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Author Topic: Commitment to a Gaming Session  (Read 3193 times)

Jacob Marley

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2014, 04:40:35 PM »
Quote from: languagegeek;749318
For us, it's been Monday night for the past 5 years. If you want to play in our group, you have to guarantee those Monday nights will be free. This is made clear from day one to someone wishing to join. If you can't set aside Mondays for gaming, no hard feelings... We do run one-shots occasionally and we invite those who can't make it regularly.


For us, it is every other Sunday night. It's been that way for ten years now. Of course, holidays and other events do arise from time-to-time so it is probably closer to 20-21 sessions a year as opposed to 26. Otherwise our attitude is similar to languagegeek's.

Gronan of Simmerya

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« Reply #16 on: May 14, 2014, 05:01:55 PM »
Adults have a lot going on in their lives.

Adults realize that things can happen quickly.

Adults also call to cancel social engagements when necessary.

Play with adults.
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Opaopajr

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« Reply #17 on: May 14, 2014, 05:02:33 PM »
It is hard.
Regular scheduled nights help; the consistency allows for life's exceptions without canceling the game.
Splitting the party for their own interests also is a way to deal with it, so you don't cancel just because a few can't show.
Stable of characters is another idea; positive reinforcement of those who show.

I'm tempted to use negative reinforcement, because my viking hat is itching to gore someone. I'm thinking about degrading XP. Don't show up enough and hear of how your character gets weaker staying at home, atrophying...
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cnath.rm

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« Reply #18 on: May 14, 2014, 05:06:46 PM »
The group I'm in games every other week.  There have been issues with people not passing the word that they won't be making it, or at least not till just before game.  As a couple of us have good long drives before or after the game (45-60 min in my case) this got old fast.

So we have two games going, our normal game (currently 3.5 Rise of the Runelords), and a second game where every one has a 3.5 gestalt char so we can run a game with only three chars as opposed to our normal four no matter who doesn't show up to the DM's house.
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3rik

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #19 on: May 14, 2014, 07:49:54 PM »
Quote from: Scott Anderson;749404
Amen brother. I have three gamers WHO LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE AS I DO and we can't get our collective shit together. We talk about it all the time but never seem to get to play.
You should prep something for the next time you talk about it and start playing instead. ;)
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Greentongue

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« Reply #20 on: May 14, 2014, 08:12:12 PM »
Quote from: Scott Anderson;749404
That is one of the allures of MtG. Twenty minutes, one stranger. Done.

I don't play that anymore because it's too expensive to keep up with play sets of all the new cards. But there's a definite allure.

For what it is worth, Elder Dragon Highlander or Commander as it is now called doesn't require keeping up with play sets. You can use just about every card ever printed, forever.

The problem I've found with the spontaneous PG games is matching expectations. The ones where you sell it ahead, you get the people that say they want to try it.
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Caesar Slaad

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #21 on: May 14, 2014, 09:41:18 PM »
Quote from: Greentongue;749466
For what it is worth, Elder Dragon Highlander or Commander as it is now called doesn't require keeping up with play sets. You can use just about every card ever printed, forever.


Yep, I play EDH these days, with a group of folks as fun to be around as my rpg groups. It's a little more schedule-accommodating than RPGs, but I tire of it quicker.
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Scott Anderson

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #22 on: May 14, 2014, 11:27:10 PM »
Quote from: 3rik;749458
You should prep something for the next time you talk about it and start playing instead. ;)


Just now switching from LL to my own B/X homage game...

I have a nice campaign arc that we are going to get into next time. We actually made a weekly date so we will play: Thursday, 4-6. I'll let you know tomorrow night how that worked.
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robiswrong

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« Reply #23 on: May 15, 2014, 12:14:05 AM »
This is one area where old-style open table campaigns really excel.  If you can handle 4-10 players, and you have 10-12, you can pretty much always assume that a game is on, regardless of who shows.

Ravenswing

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #24 on: May 15, 2014, 07:22:44 AM »
(shrugs)  I've been doing it the same way for several decades now.  

To wit -- for example -- I'm running on 2nd and 4th Saturdays, from 11:30 AM to 6 PM.  Those who make a regular commitment to make at least 3/4ths of the sessions (and that's a bare minimum) get to play.  Those who can't don't.  The end.

Some of the details are malleable ... for instance, end times for my main group for about seven years now have been based around getting players to the last train home, on time.  But once they're set, they change only for one-offs, and only by unanimous consent.  Everyone can make the 3rd Saturday this week, because Andrew's daughter's graduating on the 2nd, right?  No?  We'll be sorry to miss you, Andrew -- Amanda'll drop you a line telling you what you missed.

