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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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[–] underreacting@literature.cafe 1 points 1 day ago

I don't plan for every character to have their personal arc advance every short session. Sometimes it's only main story with perhaps a minor recall/reminder of an earlier point.

I draft the next few plot points for each character by: knowing the What; have a couple of ideas for How; maybe put in a loose relative chronology, but not deciding When.

So I can always throw in another characters What and semi-improvise with their most suitable How. The missed character plot point can happen next time.

Depending on the players and the story: The king wouldn't demand the Orb if the player was unavailable, or another player would magically have had the Orb the whole time, or the king would get upset and the adventures would now be wanted criminals at risk if beheading for refusing to give up the Orb, or the kingdom would fall and the Orb would implode and warp everyone to a separate dimension made of goo.

All my groups are very good at showing up. Sometimes they can only show up online for an irl-table, or half the session, but we make it work.

If I had one be a no-show a lot I would probably suggest they DM a mini-adventure. It might make them more engaged if they're the omniscient role and have to do the planning, or they'll quit, or they'll learn to appreciate the DMs time. Depending on their reason for being unreliable I would perhaps ask them to pause and return when they can prioritize the group more. And I would definitely make their arc detached from the main story and the other characters.

I've only invited people who have enthusiastically agreed to take the time for the campaign, and are proactive in creating their character ahead of time. The players who left so far told us several sessions in advance, so I could weave their personal finale into the story.

Not every group or player is able to do a set schedule, some tables can only book one session at a time. We make that work too.