Explaning Absence [Any Edition]

[Lappy9000]

How do you go about explaining when a player can't come to a game within context of the game world? I've tried serious answers ranging from leaving to visit family to personal quests. I've also tried ridiculous answers ranging from falling down an elevator shaft or being frozen in carbonite.

How do you tend to explain this? All responses from sense to absurdity welcome!

[jokey665]

Character had dysentery. Poopin' his guts out.

[Kallisti]

In my groups, either they get taken over by the DM/another player for the session or they just sort of...fail to be there. Nobody asks where they are, and they take no actions except to heal up the party after combat if they've got healing spells.

I've never been in any game where we've bothered to justify it in-character. If it's a roleplaying-heavy game, somebody else we can trust to RP the character takes over for the session. Making up reasons is a pain and really starts to stretch believability for players with poor attendance.

[Temotei]

They started on fire.

[Starscream]

If the player doesn't mind, I'll play him as an NPC. He doesn't get XP, but I'll try to arrange for him not to die in his player's absence.

Other options involve having the character captured and rescued by the others, affected by a poison or spell that renders him unconscious so the others have to transport and protect him while he recovers, mind controlled by the villain (same as the NPC option, but now temporarily working for the bad guys), a baleful polymorph, transport to another plane, etc.

If we are starting a new quest I'll just give him some plot reason for not being around, then let it be the plan all along that he swoops in and helps the party just when they need him.

[Lappy9000]

I've never been in any game where we've bothered to justify it in-character. If it's a roleplaying-heavy game, somebody else we can trust to RP the character takes over for the session. Making up reasons is a pain and really starts to stretch believability for players with poor attendance.

That's why we prefer the completely ridiculous justifications

[Haberdashery]

This.

http://www.onemanga.com/Seto_no_Hanayome/9/20/

[drengnikrafe]

In my groups, either they get taken over by the DM/another player for the session or they just sort of...fail to be there. Nobody asks where they are, and they take no actions except to heal up the party after combat if they've got healing spells.

I've never been in any game where we've bothered to justify it in-character. If it's a roleplaying-heavy game, somebody else we can trust to RP the character takes over for the session. Making up reasons is a pain and really starts to stretch believability for players with poor attendance.

+1 this.

Generally the DM takes over the character or (in emergency cases, like long-term absences) we let a newbie take the character as his own. Either way, the original intent and style of the character is primarily conserved, while most of the finer points go by the wayside.

EDIT: How could I have forgotten my Gamers reference?
Mark. We treat our character like Mark.

[Eldrys]

We duct-tape the absentee to a chair and shove them into an extra-dimensional portal, which then conveniently teleports them into the room or campsite we are at when we end the session.

If you can't tell, my group isn't too serious.

[Swordgleam]

I've never been in any game where we've bothered to justify it in-character. If it's a roleplaying-heavy game, somebody else we can trust to RP the character takes over for the session. Making up reasons is a pain and really starts to stretch believability for players with poor attendance.

That works in most games, but not in all. Mine, to be specific. The party cleric leaves for one session, and in his absence the party agrees to sacrifice someone to a evil god (for good reasons, but still). If he'd been gone the second session, they'd likely have gone through with it. And then how is his character supposed to justify having let that happen?

Most of the time, I'd go with the suggestions above: silly reasons, ignore it in-game, etc. But if your game is like mine and that won't work, you'll have to come up with an in-game reason.

If one player is missing a lot, try to figure out a good in-game reason for that character to be gone a lot. A personal storyline that involves a lot of sidequesting (service to a god, avenging a family member, investigating something personal, courting a lover, etc) is one good way, and spares you a lot of the "he was sick, then he was hungover, then he got lost on the way out of town, what is wrong with this guy?" suspension of disbelief issues.

For occasional absences, make up whatever works best with the situation. Was sick, was in town hunting for a particular item, found an NPC in the dungeon (pretend this happened just after the end of last session) that has to be shepherded back to town, etc.

[randomhero00]

They don't technically go anywhere, they just sort of float in the peripheral. It varies if they end up taking any action (played through the DM) if they do its very minimal and they can't die unless the entire party dies. After all, realistically, you wouldn't be a heroic adventurer every single day of your life. Sometimes you'd take it easy.

The other option in my other game is that they stay behind at the main camp, to recoup. Psychologically or whatever.

[Greenskin]

When my friend never showed up we just said his character was at the brothel, He was playin an elf sorccer..... so yeah enough said.

