Having scheduling problems with my players, need advice

[Jiveturkeey]

A few weeks ago I started DM'ing a 6 player Adventure Path on Thursday nights, per the group's agreement. These are all players that I've known and gamed with for a long time; none of them are flakes and they take the schedule seriously.

Since starting the game though, three of my players have expressed a preference for Saturdays instead, two of them for unforeseen work-related reasons that might prevent them from playing on Thursdays at all. On the other hand I have two players that can only play on Thursdays. The sixth player doesn't have a preference. Given the choice I'm leaning towards Saturdays myself, but for some reason I feel like it's important for me not to take sides.

What's the appropriate thing to do here? Do I go with the plurality of players (and myself) and tell two guys they can't play anymore? Or do I stick with the group's original agreement, knowing half of my party is unhappy and/or not playing consistently?

[OilHorse]

This is a situation that can only really be solved within the group.

Some questions though.

Why did it become agreed upon as a Thursday group? Was it at the behest of the 2 that can only play on Thursdays?

Why is the third guy wishing to move the game night?

[Jiveturkeey]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was at the behest of the 2 Thursday guys. We compared availability, and Thursday was the only day when everybody was available.

And that would have been fine, except one player just completed training at a new job and got assigned a different shift than he expected that includes some evening work. Another player (who I happen to be married to) got a really good job offer that's going to mean some late nights.

The third wants to move to Saturdays because he gets less wife aggro on the weekends and can stay out later. If it was just him, I wouldn't consider a change, he knew what he was getting into. But if I have to choose between four consistent players and a random number between 3 and 6 players, it's tempting to go with consistency.

[TomParker]

Jiveturkeey wrote:

Do I go with the plurality of players (and myself) and tell two guys they can't play anymore?

You aren't telling anyone they can't play. Life circumstances change and the group needs to possibly change its schedule. They make the choice to play or not. (And yeah, I get that the choice may be between playing or keeping a job; just because they are making a responsible choice doesn't make it any less their choice.)

It's unfortunate but sometimes we can't accommodate everyone. If it's more important to be inclusive than to have a consistent group, then alternate dates.

[Lorila Sorita]

If you have time, you could do both. Obviously not everyone has time to play that much, but if you do you could have two different games. Maybe have someone else take up DMing the game on Saturday and start a new game with them, while running the current game with the guys on Thursday.

Another option might be to put the Thursday game on hold. Tell those players that you will be losing some a lot of players and you want to put the game on hold until everyone can some how work out a new schedule. In the mean time you will be hosting a new game on Saturday since that is when most people can make it.

If you make it clear that it is a new game, new campaign, new characters and all that then it should soften the blow to those two who can't make it. Since your not kicking them out of the game. Rather you are disbanding that game and doing something else. And if people's schedules do change in the future you can come back.