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GMs - What are your methods to mitigate no-shows? (lemmy.today)

submitted 1 day ago by Fletcher@lemmy.today to c/rpg@ttrpg.network

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When I write as a GM, I incorporate all of my players into the story and evolve the narrative around their characters' backgrounds, actions, etc. So, when a player doesn't show up regularly, it has a tendency to disrupt or even halt the game's progress. The smaller the group, the more serious this issue becomes. I've had gaming groups implode over this.

So what sorts of rules or understandings does your group have in place to offset the void left when a player doesn't show up to the game? Does the absent player become an NPC under the GM's control? Do you just ignore the fact that the PC carrying the magical Orb of Whatsit is off on holiday when the king demands the Orb to save the kingdom?

Obviously, we all have real-life stuff that crops up from time to time that can prevent us from playing, but if I can commit to writing and running the game each week (barring life's little emergencies), I don't feel I'm being unfair to expect the same from my players.

So, GMs...what are your thoughts?

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[–] Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In my most recent game, we started joking about all of the players inadvertently having come under a curse where they randomly become cardboard cutouts of themselves. It's created some really funny moments -- "Oh! It's raining! Kolton is going to get wet!" Or opens the trunk "holy hells! I forgot Laios was folded up back here. Hey buddy, don't mind these potions." Closes the trunk

But in other games, yeah, we don't usually name where the player has gone. It's just a moment of them being sorta there but quiet.

[–] Fletcher@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

This reminds me of the extremely-low-budget-and-really-dated-but-still-hilarious film, 'The Gamers'. One of the players can't make it to the session, and so in all of the live-action scenes, you see this character just standing still and staring off into space while the rest of the group is fighting, etc. =)