Sick GM


Pathfinder Society

Sovereign Court 1/5

Is there a rule or procedure for when a GM can't finish a game because of illness or even emergency?

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

Step 1: Accept it
Step 2: Contact the person who organised the event (if same as person who gm'd game go to step 3)
Step 3: Contact local Venture Captain and explain things.

Scarab Sages

Wait until the DM gets better?
Drum up a competent understudy?

It would depend on specifics - it kind of sounds like you're looking for some grand legal code that simply isn't (and shouldn't be) there.

Silver Crusade

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PFS is about fun. I would look at the situation like this: is it their fault they couldn't complete it? Nope. Is it fun for them to be barred from ever completing that game? Nope.

Since it's not their fault and it's not fun for anyone involved to penalize them in any way, shape or form I see no reason to punish them in any way. Either pretend it never happened and let them run it again (either with you or someone else, whatever is most convenient and/or fun) or just pick it up where it left off to the best of your knowledge.

Grand Lodge 5/5

Or fill out the Chronicles (once you feel better) as if they had finished if the game was close to the end and it would be unlikely for that specific group to meet again later.

Grand Lodge 5/5 ****

@Don Keebals
No - there isn't any rule. All you can do is try the best outcome for everyone.

Is it possible to reconvene and finish? I often stop and finish a week later if it gets late. But this might not work at a convention.

Have the players done at least 3 encounters - then they are legally allowed a chronicle.

Situations like these do happen. The best we can hope for is that players and GM just try to make the best out of it.

If there isn't a rule - follow the spirit - as best as you understand it. This is at no fault to either the players or you. And it is great to ask here - but you and the players know best all the circumstances and whatever ruling you feel is right is likely a better one as any advice we can give you here.

I hope you are better. And I hope the players are understanding that this was outside your control.

Grand Lodge 5/5

Thod wrote:
... Have the players done at least 3 encounters - then they are legally allowed a chronicle. ...

Actually, once you start reading the opening boxed text or begin the first encounter (sans boxed text), each player must be given a Chronicle sheet unless they are playing for no credit. And even in that case the player must be given a Chronicle (to track conditions and resources spent) if they are playing in order to make a legal table (ie. if they are one of only 3 players at the table).

The part about completing 3 encounters allows them to earn the 1 XP for the scenario, unless they are replaying for no credit.

PFS Guide 5.0 8/14/2013, Replaying Scenarios, page 20 wrote:

A player replaying a scenario in order for the table to reach

the minium table size should (in this instance only) be
given a Chronicle for the scenario, though marked to earn
0 Gold, 0 Fame, 0 XP; it does not allow the character to
make a ‘Day Job’ check, no boons, item access, or anything
else appearing on the Chronicle might provide for having
played the scenario. This Chronicle only serves as a
placeholder to indicate the character participated in the
adventure, and gives a place for consumables, purchases,
and conditions to be tracked from playing through the
adventure. This is the only exception to not having two of
the same Chronicle assigned to one character.

Of course one could argue (incorrectly) that PFS leadership actually meant "minium" table size (ie. Red Lead) and that it is not just a misspelling.

Sovereign Court 1/5

Thanks for the responses from Aziraya, Don & Thod.

I co-liaison a store on the south side of Atlanta and sometimes players from as far as an hour away come play, which was the case this past weekend. Even though I had a hard time running I felt bad for thinking about calling the game off after they had come as far as they did.

Grand Lodge 5/5

Sometimes, one of the players will be willing to run the adventure cold if you can loan them a printout of it and the Chronicle sheets. If you are well enough to speak a few minutes, giving the willing player-turned-GM some pointers on the adventure can go a long way to helping them prep.

Grand Lodge 5/5 ****

@Don Walker
Yes - I was referring to the XP. Bad choice of words. That way the players wouldn't loose out completely. Yes I'm aware there is still an issue of PA, gold and boons as well as dayjobs (just assume T10 in their absence).

