Switching It Up: Trying Something New

Let me preface this article with an apology about last week. Between me traveling for work and Tim preparing for the 4-day Lumberton event (and then us attending the 4-day Lumberton event), we didn't post any articles. 30 Lashes. Also, Happy Birthday to Tim.

I've been playing NERO for about 12 years now, and in that time I've had a single main character. That character had grown from a starry-eyed adventurer throwing daggers at spiders to a military commander who leads armies into the depths of the unknown.

Yes, I toot my own horn occasionally.

In that time, I've also had a couple of secondary characters, but I was never able to get into them. Why? Because I would still think in the mindset of my primary character.

It's tough to tell your friends that you're going to play a different character than normal. There's probably some plotlines that need you. Maybe you're a keystone member of a group. Maybe your secondaries wouldn't be the types that would hang out with your normal group.

So for 12 years, the only times I played my secondaries was to chill. I would have some minor goals and such, but I never really wanted to start plot with them. I couldn't. I had too much to do with my main.

Anyways, a few weeks ago (at a party), I finally pulled the trigger. I retired my main character of 12 years so that I could focus and start something new. And you know what? For the first time when playing a character other than my main, I actually felt like I was making plans that I intended to keep.

What the hell is this sappy story all about?

The point is, I was growing tired of NERO. I didn't think anything would save it. I had played secondaries to try and get out of the funk, but it just didn't work.

Maybe others can keep focus on multiple characters at once. I know I couldn't. But I'm pretty sure that retiring my main was the only way for me to move forward with something else. Insert metaphor about diving boards or toilets. Had I instead kept my main, I may have ended up quitting or taking a sabbatical.

So if you're in a funk, and you're not sure what to do, try to force yourself into something new. For me, that meant character retirement, but it might mean something else for you.