Enjoying game and first session

What?

Neither of them, but as a GM, you can't expect everyone to make every session. If I suddenly had to bail or had internet problems I wouldn't expect my players to all ditch me and find new games

I was a DM for several years, I can understand the frustration that some might have when a player pivotal to the story doesn't show up but in that case you've got to either take control of them, find a way around it, or do something else for the session.

Penalising a player who can't show up for a legitimate reason is pretty shit. On the other hand if someone's not showing up to a properly scheduled session because he'd rather play Payday 2 for 12 hours then fuck them and their character.

>Penalising a player who can't show up for a legitimate reason is pretty shit.
If they've only been there one session you're losing next to nothing in investment and it may teach the piece of shit something.

Yeah! That'll teach that asshole to have shitty internet!

Was in a text based online game, sort of a play-by-post RP heavy, more improv writing than anything else but it was fun.
I had my computer go down for a week, got hit by a virus, and first thing i did was check in on what I missed.

They not only killed my character off, but what pissed me off was that my guy who was set up to be like ninja spiderman, hyper agile and fast... tripped on a carpet and fell out a window to snap his neck on the cobbles below.
i was rather annoyed

>losing a potential player isn't a loss
As someone who has struggled to get enough players since most of my old group moved away for various reasons, I say fuck off to you and your entitled disposition.
If it was an established record of unreliability, that would be one thing, but "one strike and you're out?" If you've got enough players to feasibly pull this off, you're blessed, and completely undeserving of your good fortune.

I wonder what it'll take to teach you that you're an asshole.

Say I am a GM and I am running an online game. I don't know you, I don't owe you.

Yes, sometimes things come up. But you have to understand: during online games, people ghost at the drop of a hat. If you can't even make the second session, well, shitsux but getting dropped is not an unreasonable response.

Two sessions in a row is not too much to ask, especially at the very start of the game where everything is really getting nailed down and set up.

Some of these negative responses are mystifying to me.

I almost exclusively DM, and I've got two players moving away for college with the promise that we'll continue the campaign over winter and summer breaks.
I ran a campaign on facebook chat where I had one player unfriend me because of drama and another player delete his account because he was an edgelord and I still waited for them to come back, and both of them did.
What exactly is your attitude towards these games? Are they just some improve throwaway? Killing off a character is like stabbing my story in the kidneys: it'll probably survive, but I really don't want to put it through the strain. Right now I'm lacking in players dedicated to a full campaign, so I'm just doing one-offs with more casual friends.

Are you guys like professional DMs getting a dozen offers a day or something?

if its on roll20 or something players are easily replaced and if the GM thinks your unreliable its easier to replace you earlier on.

Especially if its randoms you got off LFG its just not worth the time to give a player 2nd chance if they make a bad impression that early on.

Maybe if its an online game and players are essentially an endless resource depending on the game. But if your meeting in person it can be real bitch to get players

Now I get it. I was assuming this was a campaign were people at least somewhat knew each other, instead it's random LFG stuff. This is why I dislike that kind of stuff.

You also don't want be a doormat to players missing first few sessions is very rude and if that player cant make the commitment just cut them theirs online games that would suit them better.

>Are you guys like professional DMs getting a dozen offers a day or something?
I don't know, man. Most of the "players are disposable" responses I've seen seem to be from people who don't actually have friends who they DM for, and just put up roll20 postings to get players to play in the game they want to run. Who don't actually care if the players are having fun or not, and are just interested in their own little power trip.

Yeah if it's a bunch of randos coming together it makes a bit more sense why the GM would kick you.

But some of the GMs here who would actually kick a player they know more than through a passing acquaintance are total assholes. The only acceptable reason for doing so would be if the campaign was going to be 3-5 sessions long so obviously you can't delay your campaign for them. Otherwise, they deserve at least a second chance. 3 times may be too merciful but a second chance is perfectly fine.

If your boss fired you because of your first time missing work, and you had a good excuse to not make it, you'd call them a total asshole right? You'd at least expect a second chance unless it was an absolutely crucial crunch day where you were needed. The second session of the game isn't that crucial. You already established the characters and the direction of the campaign in the first session which is obviously important. Putting in a character that missed the first session is a bitch so getting put in the cuckshed or being kicked is acceptable then.

