Regrettfully, Jade Must Leave

It is with great regret that I must pull Jade from the game. My table-top group found out this morning that everyone's schedule finally matched in days off for today only after a month and half of not being able to play. And since it could be a few months before that happens again, and the fact that I host the games here at my house, I cannot deny them this one day to play together. Since this conflicts with today's game here, and since I cannot play today, I will be permanently pulling Jade from the game since it is not fair to any of you with such a short notice. Though it is slim that this conflict could happen again, it is better that I do not take the risk of that possibility happening again. I have had a great time and will miss the game and the group sorely. I wish you all the best and hope you always have fun! Sincerely, Battalia aka Jade

Hi Battalia, do not mistake the fact that no replies have been made yet with disinterest. Yesterday when the session started we heard about it and read this, it was just an unfortunate time to reply. We did talk a bit about it. Disclaimer: I do not speak for anyone else, nor do I want to have anything to do with any decision making, or go behind the back of the DM, etcetera. The following is just my opinion and I hope no one takes any offense. It is certainly not intended. Also I have no idea if any sort of decision making between you and Gold resulted in this post, again I do not want to go against any of you. First of all, it honestly makes me unhappy if you and your character leave this game. I've only played one session with this group (now two), and I have no other groups to compare to, but I really did enjoy playing with every one of you. The second session confirmed this as well. You all seem like friendly, easy going people and the characters are interesting as well. Jade was a major asset to the group, with many unique skills and original solutions to problems. She also caught me off guard a few times, responding in such a different way than I would expect! And that's something I enjoy, it makes the game challenging and dynamic. Jade made Sandoval feel bad about himself for being so suspicious! I definetly missed Jade in our last session, things were a bit more predictable (but still very enjoyable). Honestly, I also would regret you leaving, because you are the only woman in the group. That's not meant in a sexist or desperate way at all, I just feel that both sexes bring their unique qualities to a group and I would always prefer to have both around. Now, I can totally understand the choice you made yesterday. I think most or all people put real life before virtual, and that also implies a real life game gets prioritized over a Roll20 one. Especially since you are hosting the game at your place. I might have done the same thing. I also see the other side though. I feel Gold has few rules he is strict about, and those ones I can agree with, because I do feel that this only works if people take attendance seriously (enough). It doesn't help that we found out at the last minute (even though I understand that was out of your control) either, otherwise maybe we could've rescheduled. I think a lot of people had been busy the past week anyway, it would've given them some more time for their journal and such. Even though I fully understand your decision and respect it, I can also see how it puts both you and Gold in a tough position. Dumb as it sounds, ignoring this incident would kind of communicate that it is okay if you do not respect Gold's rules, which are not unreasonable. I can keep typing but I guess the only really important thing left to say is this: If you feel you can prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future, I would have no trouble with you NOT stepping out of the game over this incident. If I take this incident by itself, it seems a bith harsh to go this far. Even if you and/or Gold feel that it is a deserved 'penalty', the group isn't helped by it, we have to find someone to fill the gap and that involves work and time and adjusting. If there are other reasons that influence this decision, well then I can't really comment on it. For completeness' sake: your last session was my first. If I am in any way responsible for you not enjoying the game anymore, and wanting to leave, please let me know. Because a new person joining should not be the reason someone that was already in the group leaves. I hope it's not the case, but if I somehow ruined the game for you, please let me know, in private message or in this thread, I'm sure we can work it out. And if not, I can step out. Either way, thanks for last session. It was nice to meet you and Jade and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

Hans, you didn't have to write that post, but I'll let that post stand as your player-perspective. I agree with Hans (except the last paragraph, I'm certain that fellow players were not the reason she had to go). Battalia I'm open to discuss repatriating you back into the game if you want to. We all want to play this campaign with you. I regret to see you go. You're a fun player, nice person, and your Rakasta Ninja character is important for this campaign. I'll restate my reasoning, and accept your decision to stay or go. If you could tell me earlier of a planned absence, even a few hours before the game would have helped. Telling me 5 minutes before game time is extra challenging for the DM and less-than-ideal for the other Players. Weeks of game-prep is thrown out of balance. Monsters, plot points, and magic items become misfit when the party composition changes on short-notice. I can pivot, re-scale, and adjust, but it would be nice to have some days or hours of time to prepare and fix things. This is a campaign where the party members motives are intertwined. Characters are blended into the world. Each PC is important for the future of the world. I have written notes, done mind-mapping, plotted graphs for how each PC is related to the world & each other & the mysteries in the plot and story of the campaign. Having someone missing or leaving introduces gaps in the story. The absence of Jade the Rakasta Ninja would not be an easy hole to fill. Missing the game for a personal reason (family, emergency, job, health, school) is understandable, if it's not a regular occurrence. I'm reasonably flexible for announced absences for personal reasons (and the missing person doesn't need to explain your reason, just "I need to miss for a personal reason" is usually OK.) No one should be put on-the-spot about a private matter. What doesn't sit comfortably with me is someone missing this game for purposes of playing a different game . This D&D campaign needs Players who make this their main game, and tell other games "Sorry we can't play today because I have my Roll20 game booked." In conclusion, we all really want Battalia to return to the game. We are asking. Will you please come back? If she wants to return, I would like to get on the same page and make an agreement. It's ok if you need to miss a game for personal reasons and you agree to post on the forum (preferably well in advance) if there is a week you must miss. You would agree not to play a different game at a time that is scheduled for this campaign. In the future you would tell your other gaming group to choose a different day/time that is not conflicting with this campaign's session times. Missing once every couple-months for your other game is not workable, sorry. Reserve times of absences for emergencies and personal reasons like exams for school, doctor's appointments, or other things that are truly beyond our control. I hope that will work for Battalia and she can say yes.

One more important thing, whether she leaves or comes back, I do want to say Thank You Battalia! Your participation and contribution of creativity in the campaign so far is appreciated and integral. P.S. I've posted the Hero portrait I made for Jade (pic in post above). It's showing some character features, her dual ninja-to swords at her back, special claw hand-weapon, jade skirt, black cat fur, Bare paws for feet, and a red ninja belt provided by her former teacher the last time she saw him in-world.