The Prep for when you have time
Sometimes that bolt of anxiety strikes between sessions. Maybe somebody posts a meme to your group chat, maybe it’s just totally out of the blue. But when session anxiety rears its ugly head between sessions, a little review of your character can help. Take 15 minutes and answer these questions to get your head back level and ready for next game.
Did anyone need anything from me?
My most common reason for a spike of anxiety between games is that I have to DO something, and I’ve been putting it off. Uaully it is something that somebody has asked me to do for them, or a schedule confirmation that I artfully dodged. This is your reminder to do that thing. Sometimes, I don’t need to go beyond this question. When you read this question, I invite you to:
-Finish that backstory.
-Confirm that you’ll be coming to session. (or that you have to miss. Just don’t leave it ambiguous!)
-Finish finding a character mini or picture.
-Read that rule you promised you’d brush up on before next session.
If I can’t DO whatever it is right now, then I write it down. This is now my reminder sheet. The next time my anxiety spikes, I’ll at least know why.
Did I need to Level or Select Spells?
Very similar to the first question, I wanted to split this one off, because while that one was about what I owe to others, this one I owe to myself. Since this list is for in between sessions, I’ll take some time browsing spells or abilities. If I don’t know what to pick, I ask my party what they think would work well. This is a collaborative game, and usually someone has an opinion of what they want me to do, even if I don’t know. So long as the question comes before session, it shows that I still care about the game and want input. It doesn’t reflect poorly to utilize the group.
If I can’t take care of it now, I note what I have left to do, and I make a little checklist. Maybe I can’t fully level up, but I bet you i have the free time to update just my attack bonuses, or just my HP. Take little bites out of the task.
If given an opportunity to shop in town, I would like:
Once we get out of the big social questions, we can move on to some of the more fun questions to prep for the next session. When my character reaches the next town, what would they want to stock up on? This one isn’t talking about high level magic items or something. Do they need to go get a fresh sharpening stone, since their old one is caked in mud? Maybe they always look forward to a hot bath in town, regardless of what the cost of getting honest to goodness hot water would be. If they’re the worrywort of the group, maybe they head straight to the dry goods vendor to restock on rations, not even knowing if they’ll need to hit the road soon or not. Making a decision like this allows me to be ready the next time we make it to a town, and I can help bring some flavor to the scene. Even if we don’t manage to reach a town, I can absolutely have my character mention it during downtime.
My character’s favorite <NPC/Food/teammate/deity/weapon/holiday> is…
Sometimes, my anxiety spikes because I feel like I haven’t “roleplayed enough.” Like everyone else has a better character in their head than whatever bland blob mine is. That instinct isn’t always wrong though, and I realized that I go through periods in game where I don’t deeply engage. I just accept whatever quest is presented and go murder-hoboing. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, if I’m feeling uneasy, I found the best solution is to give my character an opinion on something. I try my best to make this a positive opinion, because negative opinions can act as a way to halt roleplay once it starts. Favorable opinions almost always beg the conversation to continue, as the GM or other players are given an opportunity to reflect the excitement/energy your character brings to the interaction there.
it is their favorite because…
If I have the mental bandwidth, I like to make up a two sentence story about why their favorite thing is what it is. Then it is locked and ready to go for the next session. Roleplay ready!
“Blastimus loves coming back to the tavern in the town and getting a whiskey, because the smell reminds him of his father’s whisky cabinet. He’d open it up and have a party after every harvest time when Blastimus was a kid, and all the family would come and celebrate.”
during <downtime/combat/haggling/arguing/diplomacy> my character might say…
Catch phrases are a topic of controversy, but it never hurts to try a few out. A variation on “oh my god” or “screw you” can be a real treat to hear spouted across the table. “By my beard!” Blastimus the wizard might say. If your tablemates are clever, they might even play off it by then saying “By Blastimus’ beard!” Or for insults, reach into creepy folklore. “May the faeries steal your teeth.” The catch phrases may never stick, but i find it almost always lightens the mood.
a creative way i can use one of my abilities during <combat/exploration/diplomacy> is…
Creativity can be hard when we’re looking at a whole table full of minis, worrying about HP totals, and dealing with action economy. We can take care of it ahead of time. I try to take a moment, look at my character sheet, and just come up with a weird, possibly stupid, way to use something. Can you summon water? Think of movie tropes where water came into play. Get the floor wet, and maybe electricity runes on a trap can be shorted out. If an enemy is wet, maybe they freeze solid when hit with an ice blast afterwards. Perhaps your campaign is in a desert, and summoned water can be traded for information with wandering nomads. Don’t be afraid to rip off your favorite movie moments. If they were cool for you, your table might just vote that “that’s definitely how this works” even if its not in the rules.
knock out these notes, and be confident in your next game
This list is bigger than the other ones, because it is for in-between sessions. Grab the PDF of the RP prep sheet here. By writing these ideas down, you arm yourself for your next session, ready to go. This list has you handle:
-Your Real world tasks
-Your game tasks
-Downtime planning
-RP planning
-Creative moment planning
With all that, you’ll be set for anything the next session can throw at you. Even if you don’t use everything you wrote down, you can save it for the next session and build up your library of character notes.