Usually, the second session is just the PCs doing their first adventure and getting acclimated to the world and their characters. Semi-important but not groundbreaking and that theme of getting your toes wet usually lasts until the 3rd or 4th session for longer and in-depth or beginner games.

I see no reason to kick a player that missed the second session if they seemed good in the first session. I want to assume that the real reason OP got kicked was because he secretly came off as a huge That Guy to the group, so they used him missing it as an excuse to kick him. Though, reading all this autistic shit from butt blasted entitled GMs makes me doubt that.

It's pretty clear that they, and indeed the GM in OP, are playing online with people they barely know, therefore players are essentially an infinite resource. Disposing of them literally the second they show any flags at such an early stage in the campaign is all but necessary.

You were warned at the beginning of of the game. I expect a high attendance rate. If you cannot give me prior warning before missing a game, you are kicked. No second chances, No exceptions.

Given the excuse was bad internet I can't see how it wasn't an online game.

Tell us more. Give us storytime.

Two sessions is not a sufficient sample size to determine attendance rate.

>You're better off getting kicked. You don't want to play with people that would ban you over one missed session.

Fucking this.

Don't worry about shitheads. They are shitheads.

Let me tell you a little story

>be running new Werewolf: The Apocalypse campaign
> have 3 players, 1 I've played with before and two new guys
>everyone makes the first session, it goes well
>one of the new guys doesn't make it to the next session

Now, what do you think I did? You might have done this.

>autstically rage and ban him from ever playing again
>smugly tell him to learn his place when he complains
>don't let him explain
>beafaggot.jpeg

but no, it went more like

>new guy shows up to 3rd session
>"Sorry I missed the last session guys, turns out I needed surgery, what I miss?
>continue with campaign over the course of the next year
>He's a fantastic player
>missed only one other session the whole time
>brought in a new player who was alright
>thisguy.jpeg

see what you miss out on when you're a raging cunt?

>be GM
>have a group of 6 players , of which no more than 4 guys at the same time attend the session
>have a bunch of side quests prepared, copypasting suggestions from tg onto my phone
>be flexible in the planning , let absent players tell me what their characters do in the meantime, even let them talk in-character with other players over whatsapp if absolutely necessary

well, it hinders certain kinds of campaigns , but it works just fine with my current one since it is pretty sandbox-y

>getting kicked because your Internet was out for a session

Fuck that guy. Especially if he's going to be a faggot and block you instead of hearing you out.

Sounds like a cunt, OP. Like a lot of anons have said you're better off not playing with someone like that. At best he's got issues because people keep dropping out on him or something. Some GMs also love to revel in the idea that they're the only one who isn't inherently expendable for the game, so maybe it's just a power trip or something.

I normally just get people that stop responding to me when I GM or try to join games. It's actually really fucking rude. I'd prefer if they have a problem with me or the game's setting or something to come out and say it instead of pussyfooting around and leaving me hanging, but what can you do? The hobby is full of non-committal non-confrontational people. I'm not saying I don't understand or anything, but goddamn would it kill you to at least attempt to talk things out?

To be fair "I had surgery" is a better excuse than "my Internet is bad", especially as the latter suggests it can be a recurring problem.

Not saying the GM responded rationally but I'd probably only give a player like that two strikes - if it happens again it's clearly not just a one-off thing.

This so much. How can any rational thinking person use two instances to make an assessment on someone's behavior? That's fucking absurd.

this 3 strike policy is the way I handle it unless the person is a huge cunt

You're a cunt.

I know all the people I run stuff with, but when someone misses a session they miss a session. It's no big deal, encounters get rescaled on the fly, players still do shit, no one decides that starting drama is the correct course of action.

Sometimes you can't understand how things work for anyone but yourself and you get angry when you don't know how to deal with things that you didn't plan. That's called autism. You may have an issue.

Beatings are not the optimal punishment to children who misbehave because they learn to fear the punishment itself as opposed to learning why what they did was wrong and seek ways to avoid it.

What kind of a third world shithole has internet troubles anymore?

How the fuck is someone supposed to give you a warning if the thing they give you warning with explodes? Fuck off retard.

Oh God forbid that Comcast be shit, or Time Warner suck dicks, right user?

