"Okay guys, we're gonna play D&D Saturday so make sure your schedule is open"

>"Okay guys, we're gonna play D&D Saturday so make sure your schedule is open"
>"Sure, user, we'll be there :^)"
>Saturday finally comes around
>Half the group can't come and the other half will be late, so have to cancel the session
>mfw

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do it anyways. Or start a new campaign. If people can't continually come, why invite them at all?

Never cancel. Ruthlessly enforce attendance till you have a group that actually wants to play!

I'm 37 have 2 kids and a wife. I cherish game night. Never miss. Often early.

Interestingly our youngest members , a 22 year old guy and his GF that play with us are often late as much as an hour.

People in their early twenties are garbage at attending game night. They will always be late or miss the session, no matter how few resonsabilities they have.

I must be the exception that confirms it. I never played RPGs with people my age thought.

You don't understand. Our Delta Green group only consists of the ForeverGM (me) and four other guys. If 2 people can't make it, you're not gonna be able to play.

>"OK guys, I finally have Thursday off, let's get on skype by 6 and get back into it!"
>"Sorry, my manager put a whole-day shift on me because I'm "the most reliable option they have", maybe next thursday, ya?"

I haven't played in 3-5 months. Not one of 3 different campaigns. I haven't even meet my DMs manager, but I already hate their very existence.

I don't know about your half that can't make it, but the late half is inexcusable honestly. If you aren't busy, then learn to manage your time.

I don't know how it works in Delta Green, but in Only War we had a flaky 3rd who didn't show often, so the DM provided us with 1-2 stronger squaddy NPCs to help us on our missions and stuff. More work for the DM, but if they're up for it, it can work.

Being a gm is like herding retarded cats user, all you can do is hope they don't spot anything shiny on the way and that they even remember they said they'd be there at all

youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8

Ok, now I need to play a cat herder.

A sabertooth cat herder.

>tfw game night
>tfw my group is virtually always ready to go, and if not notice is given if we should cancel
>tfw literally NEVER start on time and just have a comfy chat for like 30 minutes
feels good

Players are scum. It's good you're learning this now.

In an ideal world, we wouldn't need players.

Why not just write a novel? I'm asking an honest question.

Because a novel is not a game.

Can confirm. Every time.

Tim?

We don't have a Tim in our group, sorry.

This is pretty much me and it sucks. It sucks being ForeverGM to players that almost never turn up.

Don't worry user, another ForverGM in here and in one of my campaigns I'm in the exact same situation as you. Started with 5 players, until one of the players started to miss sessions as if it was his job, even if he said he would go and going as far as cancelling 5 minutes before the session.

Then its always a drag to agree on a day to make the session, and even when we all agree, 2 guys tend to cancel at the last hour.

I stopped caring and made it a stipulation that the session will start with 2 players, and penalizing missing players that agreed beforehand to go by not giving their characters exp. They are not children, and I won't be begging for them to come, so screw them if they don't want to play.

>that one person no one else will show up to game without can't come

>they say so before game
>if the other players haven't responded yet, everyone turns out to have new plans, the flu, a new job, etc
>if the other players HAVE said they could definitely make it, they just stand you up without notice, not knowing how to bail politely

Yeah it fucking sucks. There's like a 60% attrition rate and you can either deal with constantly having to shunt in newcomers to the group through increasingly unrealistic story twists and everyone having to get up to speed all over again or you can throw away all the plans you ahead and all the encounters you've balanced because your group is now completely fucked up and missing integral parts and numbers.

And players just don't give a fuck, even though you're investing huge amounts of time and creativity just literally making shit for them to play and asking nothing more than that they ACTUALLY SHOW UP.

Set your expectations low. You'll seldom be disappointed.

SO RUN SIDE SESSIONS
OR HAVE A GOOD REASON WHY YOU CAN RUN WITH 2 PEOPLE MISSING

I RAN A GAME WITH 5 BUSY PEOPLE FOR 3 YEARS

IT WAS A SKY KNIGHTS/PIRATES GAME

EVERYONE COULD FLY OR HAVE SLOW FALL

IF THE PLAYERS EVER DIDN'T TURN UP, THEY HAD FALLEN OFF THE AIRSHIP AND WOULD TAKE A SESSION TO GET BACK

IF MORE THAN HALF THE PLAYERS WERE MISSING I RAN SOMETHING SIMPLE IN SIMPLED6 RPG

JUST DON'T STOP OR OTHERS WILL STOP AS WELL

JUST

KEEP

RUNNING

yes this does annoy me when I DM

This is why I'm heavily considering switching to play by post.

On +a side note, I am a first time DM and so I am new to handling these sorts of things. I have a system to reward 1-2 exp by achieving certain milestones in game, acting on their character's interest in an interesting way, memorable scene/mvp of the night (the players choose and vote on it), defeating certain enemies and lastly... attendance.

And so far the system has worked out great except.. This one player. We have the game at her place (her insistence) because its the only place large enough to host all of us.) and everyone (unless there is some emergency) manages to make it on time and meet up consistently, even this particular player. However.. She.. Consistantly drinks or takes medication to fall asleep. But only during my game. (we take turns between two different games) I've tried time and time again to engage her, talk to her, and so on. But she still just snoozes away through my game. I asked the other players to lay it on me and how to improve my game or what can I do better, and they insist that I am doing a very good job.

I'm thinking of docking her exp until she actually participates in game but I feel bad since she says that she takes this medicine that makes her sleepy because of some back problem or something.

Is it a problem for her? Is it a problem for other players? If not, it's fine. She'll just miss out on stuff but if she doesn't complain about not being able to catch up it's perfectly okay.

Of course it's a girl