What Inspires You?

Hello dear readers! I truly hope all is well with you, and if not, take a deep breath, center yourself, calm your brain and thoughts, and keep on keepin on the best way that you can. Let’s all try to have a fantastic 2026!

Today’s article is not a battle report, although I have tons of battle report notes to…well, report about. I switched my game/craft room to a bigger room in the house with more storage and that’s been keeping me busy, then took a two week trip to Germany, so I haven’t played a solo game in at least a month. I think that’s actually a good idea to take a bit of time away from solo play to catch up on reading, other crafty things, my family etc etc. It builds up excitement in me to get to play the next game! Keeps it fresh and interesting.

Let’s talk about inspiration. The dictionary defines inspiration in a few different ways but I’ll stick to the meaning that is applicable to this article. Definition: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions; the act of influencing or suggesting opinions. Some synonyms of inspiration: motivation, stimulation, spur, spark, creativity, inventiveness, brainstorming, ingenuity…you get it, the list can go on.

What’s been inspiring me lately? Let me start a list…

1. You all here on Substack! I can’t tell you how many times that you creative, inventive, smart gamers/artists/writers inspire me and motivate me. If I had a dollar for every time that happened, I’d be able to afford all of the games, paints, minis, terrain and brushes that I want. Haha. I’m so blown away with the quality of information, thoughts and ideas on the Stack. I deliberately keep away from politics and arguments on here. This space is for my favorite hobbies, not my news.

2. My own solo games. Why it took me so long to play by myself, I’ll never know. Just the act of setting up, prepping, taking notes, creating characters, rolling dice-it’s so satisfying to me, even when my party is dying. I think I crave the play and I’ve never outgrown that need to play when I was a child. It doesn’t feel uncomfortable to me, it never did, although I recognize how a lot of people do feel funny playing alone. Similar to eating out alone or going to a movie alone. My family tends to like to play puzzle type games, like Sequence or Dice Poker. I love those games too, but I need more of an outlet than puzzle games. I need twists, drama, roleplaying, battles etc. What can I say? I am a true Leo. (That’s probably why I like to DM too, having some control and some of the spotlight on me. I admit it! I spread the spotlight love around though in my games.)

3. YouTube playthroughs. I don’t go on there for drama and stupid videos. I watch other gamers play, listen to their thoughts, and take ideas freely given. I watch terrain and minis being built and painted so that I can be better at it. I watch board game videos, solo play videos as well as group play videos, especially if it is to research a game that I want to buy/play. I know how hard making a video can be, with editing, adding sound effects, titles and then try to shine among all of the content creators. I so respect the work and the process that goes into making a video.

4. Reading books. Seriously, I have been inspired by so many books that I read, I can’t count the ways.

5. Movies. Honestly, I get the same inspiration from movies that I get from books. Sometimes I have to put a quick note in my phone when I see something cool that would work in a game while watching a movie so I don’t forget the idea.

6. Travel. Travel inspires me in so many ways. Historical facts, architecture, the people, different customs, art, all of these can be used as spark ideas for gaming. Architecture, especially medieval and gothic, can influence your terrain especially if you are into the realism of terrain like I am. The colors can spur the colors that you use for terrain and minis. Visiting a castle? Can you see the possibilities?

This is a short list for sure. I’m curious, what inspires you? As always, thank you so much for reading my ramblings. I’m going to leave you with a few pictures to inspire you from my trip to Germany.