Sometimes shit happens. If you're gonna be a dick, it's for the best the players not have to endure your games and crap attitude.

Not everyone lives in a city user. It wasn't too long ago that my town got fibre optics lines installed. Before then the Internet was shit because of shotty phone wiring. Wasn't uncommon for drunks to knock over telephone poles either. Must happen once a month at least.

>Some guy gets dared to run a game in /l5rg/ a few months back
>He does it, I get in with 4 other guys I've never met before
>They're all bros and we've had a dozen sessions of fun and the campaign's in full swing

This is my only experience playing online outside my regular group, I don't know if these threads are real or if you guys are just shitheads who look for trouble as much as you get dealt it.

Australia

Hell, I live IN a city and I still can't get a reliable connection. The fucking Amazon campus is 15 minutes away, even.

Same, lad. I've yet to experience a shit online game. They've all been either 'okay' or really good.

(And that's including the game Helpful_Comrade was involved in wherein I was unaware of just who he was at the time)

>joining the army because of a bet

By using the internet on your phone? Failing that, jogging to the nearest mcdonalds and using its wifi to tell them you cant make it? In this day and age where there are so many ways to at least give notice no matter how late it is that you cannot attend.
There is literally no excuse for your inexcusable behavior. Scumbags like you are the ones that give online players a bad name.

>go to local board game cafe
>someone from wizard comes in and runs 5e adventurers league
>played pathfinder mainly, figured fuck it why not give 5e a try
>liked it
>all had some beer
>chill people
>gets jerked around at work and now have to work the nights 5e is going

Wouldn't this be more akin to taking their Xbox away?

I live in a village with 2000 inhabitants, and we have 100/10 that hasn't had any interruptions since in the mid-2000s.

>be GM
>never give people a hard time about attendance
>only rule is that if you don't inform me beforehand, the session will happen without you

>mfw everyone in the group gets along and has a good time
>even the random new players
>everyone still keeps me informed and tries to attend
>one player even flew across the Atlantic so we could have a live session

I think that holding a player ransom for missing sessions is a sign of a weak GM. Just run a campaign people will /want/ to attend and everything will work itself out

Step up and demand the time off.

Not everyone has smart phones.

You're blessed user. For the longest time in my town the Internet could get choppy because it was too cold out, or too windy, or someone was mowing their lawn. Only had one Internet company too, so they didn't give a shit until competitors started moving in. Now their service is great, but it might not always be that way for everyone.

>How the fuck is someone supposed to give you a warning if the thing they give you warning with explodes?
How am I supposed to know he didn't just decide to get baked or play CoD instead of playing?

From the GM's perspective, this guy he doesn't even know just dropped off the face of the earth and stopped responding after session 1. If days pass and he doesn't respond to a standard "hey bro the session started without you, what's going on?", then it's pretty reasonable to assume he's just a flake and drop him.

>I want to give a warning but can't because computer
Then use smartphone internet or someone else's computer. It's basic problem-solving.

Sounds like a pretty hugely self absorbed GM.

People have lives, things happen. RP's aren't a big deal.

The GM probably kicked you out because you have shit taste in anime.

Which is fair, but by the OP the guy didn't seem to let him explain himself either, just kicked him then blocked all communications.

He's not trying to make an argument, dumbass.

>"Sorry user, my car broke down in the woods, and I left my phone at home.
>I got out to walk to the nearest house and ask if I could use their phone, when a bear lumbered out of the trees towards me.
>I damned-near pissed myself and ran off the road into the woods, and the bear gave chase.
>I finally lost the thing when it chased me to a cliff, and I jumped off into the river below.
>The water was fast and freezing, and I had to cling to a log floating in the current to stay above the surface.
>I hurtled down rapids, and got slammed against rocks, and slid under.
>I don't recall much next. Only a warm sensation, and an indescribable peace.
>I awoke on the river bank, soaked-through and freezing, but alive.
>I have no idea how long I was under - it was getting dark when I came to.
>I wandered down-river for a time, when I saw a fire burning in a little hollow under a boulder.
>As I came closer, I saw there was a man tending the fire.
>A man with the head of a goat.
>He beckoned me closer, and offered me towels and a place by his fire.
>I took both gratefully, and once I was seated, he also gave me half a tin of baked beans and a small bottle of some sweet, luminous green liquor.
>As midnight approached, I saw the bear from earlier approach the fire.
>Before my very eyes, the bear transformed into a massive bearded man, covered in muscles.
>He swore at me, saying I had cheated him out of his meal earlier.
>The goat-man told him that I was under his protection, and that if the bear-man wished to settle the score, he would have to play for it.
>The bear-man agreed, and the goat-man produced dice and cards.
>We played many games that night, none of which I can remember clearly.
>I won all of them, though. The bear-man was terrible at bluffing.
>Eventually it came down to a game of riddles.
>The bear-man's riddles were very simple, and I guessed them all easily.

