Now that we've had a chance to count the dead and quote our quotes I wanted to initiate a discussion about a possible improvement that could be made for the upcoming Game Days:
It seems to me that we had a bit of a problem this time around (and it's come up in the past too) with folks not showing for some of the games. Let me be clear that I understand that "life happens" sometimes and Game Day must slip down the list of priorities. But this does mean that these GM's have some problems to contend with.
The first problem this generates is that the game might not be able to take place at all if enough folks don't show up. I know that BU's Pirates game was teetering on the edge of not happening for a while until they roped in a bystander.
The second problem that results is that these games are going to necessarily start late. Because they don't know if the missing folks are coming but are simply late or what. If the game is scheduled to take up most or all of the time slot then this means that it is either going to run late or have to be cut off before finishing, neither of which is ideal.
And finally it puts the GM in the position of not knowing whether to try and recruit somebody who is wandering around looking for a game. If he takes the person in and gives them a character to play, what happens if the original player shows up late? By the time the GM knows that they don't have enough players to make a game, most other games will have started and they might not get to play in a game at all for that session.
The bottom line is that somebody not showing up for Game Day or showing up significantly late has a cascading effect that can impact the fun of a lot of other people.
Once again, let me reiterate that I'm not pointing at any of the folks who didn't make it and saying "you're bad" because we've not really addressed this issue and put into place any sort of solution. But I think we probably should.
The only thing that I can think of off hand that will remedy this is to have some kind of contact network in place. And the only means of communication that is going to be speedy and reliable enough to serve is the telephone.
There are of course a few problems with this. I know that many folks (myself included) are loathe to give out their telephone number over the internet to people they have not necessarily met in person. But I think we can limit the exposure and potential for abuse of this if we are just a bit careful.
So here's what I'm proposing: This system will be entirely optional and at the discretion of the GM in question. There is an existing function available to the GMs on the Game Day website that sends an e-mail to all the players signed up for a given game. One week prior to Game Day the GM sends out an e-mail to their players giving them a mobile phone number that will reach the GM on Game Day. The players e-mail back to confirm that they got the number and will call if something comes up.
It seems to me that this minimizes the "security risk" of giving out that phone number. You'll hopefully know if somebody is running late or not coming at all and can plan accordingly to invite walk-in players, modify the adventure or cancel the game and seek other games with open slots.
Finally, I'd just like to say something about the nature of running and playing in RPG's at the Game Day: For the most part, I know the GM's for these games put in a considerable amount of time getting the adventure ready, making pre-gen characters and sometimes putting together special props or optional rules to make these games great. Both GM's and players secure the free time necessary to be there for these games, which can sometimes mean driving from another state, securing pet or child care and getting down on their knees to beg their spouse to let them come to the game. They might incur hotel, travel and meal expenses that they wouldn't have had to pay had they just stayed at home. All of this is done for no pay, no freebies, simply for the love of the game and the desire to share that with other folks.
If you sign up for one of these games, please give the GM and other players your utmost consideration and not blow it off lightly.
Thanks.
