Last session, you entered Hell... Where's Bill?

[Xarlen]

When an adventure is underway, RL does get in the way of gaming. So, sometimes, players miss games.

Now, my question is, how do YOU handle situations where you're in the Middle of an adventure, and one of the players can't show up for game? Do you not play? Press on without them? Do their characters just float around, and not gain experience, but is 'there' for purposes? Do they just 'wander off' (Hard to explain in dangerous areas).

How do YOU handle it?

Usually, I don't play if not everyone's there (I only have 3 players). But, last session, one player was late. We reasoned that, while the others were headed to investigate the gang leader whom some thugs had said was their leader, after they were hired to kill the PCs, his cleric got a message from the church, which called him back. Sadly, I couldn't think of a good reason. He showed up not long after, but still.

 

[madriel]

My last group was 5-7 players. We had to be down 2 or more players before we'd cancel the session and play board games instead. If you didn't show, your character was run by someone else and got half xp.

A lot of absences can screw things up. I only missed half a session in over 2 years and ended up at 13th lvl. Some of the others were down at 11th. Made it harder for our DM to figure out appropriate CRs and xp shares.

 

[mirzabah]

Well, what I do when a player can't make it for a session is I have a concert grand piano fall on their character, killing them instantly. For some reason, this approach keeps absenteeism to a minimum

Seriously though, there isn't any hard and fast rule that can be applied in these situations. Generally my attitude is that if the player ain't there, neither is the character and I use whatever in-game justification seems necessary. If a player wishes it, he or she could hand their character over to one of the other players to run for the session, but the danger is that the character will die and if there's one thing that sucks mightily in gaming it's having your character die while you're not around - even if it's not anybody's fault.

PS: When I read the subject line, I thought the thread was going to be some kind of elaborate dig at Bill Gates - someone I'd certainly expect to find in Hell

 

[the Jester]

Generally my attitude is that if the player ain't there, neither is the character and I use whatever in-game justification seems necessary. If a player wishes it, he or she could hand their character over to one of the other players to run for the session, but the danger is that the character will die and if there's one thing that sucks mightily in gaming it's having your character die while you're not around - even if it's not anybody's fault.

I handle it pretty much the same way. I have a group that has varied in size up to about 12-13 regular players (currently down to about six, four to five per session); I try to just phase people in and out unless they've missed several sessions or else the situation is very dangerous. As long as the party is "travelling together" a given character can always be behind taking a dump or something, and conveniently catches up as the player arrives.

In fact, odds are that there are more documented instances of pcs taking a crap in my game than in any other without a magic item like the Ring of Incontinence in Piratecat's game!

 

[Zappo]

Yeah, I use the same method. No player, no character. If I can find an in-game justification, good, otherwise I'll make one up.

I've tried once to handle the character to another player (who instead missed the previous session and whose character had thus no reason for being in the dungeon), but it didn't work.

 

[Frosty]

I do whatever it takes. Somehow I always come up with some semi-plausible reason for the character being absent for the moment. Luckily it's D&D so I have many alternatives.

The character is:

* Nursing an important NPC
* Ill
* Summoned by extra-planar being to fight in his battles.
* Transformed into a ghost
* In a coma
* Taken prisoner by the villain
* Somewhere else if the player has a good idea

 

[Moe Ronalds]

Three members of my 7-person group can never make it. One is always on vacation, one can never get a ride, and one is always making up excuses, some that warrant her character's survival (flute lessons) and some that don't (playing Zelda). Currently, onle the three regulars and the semi-regular are in the sunless citadel. If the semi-regular shows up, we just don't play because a two person party sucks. I'm probably going to stop reminding people of games just like I did with our problem player (you'd think they'd notice. The games are always at the same place and the same time, but they never do.) and stick with the three people that want to play. (Well, two people who want to play and one person who sorta wants to play)

 

[Dingleberry]

In our current campaigns (only three players in each), we tend to simply not play unless everyone can be there - unless it's an extended absence we know about ahead of time, in which case we try to have an in-game reason for the character's absence.

In past campaigns, we've often said the characters of absent players go "black and white" (like in the A-Ha "Take on Me" video). The characters still follow along, controlled by the DM, but become passive, quiet and compliant, taking no action unless specifically asked to by other "active" party members. They tend to stay in the back when combat ensues, and tend to be ignored by the baddies. They also usually don't get xp for the session unless they used up resources that would affect the players upon their return.

 

[jasper]

no player no character no experience
No need for a reason for him not being there.
after all this is a game not a bad t.v. show

 

[Henry]

This is why I try to end all my games at or near civilized territory, and try to keep the two-parters to a minimum. It's always an extra burden to either rationalize their absence, or to have another player run two characters, one of whom he is totally unfamiliar with. We have one player whose character is a straight half-orc barbarian, and if he ever misses it's not too hard to hand this tank over to another player. However, anyone trying to run a mage or priest PC in someone's absence can make drastic mistakes with those characters, and this can be very harmful to both the party and to the player's character.