>Then I stumped the bear-man with my third riddle, and the goat-man declared me the victor for the night.
>The bear-man whined at first, but the goat-man was adamant, so he just huffed and lumbered off into the darkness.
>I slept soundly by the fire.
>The next morning, I found the goat-man standing outside, waiting for me.
>He pointed off to the south, as a trail leading uphill into the trees.
>That way lead humanity, he said, and bid me good luck.
>I looked back to thank him, but he was already gone.
>I followed the trail for what felt like miles, before eventually stumbling onto a freeway.
>I followed it to the nearest gas-station, and asked the clerk there if I could use their phone to call a taxi.
>I only got home yesterday afternoon. I'm still waiting for the mechanics to haul my car back.
>And that's why I couldn't make it to our D&D night."

>"In this day and age where there are so many ways to at least give notice no matter how late it is that you cannot attend.
There is literally no excuse for your inexcusable behavior. Fuck off flaker, and don't come back!"

Some absence is understandable, but 50% absence is usually too much.

I'd give you a second chance. You look like a pretty fun rper

>Have decent group of 4 + 1 autist
>Autists turn to DM
>He announces a campaign run over 4 consecutive days
>Make the first session
>Get a call from work later telling me I have to cover nights for the next 2 weeks
>Send a message to the group explaining why I can't make it
>The DM sends me a message 2 days later
>"If you're not going to put in the effort to make it to my sessions, don't ever come back"
>Ask him what he thinks I could have done to make the sessions
>"You could have just called in sick for the week"

>Mfw

DMs are always in short supply compared to the amount of players, It's the same reasons lots of groups have "ForeverDMs."

Alright, I'll just crutch my broken ass 3-4 miles away to the closest free wifi spot, send a quick message on my laptop that can barely handle youtube, and proceed to crutch back to my house. Yep, you're right, theres absolutely no reason or excuse for missing a session without warning.

user, getting bombed out of your mind in the woods is not a valid excuse for missing the game.

Though if you gave me a story like that, I'd probably be cool just to see how this saga ends.

This. I brought 5 characters in becauseI wanted 4 and knew there would be people that missed.

Neither is getting bombed in general sense.
But you can take cover without penalty.

>That roll20 DM is always looking for new players.

Richmond golf club were heroes. What excuse can we have in the face of such devotion?

His brother bet him he couldn't do it.
So he joined the army to stick it to his brother.
Come to think of it, half the campaign was the two brothers trying to dick each other over.

Hey, I may have been wasted after the guy gave me the liquor, but I was stone cold sober before that. That guy had a fucking goat's head, I swear to God.

And I'm not lying about the bear, or the river! I can show you the cuts and bruises!

Literally just kicked a guy from my campaign last night. First session we had 7 players make characters, 4 showed up. One dropped mid-session. Another one said nothing the entire game and only participated in combat.

Second session, ten minutes after the game started, the mute player said he had to leave to get dinner. Kicked and muted then and there.

Online players are a dime a dozen, and most of them are garbage. If you got kicked second session, is because you're boring or you look flaky.

I'm stuck in the midwest of America. In my town most people get internet via satellite, meaning when a storm hits everything is down for a few hours.

>7players

yeah thats on the larger side for games. I can understand the gm cutting people down. I mean 4 is an ideal get most of the time. 3 is typically good enough.

>one stroke penalty for flinching under fire

exactly don't be buthurt you got kicked. for some its basically the only thing they got going on and they want everyone to take it seriously. so just leave if its clear its more important to them