The problem with absentee players

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badges89
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The problem with absentee players

Unread post by badges89 »

So how do you guys solve the problem with absentee or late players, especially on the first night of a new campaign?
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cyberdon
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Re: The problem with absentee players

Unread post by cyberdon »

I'm trying this currently:

Players who are going to be absent from game must post this fact ahead of time -be it a few days or minutes before session.

Failure to do this 2 times, will result in the player being dropped.
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ZorValachan
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Re: The problem with absentee players

Unread post by ZorValachan »

If the first night, it is very easy. The PC shows up in the next session as having been delayed. If the group knew about him earlier (like pre-game they were friends), he got delayed and had to catch up to them. If hired to do a job, he sent that PC after the others as back up.

other choices. Before the game, you should decide this IMO.
1) Is another player allowed to play PC when he is not there?
2) Does the PC go to 'grey' and just doesn't do anything, but is considered 'there'. Give a few 'grey' NPCs that he fights and defeats and use that as an excuse why he didn't fight against the party's actual foes.
3) If he is going to miss a lot, and isn't a personal friend maybe he shouldn't be in the game.
4) If it is a friend I prefer 1 or 2
5) If it is one player and just misses a few times. give his character a bug that keeps him out of action. Sickness, diarrhea, a computer virus if a robot/cyborg. When the player returns, the Character has it out of his system.
6) If a two or more people have to miss the same session, I usually have a party split by an ambush or they need to do 2 things at the same time and send the absentees on one (and just plot what they did out) and the session of the night deals with the attendees. the next session they meet up and continue as a group.
7) If your adventure needs the whole group, have a back up session played for whenever needed. an abduction/ransom and the party has to save the absent player's characters.

I have used all the above with varying degrees of success. but all were success.
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drewkitty ~..~
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Re: The problem with absentee players

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

In recent games, the chars of players that are regularly absent are narcoleptics (people who have problems staying awake) and are off taking a nap somewhere. If there is a team vehicle...then they are sleeping there.
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The Beast
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Re: The problem with absentee players

Unread post by The Beast »

Last sit-down group I was with had a couple games going so we could play without someone being there and messing up the main game.
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flatline
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Re: The problem with absentee players

Unread post by flatline »

If the player's not there, we always decided that the character had severe food poisoning (or whatever is appropriate for the character...obviously robots don't get food poisoning...) and was holed up in a hotel or something for the duration. We never bothered to explain how the character found the party once they got better. Not worth the effort.

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Icefalcon
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Re: The problem with absentee players

Unread post by Icefalcon »

I usually make up some excuse as to why the character is not there if it is after the first game. For the first game, they just have not been introduced to the party yet. Other players are not allowed to control each others characters. If the player wants me, as the GM, to control their character I will do so, at least in the background.

If one of my players misses too many games, they are just out of that game.
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