D&D 5E Poll: Is it rude for a sidelined player to leave the session?

[iserith]

I'm fine with the player leaving so long as they leave whatever booze they brought behind.

In fact, just dropping off the liquor and leaving is fine.

 

[Seramus]

I'm fine with the player leaving so long as they leave whatever booze they brought behind.
In fact, just dropping off the liquor and leaving is fine.

Now I'm imagining six players ghosting into your living room, leaving beer, whiskey, and rum... then all leaving. And there you are, all alone, with a pile of alcohol.

 

[schnee]

It's polls like these that prove way too many D&D players have no damn social skills.

Is it rude for _____ to leave a dinner party early?
Is it rude for _____ to leave a baby shower early?
Is it rude for _____ to leave a poker game early?

It's rude if you leave the party IN A RUDE WAY.
It's not if you BEHAVE LIKE AN ADULT.

It's not leaving that's the problem, it's how you do it.

Sheesh.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's polls like these that prove way too many D&D players have no damn social skills.

Is it rude for _____ to leave a dinner party early?
Is it rude for _____ to leave a baby shower early?
Is it rude for _____ to leave a poker game early?

It's rude if you leave the party IN A RUDE WAY.
It's not if you BEHAVE LIKE AN ADULT.

It's not leaving that's the problem, it's how you do it.

Sheesh.

Pretty much this. These sorts of things are so contextual, so there is absolutely no way you can have a blanket "yes" or "no" response. Basic social skills tells you what is appropriate or not, and you shouldn't need a poll.

 

[MechaPilot]

I voted "Depends."

If, as the DM, you aren't going to make an effort to engage the sidelined player, then leaving is not rude.

When I have a sidelined player, I let them run monsters the rest of the party faces.

 

[Caliban]

It's polls like these that prove way too many D&D players have no damn social skills.

It's not leaving that's the problem, it's how you do it.

Sheesh.

Absolutely.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Now I'm imagining six players ghosting into your living room, leaving beer, whiskey, and rum... then all leaving. And there you are, all alone, with a pile of alcohol.

This is clearly the ideal social activity.

 

[BookBarbarian]

If I were sidelined I would stay. I would still want to see how the story unfolds. I'd do it in a game of Dread. I'd do it in D&D too.

BUT, I don't expect people to think how I think or do what I do. If you're not having fun and want to leave, I don't think it would be rude to explain that and leave. I do think that I would have failed as a DM to help make a story compelling enough to keep you around.

 

[Caliban]

If I were sidelined I would stay. I would still want to see how the story unfolds. I'd do it in a game of Dread. I'd do it in D&D too.

BUT, I don't expect people to think how I think or do what I do. If you're not having fun and want to leave, I don't think it would be rude to explain that and leave. I do think that I would have failed as a DM to help make a story compelling enough to keep you around.

For me, it depends. I play a lot of Adventure League. If my character got killed in the first combat and the group didn't have a reasonable way to get them revived...there is very little incentive to stay. It's a module, not part of an ongoing story line that involves my character. Most of the people at the table are acquaintances, not close friends. And I probably already know how the module ends anyway, because you tend to replay a lot of the same modules with different characters.

If it was a home game with a group of friends, I'd be much more likely to stay. It's also much more likely that the DM would find a way for me to remain involved in the game on some level. But even then, it's possible that I would decide to head home or something if I felt that sitting around and kvetching would be more disruptive than helpful.