How do you handle a missing player

[Whimsical]

I use the Schrödinger's cat method: the character is there and also not there.

The way I describe it is as thus: if you were watching a video of the events of your game, for some reason you never see the character of the missing player in the shots for the encounter. But there was no previous scene that showed the character separating from the party. He just happens to not be in any of the shots for this encounter. But no other character notes his lack of presence.

What this means in game terms is that the character is not played, but he still gets XP and treasure. Why? Because of how easy 4th edition has made adjusting an encounter. By finding the XP budget for five characters instead of six for that level of encounter and then redistributing the monsters for that encounter so that it meets the new XP budget. Much like Richard Simmon's Deal-a-Meal program.

This has worked out great. A player in the past has asked why the absent player gets XP and treasure when he's not there, and another pipes up "What? Didn't you see the wizard take out that soldier and three minions all by himself behind the camera guy?"

A few sessions later, another player comes up with the idea that the missing character is the one holding the camera.

So, this is my most elegant solution to a problem that defies elegant solutions.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

My preference, as DM and player, is for the PC of a no-show player to be written out for the session, but I'm not a fan of "Mark the Red" syndrome or of "poof, you're gone," so sometimes the PC ends up played by another player.

A PC gets no XP for the session if the player's not present, played or not.

If a player misses more than one session without a pretty good reason, I kick him or her out. If a player misses several sessions, even with pretty good reason, I kick him or her out. (But I put it like, "I'm going to take your PC out of the game for a while. If or when you feel more committed to the game, you're welcome to return.") Neither of these happens often ... in 25 years of gaming, maybe 10 times.

IME, again as DM and player, I've found that when people miss multiple sessions, even if they give notice and have excuses like, "I'm sick," it generally means they're just not into the game. I actually have one player like that now. Players into the game will do their best to schedule around a regular game, and will even show up mildly sick, infecting everyone in the spirit of gaming fellowship.

 

[delericho]

In previous editions:

I keep the character sheets between sessions (both so they don't get lost in the meantime, and because I keep electronic copies for easy updating). If a player can't make it, either I or another player will run the character for the duration, under the understanding that the character is mostly operating in the background (like Mark in "The Gamers"). The character continues to get a full share of treasure and XP, but if the character is injured, cursed or even killed, then those consequences also apply.

However, I wouldn't follow this same path in 4e. That game seems much less forgiving of poor tactical choices, and a PC being run by either the DM or another player is likely to serve mostly as a distraction. In this case, I think I would probably just temporarily retcon the character out of existence for a while (it's not a question of "where's Mark?" - Mark never existed in this parallel universe, and the PCs therefore have no memory of him). Unless the session starts in a 'home base' such that I can write the character out in a more sensible manner, of course.

 

[Roadkill101]

I have the other players handle running a missing player's character. I do this by random determination, all players present roll a d10, who ever has the highest result plays the character. If there's more than 1 player missing, who ever had the 2nd highest result also gets a character until there are no more character's who have a missing player. I hand out the character sheets at random for 2 or more missing players.

If more than half the group is missing, I run a one-off game for just the characters who have a player present. The one-off games don't have any official impact on the campaign, though I may allow a character to keep a minor treasure (potion of healing, scroll of magic-missile, etc.) from the one off game on occassion as reward for exceptional play.

I don't allow my players to use a missing players character as intentional guinea pig's, placing them into situations that are obviously harmful that will likely result in maiming or death.

 

[Gilladian]

I voted "other".

Generally, I don't play someone else's character unless they're just stepping out briefly. We will try to make up reasons for someone not to be there if it makes sense (ie a couple weeks ago the fighter's player missed the game - they started in town and were making a "simple" road trip. He "had the flu" and stayed behind. When he showed up the next week and the PCs weren't back in town yet, he rejoined the group after "getting a cure from the friendly cleric".)

Other times, when things are already in midstream, we let a missing player's PC tag along 'unplayed' until a convenient time to "leave them" for a while. Then the elaborate excuses come into play again.

I try not to punish people for failing to show up for a game. But I also make sure that those who do show up get something better out of it than those who don't bother. Repeated unexplained absences shift the PC to NPC after a while, and then fade him out of the group as the plot allows. And when the player comes back, they have to figure out what to do about the write-out.

 

[Frost]

The portal method... although not literally. The PC just isn't there. Having someone else run the PC is too much of a burden on the other player (or the DM) and it really stinks for all involved if the PC dies that session. Like the original poster, if that PC happens to have something vital, the other party members might be considered to have it (DM's discretion). If we're down too many players, we opt for another game (C&C is great for nights like that) or call off the session.

 

[Ktulu]

If we have ample time, we'll often reschedule for the missing player (since our available game days range from Wednesdays through Sundays). If it's an unexpected missing player, all character sheets are kept on the game-shelf, and every player has their "reserve player", whichever person runs his-or-her character in their absence.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I typically have come up with contrivances aplenty, splitting up the group for somewhat arbitrary side-quests and running side-sessions with various players to catch their character up.

Sadly, one PC completely missed the end of my last game and was explained away...

 

[Obryn]

I tend not to worry about it. I run a casual game, and if someone can't show up, it's no big deal.

If we have their character sheet, and the players present feel like using that character in the game, they do so. XP just gets split more ways.

If we don't have their sheet, or the players present don't feel like they need the other PC, we simply ignore them and pretend they're not there. They get half the XP everyone else does, so they don't fall too far behind.

If the character is not there, it's a handwave. They aren't there, and maybe they were never there. I do my best not to worry about any "what's-really-happening-in-game" rationales, since I want the player to be able to participate immediately next session without other credibility-straining reasons.

-O

 

[Crazy Jerome]

"Other" - I have worked a long time to structure our campaigns to minimize it even mattering when someone does not show, and used all of the other techniques listed in the poll to supplement. We've had 9-12 players on the roster, working on our 22nd year now (mostly the same 9-12 players, too). When you have that many, some of them several hours drive away, somone nearly always can't make it. I can remember maybe 3-4 times that we've had the full group. Heck, some people make 1/3 of the sessions.

I've run games set in cities. I've run games that had heaps of portal options, set around a certain home base. I've run world-spanning games where each player had multiple characters (so that it was very easy to come up with that plausible reason to include a character). We even did one game where the party had a "poof" device as part of the plot. But mostly, I give everyone the same experience, have large time gaps between adventures, and assume a lot happens off screen.