[Roland St. Jude]

If the player can't make it, his character dies.

[Temotei]

If the player can't make it, his character dies.

That's awesome.

DM: Jerik jumps off the cliff onto a bed of huge adamantine spikes which are also coated with poison and have contingency fireball, lightning bolt, disjunction, power word kill, symbol of pain, symbol of death, sunburst, harm, cloudkill, bane, blasphemy, blindness/deafness, unholy blight, unholy aura, undeath to death, and slay living spells.
Players: Why?
DM: The DM needs to justify their actions now?

[Lappy9000]

If the player can't make it, his character dies.

So much paperwork

[KillianHawkeye]

I have a DM in my group who always kidnaps the character when a player can't make it. We usually have to spend most of the next session trying to rescue them.

[storybookknight]

In our group, we play something else.

No, seriously. If one week, someone can't make it to game, lately we've been breaking out Munchkin or Settlers of Cataan.

Alternately, we play Feng Shui, or Savage Worlds, or something else that lends itself well to one-shots.

[SurlySeraph]

If the player can't make it, his character dies.

Good for Cthulu, great for Paranoia, questionable for most games.

[Demented]

Good for Cthulu, great for Paranoia, questionable for most games.

But very suitable for TV shows.

See: Tasha Yar.

[El Dorado]

Missing characters go into the Sleeping Bag. The character isn't present for the adventure and doesn't gain XP. We don't bother with a reason for the absence (unless it's for several sessions, in which case "she decided to leave for a time has now returned" is the best you'll get).

Clunky? Yes. Suspension of disbelief broken? Yes. But it saves on paperwork.

[Assassin89]

My group has the advantage of a main base/demiplane of operations. This means that an absent member is returned to base/gated back.

[shadow_archmagi]

I always give missing players XP.

They get punished enough by

1.
Josh: "HORSES!"
Adam: HOHOHHOHOHO
Zed: "What?"
Adam: NEIGH OF JUSTICE
Josh: Hohohhohoho
Zed: "What?"
Me: They went through some demonic stables. They weren't quite the same.

2.
DM: So you find a sack of gold
Adam: So that's half for me
Josh: and half for me
DM: Are you leaving any for Zed?
Adam: Let's vote on it
Josh: I vote no
Adam: I also vote no
Josh: It would appear unanimous.

[ZombieGenesis]

Take "The Gamers" approach.
X stands in background, has nothing of importance to say.

Until he berserks, oh yes~
Haha, though I suppose there are many other options. My favourite being in my first game one of my friends couldn't come for one of the sessions, and at the start of the next session it was his turn to speak with the NPC of the hour. When the round started he basically made up for his absence with.
"Oh, sorry, I was thinking about sex."

[Knaight]

Depends on group size. If it is you(GM) plus 3 players, you can run 4 games. One with all 3, and one for each possible combination of 2. If only one person shows up, run personal history games that predate the adventure.

[drengnikrafe]

Take "The Gamers" approach.
X stands in background, has nothing of importance to say.

Until he berserks, oh yes.

I have to do this, and you can't stop me.

BLOOD! DEATH! AND VENGENCE!

"Dude, don't forget his battle cry!"
"Oh. Right. [dull and lifeless]'blood, death, and vengence.'[/dull and lifeless]"

[Lappy9000]

My group has the advantage of a main base/demiplane of operations. This means that an absent member is returned to base/gated back.

I like this. It'll be something to keep in mind for higher levels. Thanks

[Reinboom]

If the player can't make it, his character dies.

Y'know, having played in games alongside you and given your attendance habits... you would be writing up a new character constantly with that statement.

[Roland St. Jude]

Y'know, having played in games alongside you and given your attendance habits... you would be writing up a new character constantly with that statement.

You must have me confused with someone else. I recall one OpenRPG game we were in together and I had near perfect attendance until I dropped out. Unless Fax was holding sessions without telling me, or maybe didn't tell you when I dropped.

EDIT: I'm not going to argue about this publicly though, especially not given that I'm joking, obviously.

So much paperwork

If a player can't make it, he dies?

[banthesun]

If the player can't make it, his character dies.

If you're playing paranoia, this sentiment can make an entire session worth of recurring gags (I wouldn't wamt them to die less than the other players now would I ).

[Lappy9000]

If a player can't make it, he dies?

For the bureaucracy of Spirit World, of course!