I'm looking for some guidance for a problem that has cropped up. I run the Myth Weavers PbP chapter of PFS, and like most PbP games, there is a high attrition rate. How should I tell my GMs to rule when they start out with a group of 6 players, but over the course of a couple months, this drops down to below the minimum (4, or 3 + GMPC)? I have one GM who finished running his scenario with just 2 players! There was a great deal of time and effort put into it, and it would be a shame not to award those two players with chronicle sheets just because others dropped out.
Thoughts and/or official rulings?
Ok, thanks Mike. Unfortunately, it's not as rare as I wish it would be. Just the nature of PbP, I'm afraid. We're making a go at it over on the Weave, though. Active since August!
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Mike can say if this is wrong or not, but I would almost argue you could "recruit" more players knowing the nature of PbP players, and as long as they finish (70%+) of the scenario then they could get credit.
In my experience with regular non-organized sessions is that you'll lose a player every couple weeks, and gain a player every couple weeks. You'll manage to keep some the whole way through, but on avg. that seems to be the case.
In an organized setting we managed to keep half the players (3 of 6) of two tables, and merged the group together since they were running the same scenario. Not a perfect situation but that seemed to get the job done. I handed of GM duties for the next scenario. Decided that PbP wasn't for me when it takes 4-6 months to run 4 hours worth of material.
By the way, this happens in face to face games as well. I've been in a group of 4 players when one person got called away due to an emergency.
Good advice, Dan. I figure "Play play play" rules the day in most situations, so unless I hear otherwise, I'm going to do whatever I can to get my GMs to push through scenarios.
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Hogarth, in that case I'd add a GM pregen to keep the table at 4 characters.
Past that as a piece of advice to Chemalle, I'd also make sure report the people who drop out and give them chronicles as well. If they completed acts and faction missions, give them the GP for those acts and PA for the faction missions. If they completed at more than half of the scenario (~60% completion I believe is the point that you should do this), you can also give them the XP for playing.
P.S. I noticed that my wording of "report the people who drop" might be misinterpreted. I simply mean to keep their PFS numbers and characters on the reporting sheet done online.
Understood, Kyle, and will do.
Good advice, Dan. I figure "Play play play" rules the day in most situationsWhat is Play, Play, Play!?
I guess it disappeared from the current PFS Guide. It used to be the "Rule Zero" of PFS: when in doubt about whether or not to play, err on the side of playing. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
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I guess it disappeared from the current PFS Guide. It used to be the "Rule Zero" of PFS: when in doubt about whether or not to play, err on the side of playing. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
That was taking out for that reason, GMs where using it to break PFS rules but is was never meant to be read that way.
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I guess it disappeared from the current PFS Guide. It used to be the "Rule Zero" of PFS: when in doubt about whether or not to play, err on the side of playing. I'm paraphrasing, of course.That was taking out for that reason, GMs where using it to break PFS rules but is was never meant to be read that way.
This may be true, but PbP is a difficult medium to play through, and I would argue that some rule bending is in order to make it viable.
I would argue that if you're in doubt, contact Mike, and all will become clear afterwards.
Well, I understand the spirit of what "Play play play" is. I don't use it to willfully break the rules. But Dan is right: with PbP, you have to stretch things every once in a while to keep the gears greased.
Hogarth, in that case I'd add a GM pregen to keep the table at 4 characters.
That was indeed what we did.