One of the most awkward acts of being a Game Master is "calling the session," admitting that maybe it didn't go where he or she wanted it to go, that everyone was tired, or that so many things happened wrong, it must have been some nightmare of epic proportions and the characters will wake up next week.
Actually, instead of calling out, "Re-do," the Minions had been known to call out, "Save Game!" at various points of the plot.
Game time is so precious to some of us, that it is very hard to say that all of that work, all of that effort "didn't actually happen." At the same time, not everyone may be fully 'there' for each and every game session, or even have the same needs. GM "X" spent all night writing a story for publication and really needs about a three hour nap, Player "Y" got home late from work and is hungry, and Player "Z" is having a fight with his boyfriend and really needs a stress-buster. Players A, B, and C, are there to play, but it's hot outside, and the fan is making noise...whatever the case may be. Sometimes everyone's "off," making up for times when everyone's "on."
The dynamics of a gaming group can change that, at least for me. Sometimes I may be lethargic in the beginning, but I "warm up" for the game. Events pull me in to the "mood," to adapt to the gaming environment. Sometimes, as GM, I set myself personal (and group) challenges.
There's the style of group that likes being in "deep." Who want to crawl to the bottom of the Abyss in order to make their way up and appreciate the journey. "Bring it on," they challenge the GM. "If we mess up, we want to mess up big."
That's actually a new gaming rule of mine, specifically for convention and FtF gaming: if you're going to do anything, do it big! PBeM is good for subtle, but I'll keep it in mind.
This is the group with whom I'll someday run the Kult game I've had brewing in my head for years. [grinning]
The advantage, of course, of that kind of angst is the incredible feeling of the heroics of getting through all of it. Bleeding, bruised, battered, but ultimately alive, a special kind of "high" we can share through our characters. The aspect of the adventure that really DOES make gamers "different."
So it's a tough choice. Do we shout, "re-do" or do we go on, go through with it, and hope for the best?