September 23, 2023: Leave Yourself Notes

Let's say you have a game that you figured out a house rule or solution for something to make the game more fun for your group. As a pro-tip: Write it down. Leave yourself future notes. Even if it's jotted on the back of a fast-food napkin with a ballpoint pen, write it down. You can even do it during the game, while you're waiting for the other players to finish their turns.

"But, Steven," you say, "I had the perfect solution! I will surely remember it." Maybe you will. Speaking for myself, for years I had such conviction in my own memory. The hubris of my past self has come back to haunt me on more than one game night, as we've cobbled together new (seemingly less-effective) solutions that Past Us had definitively solved ages ago but failed to document..

Write it down. Tuck it in the box. Your future self will either ignore your efforts (because they did, in fact, remember), or they will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Be the time traveler you desperately need tomorrow. Write it down today.

-- Steven Marsh