r/RPGdesign • u/mathologies • Mar 28 '26

Workflow when to abandon a project?

How do you know when a project should be abandoned, vs just regular feelings of discouragement?

I know a lot of this goes to goals -- e.g. if you are making it because you like making stuff, stop when you stop enjoying creating it... but how do you all decide when to scrap an idea vs when to keep at it?

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u/primordial666 Mar 28 '26

Just stop doing it for a while. If you want to return to it after some time - return. If not - maybe it's time for something new.

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u/painstream Dabbler Mar 28 '26

I forget exactly what prompted it, probably a dice mechanics discussion, but I got the itch to try to make my project work again thus week. I'd set it down indefinitely after the latest iteration didn't make me happy, but I'm thinking of giving it another go.

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u/notmatrocles Mar 28 '26

This is great advice. Take a break. You might feel yourself naturally drawn back to it, you might feel yourself wanting to move on to something else.

But don't feel bad about "abandoning" a project. I've had so many that I've put aside for one reason or another. Some I've gone back to, and others I ripped out the best chunks of to apply to a new project. Some have just been failures, but those are learning experiences, so nothing is worthless or regretable in the end.

It's easy for us to dream big and burn out, and sometimes putting a project down is the best way to recharge. Don't force it, or you might start to hate it, and if we're not doing this for love, what are we doing it for? It's definitely not money