinking creatively. I don't have the inclination or the resources to push either this project - let's call it Project Out Of Time - or Project Hood to a commercial release but I decided a while ago that as and when they reach a playable state I shall post both on the blog. If other people can have fun with them then that'll be great - and any constructive feedback will be a bonus.
So keep an eye out for those at some point - if I can get one up online for Christmas that would be quite cool.
In the meantime, now that we're into November, I'm going to be making more of an effort to take up the hobby brush and get some painting done.