"Watch the Irishman Suffer" is practically it's own genre of Star Trek episode. Chief O'Brien needs a break, he's just a regular dude who has witnessed his own death too many times.
Thebazilly
I have also had this issue!
I'm a Pathfinder fan with vague disdain for 5e as a ruleset and active loathing for Forgotten Realms as a setting. I love this game.
My life has been replaced with Baldur's Gate 3. I'm partially into Act 2 but keep having to take breaks because the spooky atmosphere and crippling decision anxiety are stressing me out too much to continue playing long stretches.
Why is everyone acting like Dragon Age: Origins is the only fantasy RPG that ever existed? Baldur's Gate 3 is the next step in a long legacy of genre defining games.
Practice makes perfect!
I'd say the most important thing is knowing who your NPCs are and what they want. That's what you should prepare outside of sessions. Once you have that, it's a lot easier to deal with players throwing curveballs.
A constrained scope helps as well. Give the group a prompt like "make characters who want revenge on the Lich Queen" or "make characters who care about the city of Korvosa."
You can't actually get the true ending on your first playthrough. You have to do the neutral ending first.
It is a wonderful little game!
Don't tell my friends, but I actually like GMing more than playing now. It's fun to have the galaxy-brain "always on" feeling and multitask information. (And it's always your turn in combat!)
As a more serious suggestion, you could make sorbet if you have a food processor or blender! It's super simple and how I use up leftover fresh fruit after making freezer jam.
Puree fruit, add sugar as desired, freeze on a cookie sheet, re-puree, then freeze permanently.
- Gather raspberries.
- Put raspberries in mouth.
- Repeat.
I am putting my money on Mystra. Even though she only exists in Forgotten Realms, she has to die on every edition change, right?
Subnautica legitimately made me stop and stare at my screen with mouth agape at the wonder and terror of a glowing undersea behemoth. I've never had a game provoke pure awe like it does.