So I’ve been working my way through recording Season 3 of my solo roleplaying actual-play podcast, and (assuming I haven’t already finished), will be done recording the entire season this week. Yes, we are currently on Season 2. Yes, this means I’m basically over a year ahead, again.
Anyway, why am I so far ahead? Because…
- I can.
- It’ll allow me to take a bit of a break for the Holiday season.
- … which I won’t take, because Reasons.
Anyway, here’s the thing: I am literally burning my way through my library of tabletop roleplaying games at a frightening pace. At my current rate, assuming I actually take a break for the Holidays (I won’t… I never do), I will be done with at least Season 4 before next summer, and Season 5 by the end of 2023. If I instead just keep pushing through the rest of autumn, the winter, and most of next spring, I’ll have seasons 4 and 5 done before the next RenFaire season kicks off!
But I digress.
Why would I not take a break for the Holidays this year? Simple. The weather is perfect for podcasting! My office gets very warm in the summer, making it rather difficult to do my shows, even at night (when I’m usually doing my solo roleplaying). But the rest of the year is cool, if not outright cold out, and my computer does a great job of heating up my office, making it quite comfortable overall.
Also, I have A Plan™.
You see, I am making some changes to the actual-play podcast, starting with Season 3 next year, which is fine. No, I won’t be talking about it here, you can wait a couple more months to learn about it. But on top of these changes, it got me thinking: Maybe I should choose an ending date for that show?
Yes, ending, as in finishing up the series permanently.
Why? Well, I have other things I’d like to do, to be frank. I do enjoy solo roleplaying, and the podcast is doing well enough overall. But think about this: “Ronin Roleplaying” has been running since Halloween 2020, but it actually got started well before that, with our old group actual-play podcast, “Knights of the Tabletop”. KotT launched in late June, 2019, and that 16 months it ran probably added 16 years to my age! Regardless, once we finish Season 5 of the solo actual-play at the end of 2025, I will have been doing this stuff for six and a half years.
That’s a lot of talking, mostly to myself.
It isn’t that I want to quit doing the solo podcast, but increasingly, I feel like I am maybe doing too much. At some point, everything has to come to an end, and I’d rather end my projects on my terms, rather than let Fate decide when I keel over dead.
That all said, who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind on this, and simply take a break to try something else? I’ve already tossed around the idea of cancelling the weekly blog portion of this site, making it only something I do when I feel the need, and otherwise provide content in other mediums. Hell, I’ve even thought about a return to livestreaming, but that’s probably a really bad idea. I would be better off just spending my weekends playing video games for my own enjoyment, rather than to entertain others online.
Regardless, I’d like to be able to finish the solo actual-play on my terms, when I feel like it, after a “successful” (at least in my consideration) run. Then again, rushing to create content literally years in advance may not be what is best for the quality of the show, let alone my sanity. In the end, I have to start recognizing my limitations, and stop pushing myself so much.
But I like doing it, really. sigh
