So here is the situation,
I play in a group where my friends are the four PCs and I'm the GM. We're currently running through Carnival of Tears and they are relatively enjoying it. We've been playing on Saturdays until one of the PCs picked up a second job and couldn't play on Saturdays, which I didn't mind moving it to Sundays.
The issue is that another one of the PCs picked up a commission job and found that they could potentially gain more money if they worked on Sunday, and thus created an issue of basically having to choose either one player/day to play or the other.
Playing on the weekdays isn't possible because everyone including myself work those days and on different hours.
My question/concern is how to go about this situation without causing any kind of strife.
The player who now cannot play on Sundays has shown some sadness that he couldn't play, while the other player who can't play on Saturdays is showing continuous interest in the campaign.
Any advice would be appreciated.
have the two of them figure it out.
Take a poll from the others without the 2 knowing. Then say you decided by a coin flip or something.
ROLL THE MIGHTY D20, FOR HE IS THE DECIDER OF FATE!!!!
Obviously there isn't a perfect solution here. However, it sounds like you are running a game every weekend. It might be possible to run 2 different campaigns, on alternating weekends with one being on Saturday and one being on Sunday, with slightly different players for the two groups.
If that won't work though, and you have to just choose one, I would suggest that the most fair to to keep the originally scheduled day.
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I say steel cage-match of death. It is the only permanent solution that is also entertaining.
Could you alternate weeks where you plan on Saturday and Sunday? It's probably not the best situation for either player, but would allow both players to still participate in the campaign. Either the GM (you) or another player would need to run the missing player's character every week, though....
I've thought about this, to which I've found that one campaign is enough to delve into my life whereas I must still make time for my family also on the other day. Also, the player who cannot play on Sunday specifically requested his character to not be played without him as it would make him sad.
Obviously there isn't a perfect solution here. However, it sounds like you are running a game every weekend. It might be possible to run 2 different campaigns, on alternating weekends with one being on Saturday and one being on Sunday, with slightly different players for the two groups.
If that won't work though, and you have to just choose one, I would suggest that the most fair to to keep the originally scheduled day
This might be a better possibility, however could possibly cause issues with a two week gap and loss of interest compared to the one week the other two players will be doing. I agree that it would be most fair to keep the originally scheduled day.
To add on, the other two players without conflicting schedules believe that it would be best to stick to Sunday, and let the player who obtained the commission job and "chose to work on Sunday" be the one not to play since he made an optional choice compared to the other player who needed a second job.
I'd say talk about it with the two of them.
Could you alternate weeks where you plan on Saturday and Sunday? It's probably not the best situation for either player, but would allow both players to still participate in the campaign. Either the GM (you) or another player would need to run the missing player's character every week, though....I've thought about this, to which I've found that one campaign is enough to delve into my life whereas I must still make time for my family also on the other day. Also, the player who cannot play on Sunday specifically requested his character to not be played without him as it would make him sad.
Obviously there isn't a perfect solution here. However, it sounds like you are running a game every weekend. It might be possible to run 2 different campaigns, on alternating weekends with one being on Saturday and one being on Sunday, with slightly different players for the two groups.
If that won't work though, and you have to just choose one, I would suggest that the most fair to to keep the originally scheduled day
This might be a better possibility, however could possibly cause issues with a two week gap and loss of interest compared to the one week the other two players will be doing. I agree that it would be most fair to keep the originally scheduled day.
To add on, the other two players without conflicting schedules believe that it would be best to stick to Sunday, and let the player who obtained the commission job and "chose to work on Sunday" be the one not to play since he made an optional choice compared to the other player who needed a second job.
I've got to agree with your friends; if one is manditory, and the other was an optional choice, it's up to the ladder to decide which optional point he's going with.
This messageboard really needs a keyboard shortcut for just posting "talk to each other like mature adults".
Well that might be the "right" way but you have to ask yourself... is it the FUNNEST way?
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The second one made a choice to change his schedule to Sundays, even though that was known at the time to be the only remaining day that could work. I'd say he's the one SOL. Also, are time-of-day shifts not able to fix this? Like, morning vs. afternoon vs. evening...
During the weekdays, the shifts of all 5 of us differ. During the weekends is when we are truly open, until new jobs arose. I decided to talk to everyone (including the two other players with no conflicting schedules, alone), and found that there were some complaints.
All in all, the player who couldn't play on Sunday had continuously backseat DM'd me for almost the entire campaign, almost halting the game at every other player's turn to question their actions. This is something I talked to him about a while ago after he DM'd his own session and came back to mine. The fact that he is still doing this, and the other players have complained of this to me, made me have to make a decision that based on that, I would have to eject him until he could put his "Rules Lawyering" in check (which is what they called it).
I'll break the decision later in the week. Does this sound like a justifiable decision?
Whatever it takes to keep things running... the goal is fun, if he reduces your enjoyment, the choice is clear.
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Personally, I'd ask the other players if they have a preference for which day (or if you have a preference) and go from there.
Don't let the decision be about choosing between two players. What is best for everybody else? Because honestly, either choice results in losing one of them.
Assuming they are equal to one another (or that you at least want to pretend like they are) then choose based on other criteria.
During the weekdays, the shifts of all 5 of us differ. During the weekends is when we are truly open, until new jobs arose. I decided to talk to everyone (including the two other players with no conflicting schedules, alone), and found that there were some complaints.
All in all, the player who couldn't play on Sunday had continuously backseat DM'd me for almost the entire campaign, almost halting the game at every other player's turn to question their actions. This is something I talked to him about a while ago after he DM'd his own session and came back to mine. The fact that he is still doing this, and the other players have complained of this to me, made me have to make a decision that based on that, I would have to eject him until he could put his "Rules Lawyering" in check (which is what they called it).
I'll break the decision later in the week. Does this sound like a justifiable decision?
I say it works well. Say you've already change and aren't going to change again. If it means enough to him he'll still play. But otherwise you get rid of a slightly disruptive player.
Majority vote to take the win. Pretty simple. RPGs are about catering to the lowest common denominator. It's a group activity ultimately.