A willing player turned GM seems not an option anymore. So the best needs to be made out of a situation that nobody truly can be blamed for.

The Exchange 5/5

Don Walker wrote:
Sometimes, one of the players will be willing to run the adventure cold if you can loan them a printout of it and the Chronicle sheets. If you are well enough to speak a few minutes, giving the willing player-turned-GM some pointers on the adventure can go a long way to helping them prep.

been there, done that, more than once.

Not the best situation to be in, but we make due as best we can...

Sovereign Court 5/5 RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

First thing, Don glad to see you're feeling better.

Unless it is a situation where you are incapacitated*, asking the table what they want is likely the best way to handle it. There are no hard and fast rules. Taking a Mulligan or continuing in the future, both could be valid options.

And Dan is exactly right. Not only text stripping context, but you assumed you gave enough data, and the other Matthew assumed, based on the data given. Don't assume the worst about someone, based on their post.

*

Spoiler:
Given my own panic attacks and occasional migraine, I have a sliding scale of dysfunction when either act up.

Silver Crusade 4/5

Personally, if just by reading the first box text and the GM can't go on and state you've invalidated any future play for the players has gone beyond what the spirit of the game calls for.

If I was such a player, I would complain very loudly to a regional VC about that and asked to be allowed to replay such a scenario.

PFS is about having fun, not strangling a player with rules not really conjured up for the particular situation.

DonKeebals wrote:

Thanks for the responses from Aziraya, Don & Thod.

I co-liaison a store on the south side of Atlanta and sometimes players from as far as an hour away come play, which was the case this past weekend. Even though I had a hard time running I felt bad for thinking about calling the game off after they had come as far as they did.

Digital Products Assistant

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Removed a couple posts. Personal attacks aren't OK.

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

We has a thing happen along the same lines. In this case it was a Player who suddenly had to leave essentially half way through the game. He took a phone call, stood up, said 'Im on my way' , quickly packed up his stuff without really saying anything to us and then left.

Obviously it was serious, and most of us were a combination of stunned/shocked/ not knowing what to say. As we had 3 players plus a pregen we were kinda stuffed.

Now Im not sure the right or wrong of this , but the gm let us bring in another pregen to get us back to 4. Then about an hour and a half later the player walked back in as if nothing had happened.

We came through in the end, and I know i got full gold and exp on my sheet, but im not sure what happened to the player's character in question. He wasnt there for at least 2 encounters.

To be honest I probably should have asked more questions being one of our local pfs gms, but i didnt. I felt like i was crossing into personal territory if I did ask questions about what had happened , so I did not.

Sure its not really an example of what happens when a dm walks out, but its a good example of how a dm and the players have to react when they suddenly dont have a legal table.

Grand Lodge 5/5

It's possible the player was expecting it and spoke to the GM beforehand. In that case the GM should have at least said something to you.

If the player sprung this on all of you out of the blue with no apology, and then to casually return later ... I'd consider mentioning it to the event organizer and local VO. It is important for the folks in charge to know what is going on so they can take steps to avoid/correct a problem player.

Don't get me wrong, everyone has emergencies, but to just leave with no acknowledgement that it is odd behaviour is rude.

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

Don: Pretty sure the gm was caught on the hop too. We were all very quiet.

Liberty's Edge 2/5 *

In fact, im going to ask the gm about it when I get a chance.

3/5

2 people marked this as a favorite.

He's probably a superhero?

Sovereign Court 5/5 RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

David Haller wrote:
He's probably a superhero?

intentional or not, given your name, that's funny.

The Exchange 5/5

Not to long ago we had a game starting up, and as the players were settling in one of them (Husband of a pair of gamers) gets a phone call.

He turns to his wife and says - "someone just broke in at the house and your mother is going in with a gun..." ... and he ran out the door.

He actually didn't say anything to the rest of us... but it didn't really bother us.

Sometimes real life interfers with the gaming...

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