And that's the way it works.  It's not -- and never has been -- the case that People This Day And Age just can't be expected to commit to a game.  It's that a lot of gamers don't make gaming a priority, and a lot of us tolerate it.

Sorry, not me.  I've been involved in a couple too many startups where the GM had an over-large putative group, tried for weeks to get unanimous consent over a day and time, finally got a day and time agreed to, was badly disconcerted when over half the invitees didn't show, and there never was a second session.  Screw that.
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mcbobbo

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« Reply #25 on: May 15, 2014, 07:25:11 AM »
Quote from: robiswrong;749494
This is one area where old-style open table campaigns really excel.  If you can handle 4-10 players, and you have 10-12, you can pretty much always assume that a game is on, regardless of who shows.

In college where we often had double digit attendance, we had a backup GM and would split the party intentionally.  Though we did have the advantage of being able to play down in the commons where there was room enough for that sort of thing.  We once tried it with a New Years game in a large living room and it didn't work as well.
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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #26 on: May 17, 2014, 12:12:53 AM »
I make a point of selecting only players with a high level of commitment.  Its understood that if you are in one my games, you will be coming to it any time we play; excluding emergencies.  So when my players don't show, its for a good reason.

I don't think this has anything to do with 'adult behaviour'; or rather, I don't think its very adult behaviour to say you're going to commit to something and then fail to do it.  I think that if you are a very busy person, and can't say that you'll be somewhere once every two weeks (or whatever) then the "adult" thing to do would be not to attend such a group, and find another group that's far more relaxed about attendance.  There's nothing wrong with the latter kind of group either; only the former make for more stable groups that allow for more stable long-term RPG campaigns.
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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #27 on: May 17, 2014, 01:17:53 AM »
I generally have more players than is strictly ideal (at any given time around 6-7 total have active characters in the game), so when someone doesn't show for a given session it's usually a blessing in disguise - personally I think the ideal group size is 3-5 players plus a GM, so on nights where we're one or two players down we often actually get more done in-game.

I also have very thoughtful players who notify the group in advance if they can't make it.  If a person has to miss more than about 2 sessions in a row I usually concoct a credible reason for their character to go "on leave."

We essentially play once every two weeks, so when more than 2-3 people can't make a session, we just cancel the game and play the week after, and then sometimes play an extra session the week after that to keep the game's momentum going.

We also always cook a group dinner on gaming nights with a rotating schedule for food & drink responsibilities, which helps keep people accountable - not showing up for a game is one thing, not showing up for a game where you were scheduled to cook is another, since the group then has to order food and split the bill.  I think that the added bonus of a free meal, free beer, and gaming probably helps to incentivize people to come regularly, though, and non-attendance is never a serious problem.

Kyle Aaron

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #28 on: May 17, 2014, 02:02:43 AM »
Quote from: finarvyn;749321
he got a text message from one of the players who must have somehow suddenly realized he was too sick to attend. No "I may not be able to make it" warnings, just a single text less than a half hour before the game was supposed to begin.
As a personal trainer, people pay 35 bucks or so for half an hour. If they let me know the night before, we reschedule. Otherwise they just lose their money. Overall about 1/6 sessions never happens. You get some people who'll show up with a broken arm and fever, others miss about half, so the effective price for them is 70/session. Average miss rate is 1/6.

So, even when people are actually losing money by not showing up, they're stilly disorganised and flakey.

Some people just don't have their shit together. People go, "oh, it's the busy modern lifestyle," and all that, but it's bullshit. The people with a 40-60hr/week job, a spouse and kids show up to their PT or game session every time. The young single ones going to uni or with a part-time job are hopeless.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2014, 02:04:54 AM by Kyle Aaron »
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Omega

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Commitment to a Gaming Session
« Reply #29 on: May 17, 2014, 03:34:54 AM »
Had one member who was semi-bad at that. If I was DMing, hed show up pretty much without fail. But for most anyone else or himself. 50/50. Then nothing. Dead silence after a while. Far as we can figure the problem was his job combined with his SO. Pity as I really enjoyed DMing the sessions with him.

Conversely I had one guy go into screaming psychotic fits because Id forgotten to let him know I was not going to be able to show up for a planned session due to spending all day dealing with severe family problems that nearly resulted in two deaths. And then continued to try and guilt trip me the next day. That ended that RP - Permanently.