My "Problem" with Gamers Plane.

Hello. My name is Smiley, and I am addicted to tabletop games.

I love Gamers Plane. I joined back in 2017. I have joined games off and on since.

My problem with Gamers Plane is that there are too many games always starting or looking for players.

I am used to playing on Discord, where I have to post every day trying to join a game, and you don't hear anything for months.
But not on Gamers Plane. DMs post games a few times a week.

After a Gamers Plane hiatus, I started a campaign back in August. Since then, I have joined 8 games...
I am currently a player in 5 games and am DMing one more. I have 2 other games I have created that could run soon.

My problem is that I do not have the self-control to not try and join games as they pop up.

How do you stop yourself from being overwhelmed and constantly joining every game that pops up?

there was actually a list to roll from before you started a new game...
let me see... where was it...

Found it!

Following, lol

I am very much in the same boat (joined in 2015, long hiatus, started up again, and am already in SEVERAL games).

Remembering this issue from years ago, I've established a rule for myself:
RULE: I will not sign up for another game until:
a) all the games I've joined have actually started play after completing character generation
and
b) I've played all the games for at least a week
and
c) I have convinced myself that not only can I handle the load of all those games but I feel that I have bandwidth to add another.

I've already turned away from half a dozen games over the past month, following this rule. It's a good thing, because in the past I'd get excited about a game, sign up, and then I'd finish chargen, but chargen for the group would take five more days, leading me to think "I have PLENTY of time for another game!"

I understand. I am running 2 game and playing in 4. I am part of 2 games in another website, though those are super slow compared to here. I think I have hit my limit for now, but we'll see. If the 2 on the other site die of ghosting Iau be tempted to join more here...

That is certainly a problem 😅 Though the real issue is that people keep advertising awesome games on here! How dare they?

It is a nightmare I truly cannot ever wish to be over!

I would like to join the support group :)
We'll make 5 posts pr week right?

Oooh, maybe we can turn the support group into a game!

Yes, when does this game start?
I've created a character sheet for us.

---

Willpower 🤣

Also have this issue. Also had several games I registered interest with all spring up at once so having to turn some down...

I feel this as a GM but set a limit as to how many I can handle at once and (try to) stick to it

This feels like it's going to be the longest thread yet!

Let me also include a burning desire to keep pitching games to run. I have a queue of about 8 games I'd like to start, and the list will grow. Realistically by the time I reach the end of that it'll be 2026 or something.

I've had to do the maths for how many days in a week I can post, how many posts I can make, and how long each post takes. This tells me how many games I can play or run. Anything more than that is either wishful thinking or letting my players / fellow players down.

And designers, for coming up with cool, interesting, and fun games we want to play. Can't they take a break until we get caught up?

Then you run things like Masks :D When is our inevitable Horror on the Orient Express game starting? lol

Sophrosyne, my friends, sophrosyne.

I'll DM this. Everyone in this thread is playing, like it or not. Go ahead and fill out your sheets.

I have two VTT games to run so I've limited myself to 2 games here; 1 is already being run by me; waiting for a 5e game to start.

I can't stand when I get invested in a game and it falls apart or ends prematurely for what ever reason.
I mean, I made a character, and want to play it. Then I have to put in the recycle bin. ♻️
But my main issue isn't even GP fault. I travel constantly for work and my signal is poop alot of the time...

Gamersplane is just like real life. A lot of effort for little reward. As you get more experience in life (or GP) you get better at homing in on things that TRULY make you happy and things that will stand the test of time. This applies to intimiate partners, choice of car, job, where to live, how to live, and other life balance you need to make. No wonder ppl in their 50s & 60s are the happiest. they still have good health to enjoy life and they have spend half a century perfecting the art of finding what really makes them tick. Likewise with GP.

I'm not addicted. I can quit at anytime. Just as soon as I finish these 230 games I'm playing in and the 170 I'm GM-ing.

I'm surprised you didn't set your willpower to -1 😝

if it is so hard to resist joining a game, why can't I find any open games?

They come in waves. You'll go a few weeks without any game popping up, and then there's suddenly five interesting ones at the same time.

A few things you can do @forkbeard
1) keep an eye on the games tavern
2) join the discord and join the discussions about games that excite you.
3) pick an avatar, so you show that you are making an effort
4) be patient
5) realise that with play-by-post the GM-turns-up-and-players-are-entertained way of gaming doesn't really work
6) be aware that the biggest risk a GM takes by inviting a new player, is that the new player ghosts the site and the GM has to modify the story, pause, invite new players or see their work collapse.

1 to 4 are the most important ones :)

The Discord has helped me find and get in on games early. I hear about games in the idea stage in the channel for a specific game I'm interested in and can mention my interest there, as well as make connections with others so they can get to know me a bit.

Of course, now I want to join about 20 more games than I can reasonably play, and that's after I filter only the ones that give me a "OMG I MUST PLAY THAT!" reaction.

Also, @forkbeard, games listed in the Games Tavern may still be recruiting. I have two in there at the moment that are recruiting. There aren't enough characters to add [Recruiting] and [Open] in the subject line, maybe I'd be better off using "Open" instead.

So, you might want to check out Games Tavern posts for games that you could be interested in playing, and follow through on the thread to check whether or not they seem to still be recruiting.

thunks for all the advice. so much more friendly than a certain site with the initials MW. But that was years ago. Many better now