Extended Absence

[Jdvn1]

I don't really have time for PbP games anymore.

At least, until mid-August, when school starts up again. At that point, I'm not sure if I'll have time for PbP games again, but my schedule will certainly change enough that I can't be sure one way or another. It's unlikely I'll have end up having time in August, though.

I originally started PbP games (... two and a half years ago?) to quench my D&D thirst (thank you, LEW!), but I now have a semi-regular weekly game to run. So, not only do I not have much time for PbP games, I don't need PbP games to quench my D&D thirst any longer.

Many of my previously PbP games have died off, as they tend to do, but a few still muster on at very slow paces. In one, my GM is a college buddy, and I have a secondary interest in staying in that game: to keep in regular contact with a good friend of mine. What I'm not sure what to do about is my LEW game.

I have three LEW characters. Two of them are currently inactive, and are happy to stay inactive until I have more time for LEW. The third (and the highest level of the three), Anton, is not only active in a game, but is, to my understanding, a major player in a different game's plot.

I really like Anton and would love to continue to play him in the future, but his fate is currently up in the air. It'd be easiest for me to just withdraw him from his current game and then continue to play him in the future, but I think that'd cause problems elsewhere. Then again, having him NPC'd would likely cause other problems because, since he has fewer friends than enemies and is in a rather delicate situation, I think he'd end up in a stickier situation than he otherwise would end up.

So, what to do?

 

[Bront]

Well, I'd love for you to continue on, apparently we're close to the end.

Honestly though, you're talking about the same game that I've been so frustrated with that the only reason I'm still in it as a player is because I couldn't come up with a good IC reason to leave, and it's only gotten worse. If it weren't potentialy pivitol to RA's megaplot, I'd ponder abandoning it in general. Of course, that would also leave me with a 4th or 5th level fighter with 1st level equipment.

 

[Jdvn1]

Well, I'd love for you to continue on, apparently we're close to the end.

Are we really? And, do you think the trip back is going to be uneventful? And, when we get back, do you think it'll just be, "We're back, end of game, guys!" Anton has some things to deal with, apparently.

When I joined LEW, I thought it'd be a good way to play through some adventures, just like a PbP game, but with persistent characters--a good way to not lose the stuff I had accumulated and not have to make a new character. Had I known Anton's current game would drag so long, I wouldn't have signed up for it in the first place. At the time, I wanted to just try out a few different GMs!

Honestly though, you're talking about the same game that I've been so frustrated with that the only reason I'm still in it as a player is because I couldn't come up with a good IC reason to leave, and it's only gotten worse. If it weren't potentialy pivitol to RA's megaplot, I'd ponder abandoning it in general. Of course, that would also leave me with a 4th or 5th level fighter with 1st level equipment.

That's another drawback, I suppose, but I just consider myself a lower ECL. I'd be happy with playing a 4th level character in a level 2 or 3 party; I'd probably fit right in.

With so many IC reasons to stay in, it's hard to just drop out. Anton's not that kind of guy (and, I'm sure, you have the same problem), though my current RL circumstances aren't conducive to staying in the game regardless.

No advice from anyone? Or, a recommendation from RA?

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Well, I hesitated to give any advice on the matter, since I don't know anything about the specific circumstances Anton is in right now. But since you asked...

PbP is supposed to be fun, something to do in your free time. If you don't have the free time, or it isn't fun anymore, don't burden yourself with it and ruin it for yourself in the future, you know? And don't fret about "ditching" the game. The problems arise when players disappear without warning. Then everybody ends up waiting because nobody wants to NPC the character for fear that the player will return. I'm sure somebody, probably the DM, or maybe even a player, will be happy to pick up your character. You won't get XP, and there's always that chance that Anton will die, but whatever.

I applaud you for being honest and upfront about your lack of interest, because usually people just kind of... fade away... As a player and a DM, I'm perfectly okay with people dropping out for any reason, it's really only annoying when people don't notify you.

