Is there an effective way to stall a group?

[Armadillo]

Alternatively, why is this a problem?

Why can't the fourth player's PC also be on the ship? He can be one of the crew or a passenger, perhaps one who's been seasick up until the player shows.

 

[fba827]

* Stall the boat (bad weather, etc)

* Allow the new PC to show up somehow (he was on the same boat (or different boat), maybe drifted off in a life boat and eventually the current brings him to the same place?)

* run an alt plot as a one-shot with alt-characters (it doesn't have to be unrelated but think of it as a cut scene or action taking place elsewhere in the world or time with some small seed somewhat related to your main plot -- then let the players transfer whatever exp gained by the one-shot characters over to thier existing characters)

* have someone else run an alt-campaign for those times not everyone can get together

* simply call off the game this weekend (it's not last minute yet!) just say something won't be ready in time. Yes they will complain but they'll get over it (but if you wait until last minute to cancel the session, then it will be rude)

Since you don't know for _certain_ that the other player will join you may be stalling for nothing.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Inclement weather stands all vessels in the harbor for as long as you need. You'll need to come up with something to keep the party occupied so they don't ask you to just step on the fast forward button until it clears.

This. Sailing ships often had to hole up for weeks, or even months, while waiting for the weather to clear.

Or, as others have said, the new PC could be on the ship. Provided that the ship isn't basically a watery teleport device.

 

[pemerton]

My inclination would be not to stall, and to introduce the new character in a different way. As someone else said, the new PC could be a crewmember on the ship. S/he could float by on driftwood wreckage, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. I once introduced a new PC by having the other PCs find him trapped in Temporal Stasis in the bottom of the dungeon.

I think it's better to play with enthusiastic players and risk a bit of verisimilitude in introducing the new PC (they'll forgive you for that) then thwarting their desire to play, which seems pretty counterproductive to me.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Run a series of two or three adventures in the beginning with different characters that sets up the campaign. The group might follow up on a lead that unleashes the great evil, or they might find some vast treasure, but get killed in a crypt under the desert sands, etc. Just make it related to the larger plot, but don't give away anything really important. Tell the players the situation and to not get too attached to these characters before you get started.