We have a house rule about this: The real world of course has priority, so if something happens that is out of your control, it is not the end of the world if a session gets cancelled… but if it happens regularily or without a good excuse, then the character gets temporarily removed from the party with a matching in-game excuse so that the people who DID show up can play in peace.
So the party just defeated a big enemy and the next session they wanted to plan their next steps, but the player of the warrior didn’t show up for the third time…? His character is unconscious now while the others talk. Hit to the head during the fight, 5 hours or so knocked out, and the player and character alike can catch up with the rest the next time the player is present. Or maybe the guy had to escort injured villagers to the next healer and heads back to the party a few days later after completing his own little mission “offscreen”. Or he ate something bad and spent a week locked up in the outhouse, whatever. There is always some way to send the missing guy’s character away for a while so the rest of the party doesn’t go empty-handed for the umptheenth time in a row.
…this why ending sessions on a cliffhanger tends to hamstring the narrative: end on narrative resolution, have the players determine their next course of action, then dive into a strong start with whoever shows up for the next session…
My last game got cancelled because 2 players couldn't manage to show up consistently and I am STILL upset about it. I showed up! I even brought snacks.
Now I think I'm going to have to either run one myself or go back to desperately searching for a decent group.
That’s our rule. We’re seven players and on the day before our regular date, we make a roll call. 3 or more players in means game day, otherwise it’s the next week. Works like a charm.
There have been hiccups, and we aren't always at 100% attendance, but I am really proud of my group for making the time to play (almost) every other sunday at a set time. On the weeks we miss, they are also good about adjusting their schedules so that we do a back-to-back weekend instead to make up for lost time.
In the latest patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 they added a “six months later” party reunion. One of the party members says “we should do this more often”, and you can respond “well, getting a group of friends to regularly agree to a time and place is notoriously difficult”
I hear you, dude. My players are great and want to keep going, but I just freak myself out sometimes and can’t handle running a session. Don’t be harder on yourself than you would be on a player with the same problem.
My group is great and understanding. A dedicated game night has survived having a child, covid, and all of us moving around the area. Backup games exist for a reason. (And we do love 5-6 player games of spirit Island)
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