Pathfinder 1E Should I kill off players who don't show?

[GSHamster]

In my opinion, you should just have the characters fade into the background. I.e. They're there, but they don't really do anything. Or maybe they go do something else while the people who are there adventure.

Then when they do come, just assume they were with the party all along. Don't write plot hooks for them.

It's not realistic, but it's the best compromise. Maybe try and recruit 1 or 2 additional players, so your group varies from 4-6.

 

[Bedrockgames]

No. Killing players is against the law and is completely immoral.

r.

Let's to be so hasty to dismiss this option. How many games have they missed?

 

[Umbran]

What, exactly, would be the purpose of killing off the PCs? What do you *create* from doing that?

If they're actively playing, and their characters die, you create drama, the sense that there's danger in the story, sure. But you don't get that when the player's not at the wheel. So, what do you gain?

Nothing, right? So don't kill them.

Let the characters live, but they fade off into the background. Maybe, if the players have some change in their personal commitments or desires, they can come back, and you can use that return as a hook into new story.

 

[Naoki00_]

Let's to be so hasty to dismiss this option. How many games have they missed?

XD I think this is what my players have on their minds, and they've missed at least 6 and going.

 

[Savage Wombat]

This kind of behavior is frequently a sign of unfaithfulness. I think they might be seeing another DM behind your back. Don't they make an underwear spray for that?

Seriously though, this clearly has become less of a "game" issue and more of a "friend" issue. Handle it the way you would if they were ruining movie night every week.

 

[the Jester]

I'm the DM of a game that's been running for a good while now (going on 2 years), but recently there has been a huge issue in trying to run it lately, 2 of the players aren't showing up like they should. Now this apparently happens for a number of reasons, and despite them both saying how much they enjoy the game and want to meet, they keep having 'things' to do that for some reason take all day long to do on the one day of the week we meet. Since we only meet once a week, this has gone on for a months time, with them finally coming...only to have something else to do the next week.

Seeing as we all set this day aside specifically for game day I feel like it's hard to really be lenient, as because of how the game is currently set up we CAN'T player if they don't come, all the encounters and plot hooks I have are assuming all the players show. I can retool these of course but doing that every time and having to plan for both them coming and them not is wearing thin on my time and enthusiasm of running the game, and it's severely annoying the other players, who have suggested that we just move the game on without them and that if they don't show up again to have their character summarily dumped down a ravine or dragons mouth.

Sounds simple: Retool stuff to take out their plot hooks. Only do it once, but in the future, don't design new ones for them.

Killing these guys won't help anything. Just play without them.

well yes and no, we have 4 players total, and part of the problem is that these are the player types that would get angry knowing we either left them behind a great deal, and they have their character sheets so we don't know their stats or such, so we can't really even 'fake' play them

If you can't play because they aren't showing, any anger they feel when you play without them is unwarranted. You've already skipped six games for them. If they want to play so bad, there's an easy solution: Show up.

 

[delericho]

Don't kill of the PCs. That's pretty final, and you may come to regret it.

IMC, if a player misses an occasional game, we just have the character fade into the background. They're assumed to be there, but they effectively take no action for the session. And, of course, we just play on.

If a player is repeatedly missing games, and especially if those no-shows come with no warning or last-minute warning, then after a while the player ceases to be invited to the game. He may be allowed back later, but only if he's willing to commit to (almost) every session, and if he falls back into his bad habits then he's gone - no third chances.

(At the very least, I would recommend rewriting your campaign's plot hooks, even if this requires a retcon. If you can't rely on those two players, don't build plot hooks that depend on their characters!)

 

[ExploderWizard]

No. Killing players is against the law and is completely immoral.

I do not recommend killing their characters either.

Let's to be so hasty to dismiss this option. How many games have they missed?

I would ask the players what they want for thier characters during no-show sessions. Some players prefer to have them remain out of the game and others don't mind them being run by another player. If they won't respond or decide then I would go with a default of leaving them out entirely. Meanwhile see if you can find another couple players who will attend regularly.

 

[N'raac]

While it's fine to say "just go on without them", that's not necessarily practical. We are talking 50% of the players, so that halves the team, and halves the player contributions. Having two sessions written, one in case we have two players show and one in case all four make it, isn't all that practical (and what if 3 show up?).

I think there needs to be a group discussion - if you're cancelling half or 3/4 of the sessions because these guys can't show up, that's a problem. If you're getting no advance warning so Game Night is two players and a GM left with no plans for the evening, that's just rude of the no-shows. Real life can get in the way. Can they commit to every two weeks? If they can't commit to anything but sporadic appearances, maybe they need to bow out until their schedule changes so the other players can game.

An option not mentioned above would be for you, or one of the other reliable players, to run a second campaign structured for the reliable players only. That way, Game Night is Game Night, and which game we lay depends on who can make it. In my group, that would likely mean that, if 3 of 4 players can make it, the "all player" game goes ahead, and the missing player's character is an NPC (and yes, that means all players are required to provide a copy of their character sheet so their character can be run by the GM or another player). The NPC participates in combat, uses his skills but fades into the background otherwise. If we're down 2 players, we run the other game, assuming those are the two players that can make it, or call off the game. An expectation of advance warning when someone can't make it is also not unreasonable.

Ultimately, it's too bad your schedule means you miss some of the fun, but insisting everyone else share your pain is beyond inconsiderate.

 

[Halivar]

It's not a crime miss game sessions for real life reasons. But cancelling 6 in a row is an indicator that maybe they should reconsider whether they can realistically make a commitment to the game. At some point, they need to accept that they don't have time for gaming, period.