So Many Ideas, So Little Time!

[So-Keher]

Many times in the past (and present) I have found myself conflicted with way too many rpg-related ideas at one time. Then, I end up swapping back and forth between them and get almost nothing solidified until I eventually abandon all the current projects and start fresh. I am positive this is a frustration to players, reviewers etc.

Has anyone else ever encountered this and how did you get yourself to focus/settle down on one idea?

[Elven Doritos]

A dart board.

No, seriously, my best suggestion would be to at least write basic sketches of all your ideas and keep them in one place- be it a notebook, a folder on your hard drive, whatever. From time to time, you may get bored with whatever you're working on-- the boards are littered with the carcasses of my previous projects-- and decide that you want to work on something else. There's nothing wrong with working on multiple projects, and even going back and forth between them, as the whole point of this all is for fun.

Just my five cents (two cents, adjusted for inflation).

[So-Keher]

That's certainly worth a try, I just feel bad putting a lot of time int oa project only to dump it for another. But, using your logic, I guess dumping is more like...storing. Like putting a piece of art away for a while before looking at it again for revisions.

[Elven Doritos]

That's certainly worth a try, I just feel bad putting a lot of time int oa project only to dump it for another. But, using your logic, I guess dumping is more like...storing. Like putting a piece of art away for a while before looking at it again for revisions.

Indeed. It's always hard to give some projects priorities over others, but if your goal is to complete, or at least get substantial work, on some, then the best method might be to keep a running log of your other ideas, while focusing your main  attention on the current project.

[SA]

My solution has been to assimilate.  All of my "abandoned" settings have resurfaced in Dystopia in some way or another, so I don't have to feel the pain of abandonment.

[sparkletwist]

I'm not sure if this is the same as assimiliation, but merging them together can give you structure and a sense of relationship between two projects that would otherwise not have any-- Perhaps one setting is another setting's ancient history, or some parallel reality, or both planets in the same star system, or... well, however you want to link them!

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Has anyone else ever encountered this and how did you get yourself to focus/settle down on one idea?

All the time.  All the time.  I make notes on each (like ElDo says), and see which catches my interest the most.

[LordVreeg]

My solution has been to assimilate.  All of my "abandoned" settings have resurfaced in Dystopia in some way or another, so I don't have to feel the pain of abandonment.

Hah.  I'm not alone, then.  Almost all my older campaings were transmogrified (*Boink*) and ended up somewhere in the Celtrician world or mythos.
You can do this with settings but not mechanics as much.
I have a continent that is now only populated by Undead, since the players actually lost.