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?
Respectfully, the “just schedule it when people are good” is the quickest way to a game dissolving because no one’s times work for anyone else. If it’s managed to work for you, incredible, you are very lucky, but that’s such bad general group advice. The key to groups staying together long term is picking a day and being consistent with it.
I think that specific piece is going to vary from group to group for sure. My group is all pretty inexperienced with rpgs and not taking it very seriously, so that might be part of why we can go on a looser schedule. We don’t have tons of details to hold together, at least not yet.