Experiences Has anyone ever had "Roleplay indecisiveness"?

[Hyde.]

I'm not sure if this is the correct term for it, but I'm essentially referring to the concept that you want to write/Roleplay, but you don't know what. I feel like I've been going through it for a long period now, where I constantly flip-flop between ideas, change my mind, and/or burn out quickly. Has anyone ever had this? If so, how did you approach/"treat" it?

Would love some advice, thank you!

 

[Idea]

One thing I can say for certain this is extremely common. When it happens to me, what I do about it depends on the cause.

If it's trying to deal with multiple ideas - as in I know there's a roleplay I want to make and I already decided to make a roleplay, but I have not decided on which one - then my strategy is to give the ideas time and to try to whittle them down, often by finding ways to mash together the core of those ideas. Giving time is useful when you're undecided because ideas born from hype may not survive when that hype inevitably dies down. As such I try to keep around a 3 week interval as a rule of thumb before deciding my interest in an idea is genuine and lasting. From there it's a matter of narrowing things down to one idea or a manageable number of them. The exception is with 1x1 searches, since my usual method of 1x1 searches is to gather everything into one giant search thread. So at that point I just kinda leave it to potential partners to decide which ones interest them most.

If the issue is the will to roleplay when I'm otherwise lacking in available "slots" to roleplay (AKA I'm already at the limit of what I can manage) my solution is to go for low-commitment projects. These can be small writing projects or banter with a friend or something else which is either short by nature or which has no need for me to stick around. Naturally if I happen to have roleplays needing additional contributions, especially posts, from me, then those take priority.

Also, though it's not really an option I've used in this way, quest RPs (For those who don't know, quest RPs are RPs that function as choose your own adventure books. The one running the RP writes entries, while the players choose options provided by that person to move the story forward, rather than making posts of their own).

If I lack the availability to RP entirely then I'll probably try to seek distraction from other hobbies.

Lastly one strategy that I see being used for to help with urges to roleplay is to just throw yourself at literally anything that seems mildly interesting or making interests checks claiming you're desperate or that you'll RP anything. I really can't recommend this. Aside from just how it looks, it's a recipe for disaster in the long term. After all a momentary craving is not gonna push you through the slower moments or really make you passionate or committed to a particular roleplay - if any roleplay will do, what reason is there to attach to that specific one. I'm not gonna say nobody's ever hit the jackpot with that strategy, but it's like saying it's fine to spend a fortune on a casino because someone somewhere must have won at some point.

In short when dealing with this kind of feeling it's important to keep in mind the future implications of whatever solution you choose to pursue. Either make sure you're orienting yourself towards something you will sustainably enjoy or do something that does not involve a long-term commitment to begin with.

Best of luck and happy roleplaying!

 

[chaotic cat cutie]

I'm not sure if this is the correct term for it, but I'm essentially referring to the concept that you want to write/Roleplay, but you don't know what. I feel like I've been going through it for a long period now, where I constantly flip-flop between ideas, change my mind, and/or burn out quickly. Has anyone ever had this? If so, how did you approach/"treat" it?

Would love some advice, thank you!

Oh all the time. Generally the best advice I would have is to lower the distractions in your life.
I feel like when I have like the tv going and I'm trying to focus on writing too it can be difficult.
Sometimes it may even take me just not being around television all day to really get motivated to be committed to something.
I think it has to play into the fact that no brain can truly multi task . Your brain is just switching from task to task and the same goes for like the roleplay world.

Maybe even like meditate for like two minutes. Thirty seconds. Anything helps cleanse the mind of distraction.

 

[Nu Epiq]

I'm not sure if this is the correct term for it, but I'm essentially referring to the concept that you want to write/Roleplay, but you don't know what. I feel like I've been going through it for a long period now, where I constantly flip-flop between ideas, change my mind, and/or burn out quickly. Has anyone ever had this? If so, how did you approach/"treat" it?

Would love some advice, thank you!

All the time, you are not alone. In my case, when I feel this way I don't force anything. In fact, I take a step back from roleplay. Sometimes it's always good to take a break, get your thoughts together. I draw on my inspiration from listening to music, certain types, for example a genre on YouTube known as Epic Music. It gets the thought juices flowing for character creation, scenes, plots. Not only that, I read a lot too or watch movies. When you get an idea, write it down. You don't have to rush immediately back to roleplay. Gather up your ideas in a list, same thing with characters. When you feel you are ready to get back into it, at least you will have something to reference.

 

[Jannah]

This is me all the time. Shamefully, it's also my biggest reason for ghosting when I do.

 

[Hyde.]

This is me all the time. Shamefully, it's also my biggest reason for ghosting when I do.

It's one of mine too, aside from getting overwhelmed and easily depressed. I usually tend to make my own interest check(s), so this time, I'm trying to respond to them instead.

 

[BuggaBoo]

. Has anyone ever had this? If so, how did you approach/"treat" it?

Yes but I rarely GM sooooo like this from a player perspective but still might help.

Whenever I brain storm i found that making a Top 5 category of what I like to see|do. I'm not ADHD but I am scattered brained so helps keep me organized.

The other thing I do is just say eff it and write. No plan just write. Rando ideas, events interactions, my frustrations, my 'why', what I hope for, etc. I usually do this for writing posts when I feel like I'm flustered or feeling brain dead on ideas. And then usually I bite on an idea and decide to run with it.

K so like its kinda like tossing things at a wall and seeing what sticks but it's more.important than that to me: It keeps me constantly creative AND I stick some of the writings in my back pocket for later or use it for other rps. One way to stave off burnout is to always have something ready to use. Oh and pat yourself on the damn back once in awhile too k?

 

[imawritergurll]

Definitelyyy, I feel like it’s a part of writers block

 

[Koalafied]

It’s what I’m going through right now

I have so many ideas and have been playing a lot of great games lately. It makes me so indecisive! It’s part of the reason I joined this website, though

 

[LunarLore]

In more traditional ttrpgs I’m a total altaholic. Always thinking up new characters and ideas to try. However, through some effort I can overcome it and focus on what I got going right now. When I was younger it was more of a problem, and I’d miss out on the beauty of the present by dreaming of tomorrow.

Just make a choice and try to stick with it. Not as easy as it sounds though, I know