 

[Bront]

We may be near the finish though too, so it might be worth while sticking out (at least that's my hope).

 

[SlagMortar]

You could ask RA to try to give you the opportunity to write an appropriate sign off for Anton. I'm imagine he could work something in that would make leaving a more palatable in-character option.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Bront is correct that the end is nigh (though with the slow speed of PbP battles, it may be less nigh than I would like).

I'm even willing to handwave the trip back for the most part to save time.

But Jdvn1 is correct that the murder of the messenger will probably have to be dealt with in some fashion, as well.

One way or the other, I'm going to need to leave Anton in the thick of things, so Rae's suggestion seems the most likely option if you can't keep going.

 

[Jdvn1]

You could ask RA to try to give you the opportunity to write an appropriate sign off for Anton. I'm imagine he could work something in that would make leaving a more palatable in-character option.

Apparently not. I think it'd be really tough to do so, anyway.

Bront is correct that the end is nigh (though with the slow speed of PbP battles, it may be less nigh than I would like).

I'm even willing to handwave the trip back for the most part to save time.

Handwaving the trip back wouldn't be beneficial to me--I don't have much time to spend on the game now, much less anything that will come afterwards, since something will come afterwards regardless.

Though, I'm not sure I'm happy with the idea that I have no way of influencing whether or not Anton might die. Working a character up to level 4 takes quite a while around here, and I'm not keen on losing that, though I'd end up with a level 2 character (right?).

Besides, no gained XP and the possibility of death seems harsh and counterintuitive regardless, but I don't care about the XP if I'm dead. I think I could avoid death if I were playing Anton, and I'm not sure anyone else could do him justice, since people had hard times understanding his motives in the first place. I'll take it if it's all I can get, since I don't have much option (and, I do appreciate the input).

 

[Rystil Arden]

Hmm...I always do earmark XP for the missing characters, even if I don't award it. Perhaps the Judges would see fit to allow Anton to keep a portion of that (though obviously no time XP) for the time served as an NPC?

I believe, also, that voluntary retirement results in a PC only 1 level lower than the retiree (I may misremember, but I think so). In that case, another idea, if you'd like, is to wait for Anton to level up (or just do this now if he's nowhere close to leveling, I can't remember, though if you stay to the end of this dungeon, he will level at least once regardless) and then immediately retire him to NPC status in exchange for a new character one level lower, so you wouldn't have to worry about him during your hiatus.

Hopefully we can figure something out that is still allowable within the LEW framework. However, with a hiatus as a given, NPCing seems the most likely good option (I know it can be tough with the powerlessness of having the character NPCed--while in Japan, I was at a hotel that was blocked from ENWorld for three days. During that time, my LEB Druid was NPCed by the GM into taking a dumb move and then subsequently the GM rolled a Natural 1 for her Will save against an enemy spell. When I got the connection back, she was already unconscious and out of the fight)

 

[Jdvn1]

Hmm...I always do earmark XP for the missing characters, even if I don't award it. Perhaps the Judges would see fit to allow Anton to keep a portion of that (though obviously no time XP) for the time served as an NPC?

I believe, also, that voluntary retirement results in a PC only 1 level lower than the retiree (I may misremember, but I think so). In that case, another idea, if you'd like, is to wait for Anton to level up (or just do this now if he's nowhere close to leveling, I can't remember, though if you stay to the end of this dungeon, he will level at least once regardless) and then immediately retire him to NPC status in exchange for a new character one level lower, so you wouldn't have to worry about him during your hiatus.

I assumed that I couldn't retire a character until he was out of a game. Which would probably mean after we worked everything out in your game, but I guess that's not stated anywhere. I much prefer this option, though I'm not close to leveling for the time being. Still, what happens to Anton after I retire him (whenever that occurs) is of some interest to me. Another drawback is that retiring a character means that I can't play him again in the future. I kind of wanted to keep my options open in this regard, but I'm not sure how likely that is.