An important DM lesson

[SangoProduction]

Set as many variables in place as possible, and make sure to set expectations. Especially when it comes to potentially polarizing issues, such as combat content. The "optimization requirement" is also something that should probably be put quite prominently.

Don't try and be flexible, because, even if you are OK with flexing, the wide net you cast for players ultimately means you will end up dredging up incompatible players. Or at least, you run the risk of it, the more variables you leave open.

Just for the most easily demonstrated example: I once tried running a campaign during summer vacation, saying that the time was flexible... and got 40 applicants. Not a single 4-person group among them that had compatible time tables. And it was a hell of a lot of work to even sift through the ultimately failed attempt at getting compatible players.

Never again did I run a flexible time table, and though my application pool was much smaller, I actually could find a group for my future campaigns.

But it's easy to forget this principle with so many years of not having problems, and just get lazy.

[King of Nowhere]

how is it possible that among 40 people there aren't 4 with compatible timelines? assuming each one of them only is available for a single afternoon or a single evening, that would be 14 different times. and there's 40 people. it would require that exactly 3 people are available for each day, which is a stretch of statistics too big to be believable. or it means those guys set very unreasonable timelines, like "i am available only on friday from 18:15 to 22:25, provided that we take a break from 21:07 to 21:23"

[Zerryzerry]

Perhaps even while being flexible, he himself did not have every time frame free. Which means that perhaps he was not free on Sundays, while there were 15 players free only on Sundays.

[SangoProduction]

how is it possible that among 40 people there aren't 4 with compatible timelines? assuming each one of them only is available for a single afternoon or a single evening, that would be 14 different times. and there's 40 people. it would require that exactly 3 people are available for each day, which is a stretch of statistics too big to be believable. or it means those guys set very unreasonable timelines, like "i am available only on friday from 18:15 to 22:25, provided that we take a break from 21:07 to 21:23"

I know right? Also don't forget time zones, which meant that I had to convert them myself for each one to compare them. A serious pain in the ass.