So last
night I was looking forward to playing in the second session of a Roll20 game I
was in. About 10 minutes before the game
started, I got a PM and game post that the game was being cancelled,
completely. Apparently, a number of my
fellow players dropped out of the game the evening before our session. In response out of frustration
(understandable so) our GM cancelled the entire game.
I’ve been a
member of Roll20 for a couple of years now as a player and GMed too. It really bothers me how inconsiderate
players can be. I get that real life
stuff comes up for all of us, but I’ve seen this pattern of inconsideration
enough now that I think it’s beyond real life getting in the way of gaming. There’s such a disparity between the number
of players versus the number of available GMs, and it takes a lot of work to
set up and run a game. Plus, there are
your fellow players to consider that look forward to playing.
It would be
awesome if there was some kind of Roll20 player etiquette that if you are
accepted into a game to commit to playing at least 3 sessions before bailing on
the game. Give the game a chance to get
started and to get to know your fellow players and GM. Also, don’t sign up for a game unless you are
at least 90% sure your work/personal schedule will allow you to make most sessions. Further, be mindful of how much GM work it is
to replace players if you decide to quit.
If you have to miss a session, please, please give as much notice as
possible.
For the GM
side of things, I think it really helps to be upfront with your LFP information
if you be honest with your prospective players about your experience with the
game, your GM experience in general, what kind of game you like to run (story,
combat, investigation/intrigue, rp, a mix of all of these, etc.), how long you
hope the game to last, and try to stick to the same session day and time as
much as possible.
Okay, off my
soap box. I’m curious to read any
thoughts or insights to help make this situation better on Roll20. Thanks.
