How should we deal with players arriving late preventing us from finishing on time?

[Duedor]

I've been organizing a weekly game at our local store for about a year and a half now. We've sometimes had to bend some rules or go lax on standards to maintain a player base, but now we are consistently running two tables a week and have a player base of about 20 people.

Recently, some of my players and GMs have approached me about things that have been frustrating them, chiefly players arriving late and forcing the game to run late. We have a tight time slot, 5pm-9pm on monday, but we've tried to overcome this by playing older adventures that run fast or adventures that the GMs know well and can run quickly. Now, running new adventures as soon as they come out, and having some less experienced GMs, the starting time of 5 has become very important.

I'm working on a one page primer explaning how our game works from explaining what PFS is and where to find resources and the ettiqute/policies of the game at the store. The store manager usually does inventory Monday nights, and doesn't mind us staying late, but recently the owner has been working Mondays and wants out right at 9.

My biggest concern is making sure that everything is still within the guidelines of PFS. We want to be as friendly and understanding as possible, but almost everyone has the ability to make it on time by 5, and just no longer see the urgency of starting on time.

I don't want to do this, but if everything has been done in the GMs power to speed a game along (arrive on time, skip optional encounters, spend little to no time referenceing rules) and we run out of time, are we able to just stop the adventure and assign chronicle sheets for what has happened that far? I'm sure that would be enough of motivator to arrive on time and focus on the game.

Does anyone have advice on how to motivate players to remember that it's and organized play game and treat it a little more seriously?

[Silbeg]

Well, certainly, the hard-line way to handle this would be to impose a hard-cutoff time. At 9PM, all games are done, and chronicles have been handed out (with a warning 15 minutes prior). Do this for a few weeks, and I would expect people get the point.

However, I would be clear with your players as well. On your next gameday, let them know that you have to be out by 9PM, or you are at risk of losing your venue. Let them know that they have a choice to show up on time, or to have the end of the scenarios cut off.

Another option is to continue a scenario the next week... though this has its issues as well.

At both conventions and many stores this is an issue. If they are closing, you have to be done. It isn't fair to the store owner/employees to force them to stay after their closing time.

So, all in all, be up front with your players, and let them know that you're implementing a hard-finish time, to meet the needs of the venue. Give them a warning, though.

Also, have your GMs start the games promptly at 5PM -- if people come late, they'll just miss the early stuff (perhaps print out a copy of the mission briefing so that they don't interrupt the game). I would do that, regardless. You've got a published start time... hold the players to it. With a 4-hour window, you're very short on time, so you need to make the most of it.

Good luck!

[Thea Peters]

Make sure people are aware that games start right at 5 .. if they are going to be more than 15 minutes late they might not be able to get into the game depending on how far in the table is ... give the GMs a hard line in the sand on how far into a scenario is to far ..

after the first combat/middle of first combat

after the investigative part, but before the first combat

etc.

people will eventually learn to show up on time, or at least let you know they are running late

[GM Lamplighter]

Only way to end on time is to start on time. It is much easier to integrate a player who is late, than to end the game and have to figure out what "would have" happened.

That said... 5PM is a VERY early start time (although obviously not under your control, if the store closes at 9). I'm not surprised that players have a hard time getting there on time. We start at 6:30, because 6:00 was still having players come late (this is a week night, so day jobs interfere).

[LazarX]

Starting at 5 pm is a real problem for players who do the 9-5 grind. 9 pm is a rather early time for a game store that's hosting games to close.

1. See if you can get some flexibility on the space, our Brooklyn spaces generally close at around 10:30-11 pm. Maybe it might take moving game night to a different night of the week.

2. Do your players pay for a space at the table? If the store has been giving you a free ride, Having people pay for their seats might buy you more time. And it's a good thing to do, plus it gives incentive for the games to be held. The store charges our players 10 bucks per night, and they are in the process of expanding the gaming area.

[roll4initiative]

My local store does this: $2 per player which goes towards a gift card for the GM and if players arrive after the mission briefing has been read, they do not get a spot at the table.

[Malag]

It would probably be a good idea to point out that unfinished scenario affect given chronicles. If players show up late and take too much time during scenario on less important parts, it's fair to a degree to assume that they were unsuccessful in accomplishing their mission (if they were) and issue the chronicles. Yes, some people might be unhappy about this, but scheduling table of same players again to wrap up scenario is usually very hard or impossible task at least in our area.

We usually have gaming times between 4-9 pm but it takes almost an hour in some cases for people to show up. I tend to solve everything I can before that; signed chronicles, scenario intro and review of character sheets, questions, etc.

Adam

[Duedor]

GM Lamplighter wrote:

Only way to end on time is to start on time. It is much easier to integrate a player who is late, than to end the game and have to figure out what "would have" happened.

That said... 5PM is a VERY early start time (although obviously not under your control, if the store closes at 9). I'm not surprised that players have a hard time getting there on time. We start at 6:30, because 6:00 was still having players come late (this is a week night, so day jobs interfere).

We decided one day to fit an extra first steps 1 into a monday game, but we were strictly starting at 430. Every plauer but one arrived by 425, and we started on time. We had one guy who gets off at 430 arrive in time to jump in on the second scenario.

So, while 5pm is a hard start time for most people, it isn't a probelm for our player's schedules.

[Duedor]

LazarX wrote:

Starting at 5 pm is a real problem for players who do the 9-5 grind. 9 pm is a rather early time for a game store that's hosting games to close.

1. See if you can get some flexibility on the space, our Brooklyn spaces generally close at around 10:30-11 pm. Maybe it might take moving game night to a different night of the week.

2. Do your players pay for a space at the table? If the store has been giving you a free ride, Having people pay for their seats might buy you more time. And it's a good thing to do, plus it gives incentive for the games to be held. The store charges our players 10 bucks per night, and they are in the process of expanding the gaming area.

We generally don't have to be out right at 9, the manager is there late doing inventory most nights, but recently someone else has been there monday nights who wants us out at 9.

All our games are free, and I'd feel wrong about charging for seats. It'd be nice to have some financial burden eased, but I don't do this for money, I do it for fun.

[Alex McGuire]

Instead, you can have the store charge a fee which it keeps. When it becomes a part of the store's profit margins by earning around $1200 dollars a year for the store (2 bucks a person for 12 players a week), then the store has a vested interest in keeping you guys around and happy.

[Matthew Pittard]

keep in mind zoning areas can also affect shop hours. Some council require certain types of businesses to close by certain time.

[GM Lamplighter]

The simplest thing to do is to start on time. If someone arrives late, they don't get credit for the encounters they missed, and have to wait to join the table until it makes sense that they could have "caught up".

Don't penalize the people who show up on time; penalize the latecomers. Otherwise you are reinforcing the wrong behavior.

[Netopalis]

Ask your players why they are arriving late. It may be that they don't get off work until 5. If that's the case, consider having an official start time of 5:15.

[Z...D...]

Usually if people are beyond the 1st comnbat encounter or when the PC's would uncover a very signifcant part of the scenario I usually give some sort of negatives to it. But I leave it up to the party I am GMing since it is going to be there job to catch them up. Not me. I already explained it once. I am not going over the summaries again. Now since we use the meet up site alot where I am at. If you are a no show more than once. You automatically get put on the wait list even if it the going list is not full. If you are going to be late. they at least have to mention on the meet up and if some one from the wait list bumps them. Then that is too bad.