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DM's: what do you do with players who miss time?
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<blockquote data-quote="Orlax" data-source="post: 6756842" data-attributes="member: 6801305"><p>My dungeons do have bathrooms, we don't go into great detail about them but yeah, there is generally somewhere for people to relieve themselves, though that can be anything from out buildings to flowing water ways, to a really gross room in the dungeon.</p><p></p><p>Why do I keep the player characters around? </p><p></p><p>1 I'm an adult and can very well understand that people have lives outside of my imagination game, and I'm not going to penalize them for having children and responsibilities that keep them from hanging out. This game is pretty much a stand-in for a weekly poker game for my friends and I. I'm not going to penalize anyone for not being able to make out because that's just an added middle finger to anyone that has a busy and stressful life, and the point of my game is to relieve stress not give people flak due not being able to make it every now and again.</p><p></p><p>2 my game started as a solo adventure, all of these people are essentially playing NPCs in that adventure, and they know this from the beginning. If the main guy can't make it we generally don't have game (we also use his house for hosting the game so that's also a factor there).</p><p></p><p>I'm not hand holding those characters, I'm keeping a consistent story together. The whole party just got back to the village where their caravan has stopped for the night, and everyone is missing... The ranger decides to leave too even though there is clearly a problem here that involves his boss (and future pay day) being gone. That character leaving wouldn't make sense in any way, at best after the initial investigation I may have him "scout ahead" and only be available for combat assistance. However it is quite likely that player will be around for the following game, so no harm no foul and the party isn't punished by having his skills removed from the groups capabilities.</p><p></p><p>I don't need to worry about exp because I have never used exp, I level the players based upon milestones. The character's level when a certain adventure is completed or certain objectives are completed. It wouldn't matter if their character was there or not.</p><p></p><p>Why am I playing at all, because my other two party members are here and I want to play D&D. They aren't doing anything to earn anything they are playing an imagination game with me that requires so little effort I can do it while entirely shatter faced. Let's not get all high and mighty about them accomplishing or earning anything here. We are quite literally wasting time together, that's all this is, it's burning time doing something nominally more fun than staring at a ceiling and contemplating the futility of life. There is nothing of real productive quality accomplished in any session ever outside of surrendering time with people were enjoy the company of. It's a game, it's fun, and we all work hard enough and have enough stressful crap in our lives that I'm not going to make my game another source of pressure for anyone. </p><p></p><p>Like I said if it makes sense, that character will disappear for a while if a player can't make it, and they may still be a recurring NPC in that time (one of my players who can rarely if ever make it is the source of potions in the game). However in that time they will have had off screen adventures that me and that player will discuss at some point when we are chilling out and relaxing either at the beginning of the next session they can make, or at some time between those sessions (for instance that character that is the source of potions in the game is who I often spend time kayaking with, and we will talk D&D while we are floating down the river on a rest).</p><p></p><p>Well you weren't here you miss out on any in hand progress of any kind and your story just stalls out entirely as you are held in the stasis of not being here... Sorry, but no I'm not going to punish people for not being able to make it to something they would most definitely want to be doing were they too not have children and responsibilities to attend to. My imagination game just isn't that important.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Orlax, post: 6756842, member: 6801305"] My dungeons do have bathrooms, we don't go into great detail about them but yeah, there is generally somewhere for people to relieve themselves, though that can be anything from out buildings to flowing water ways, to a really gross room in the dungeon. Why do I keep the player characters around? 1 I'm an adult and can very well understand that people have lives outside of my imagination game, and I'm not going to penalize them for having children and responsibilities that keep them from hanging out. This game is pretty much a stand-in for a weekly poker game for my friends and I. I'm not going to penalize anyone for not being able to make out because that's just an added middle finger to anyone that has a busy and stressful life, and the point of my game is to relieve stress not give people flak due not being able to make it every now and again. 2 my game started as a solo adventure, all of these people are essentially playing NPCs in that adventure, and they know this from the beginning. If the main guy can't make it we generally don't have game (we also use his house for hosting the game so that's also a factor there). I'm not hand holding those characters, I'm keeping a consistent story together. The whole party just got back to the village where their caravan has stopped for the night, and everyone is missing... The ranger decides to leave too even though there is clearly a problem here that involves his boss (and future pay day) being gone. That character leaving wouldn't make sense in any way, at best after the initial investigation I may have him "scout ahead" and only be available for combat assistance. However it is quite likely that player will be around for the following game, so no harm no foul and the party isn't punished by having his skills removed from the groups capabilities. I don't need to worry about exp because I have never used exp, I level the players based upon milestones. The character's level when a certain adventure is completed or certain objectives are completed. It wouldn't matter if their character was there or not. Why am I playing at all, because my other two party members are here and I want to play D&D. They aren't doing anything to earn anything they are playing an imagination game with me that requires so little effort I can do it while entirely shatter faced. Let's not get all high and mighty about them accomplishing or earning anything here. We are quite literally wasting time together, that's all this is, it's burning time doing something nominally more fun than staring at a ceiling and contemplating the futility of life. There is nothing of real productive quality accomplished in any session ever outside of surrendering time with people were enjoy the company of. It's a game, it's fun, and we all work hard enough and have enough stressful crap in our lives that I'm not going to make my game another source of pressure for anyone. Like I said if it makes sense, that character will disappear for a while if a player can't make it, and they may still be a recurring NPC in that time (one of my players who can rarely if ever make it is the source of potions in the game). However in that time they will have had off screen adventures that me and that player will discuss at some point when we are chilling out and relaxing either at the beginning of the next session they can make, or at some time between those sessions (for instance that character that is the source of potions in the game is who I often spend time kayaking with, and we will talk D&D while we are floating down the river on a rest). Well you weren't here you miss out on any in hand progress of any kind and your story just stalls out entirely as you are held in the stasis of not being here... Sorry, but no I'm not going to punish people for not being able to make it to something they would most definitely want to be doing were they too not have children and responsibilities to attend to. My imagination game just isn't that important. [/QUOTE]
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