Do you manage to keep playing during this pandemic?

[Yaztromo]

How do you adapt to the situation? Did you have to stop something or you found a way to carry on?

[Havard]

How do you adapt to the situation? Did you have to stop something or you found a way to carry on?

Great topic!

I've gotten to play quite a bit via Skype/Discord etc. I have yet to DM in this mode though, so far I have only been a player.

How about you, Yaz?

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

As during last dozen years or so I relocated quite often internationally, I was already used to play on PbP, rather than face to face (that is always the best option, in my opinion, if you manage to overcome the practical hurdles of distances and times), so for me it wasn't a big change.
However, Covid-19 impacted many lives in many ways, and some of the players of campaigns I am running are healthcare workers busy on the front line, so they don't have much time available, but, when they want to isolate themselves from the harsh reality, they enjoy playing RPG games on PbP, as it helps them focussing on something different. For this reason, I have been running more solo games, as their posting is more erratic, but, when they post, they are keen of seeing the story progress. I tried to do my best to support them this way.
Other players actually caught the virus, so it was a pleasure, after a break due to sickness, seeing them coming back to the game, slowly at first, and then more and more frequently, as their strengths came back.
It was good also for me, especially during the times with the most restrictive lockdown measures, to fly away with my mind from the current situation, as I was often feeling like a tiger in a cage.

[Yaztromo]

With hindsight, I have to say that I keep playing and running games (all at distance), but I have big issues with my creativity. Am I the only one struggling much more than usual to write anything new and decent?

[Mythlym]

Strangely, No.

I played almost 100% online on roll20 before the pan so it shouldn't have many any difference.

But it did. I am totally unmotivated to run anything and have not played anything since it started.

Every once in a while I get up a moment of motivation but it fades before I can finish preparing.

My players are either feeling the same way or beyond confused as to why our gaming suddenly stopped.

[Havard]

With hindsight, I have to say that I keep playing and running games (all at distance), but I have big issues with my creativity. Am I the only one struggling much more than usual to write anything new and decent?

Strangely, No.

I played almost 100% online on roll20 before the pan so it shouldn't have many any difference.

But it did. I am totally unmotivated to run anything and have not played anything since it started.

Every once in a while I get up a moment of motivation but it fades before I can finish preparing.

My players are either feeling the same way or beyond confused as to why our gaming suddenly stopped.

Sorry to hear this, but I am not surprised. I think we get a lot of our inspiration from real life interraction with other people. Internet interraction can compensate for this to some extent, but not fully.

I would recommend doing some skype sessions with your players where you play a little, but also set off time to just talk about real life stuff/general banter and for talking about whether people are motivated for gaming online.

Our gaming has been surprisingly successful during this time. The best part is that people have time to play since they have nothing else to do.

I have mostly been joining games as a player, but last week I finally debuted as a DM in a Discord Game. I only play with people I know in real life.

When DMing, I used no battle maps or handouts. We had a dice roller available, but I also allow players to use their physical dice. We play theatre of the mind style gaming with just descriptions and roleplaying even in combat. I kept the combats fairly simple, avoiding tons of terrain features, cover etc.

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

Still struggling. I feel some sort of fatigue when playing remotely and I left a few ongoing campaign player remotely or play by post or similar. They felt more like a chore than a source of entertainment and amusement.
Happens, I suppose.

[Yaztromo]

I can see that face to face games are still much more difficult to organise than before Covid (when it was already fairly complicated). It feels like players forgot the pleasure of face to face and still live in a world of remote interactions. However, I still prefer by miles having face to face interactions...

[Havard]

I can see that face to face games are still much more difficult to organise than before Covid (when it was already fairly complicated). It feels like players forgot the pleasure of face to face and still live in a world of remote interactions. However, I still prefer by miles having face to face interactions...

I sort of see what you mean. I think many people have just gotten too used to the technology that allows us to stay in the comfort of our own homes even without the risks of a pandemic. And I also find myself having to remind myself of some of the things social activities I enjoyed before, even outside of gaming. 

I do hope to get a few opportunities for face to face gaming this fall, but the majority of my gaming has moved to Discord. I don't use VTTs or anything like that. We just use cameras and play as if we were in the same room. Still not the same as face to face gaming. 

-Havard

[Yaztromo]

I can do that as well, but I don't get the same pleasure out of it...