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InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)U
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6 mo. ago

  • Well.. YOU could read papers. YOU could look up from your phone and notice the flyers.

    The possibilities are there. There are other ways to get info about local events than from fb. You don't have to wait for everyone else to pick up a paper.

    Ps. I have plenty of friends and involvement, which most of my current social circle I gathered after moving alone to a new city, without using social media. I lost a lot of acquaintances by leaving fb, but none that I actually miss. My friends are the ones I put effort into keeping in touch with.

    People exist offline. We've done so for millennia, and still do.

  • I have a local newspaper subscription that often have articles/info and/or ads for local shows and festivals - one can even go to the library to read it every day for free if paying isn't in one's budget (but I like paying for it, it's a lot of fluff but sometimes they dig up something about how my city is being managed or mismanaged, and they have shone a light on a few desperately needed changes in local government).

    I also know most venues in the area that host small bands and can check their website or get their newsletter through email.

    There's also flyers being taped up at the store, library and on maintenance boxes and poles around town for current events and activities (that's how I found my knitting club!).

    There are probably ticket vendors where you can flag certain bands or venues or maybe genres and get an email when something is booked in your area.

    Just walking my city, talking to people, looking in shops and venues, and being present outside I get a ton of info about local events. I don't miss FB. I don't need a global mega-site to tell me what's happening outside my own door.

  • I don't plan for every character to have their personal arc advance every short session. Sometimes it's only main story with perhaps a minor recall/reminder of an earlier point.

    I draft the next few plot points for each character by: knowing the What; have a couple of ideas for How; maybe put in a loose relative chronology, but not deciding When.

    So I can always throw in another characters What and semi-improvise with their most suitable How. The missed character plot point can happen next time.

    Depending on the players and the story: The king wouldn't demand the Orb if the player was unavailable, or another player would magically have had the Orb the whole time, or the king would get upset and the adventures would now be wanted criminals at risk if beheading for refusing to give up the Orb, or the kingdom would fall and the Orb would implode and warp everyone to a separate dimension made of goo.

    All my groups are very good at showing up. Sometimes they can only show up online for an irl-table, or half the session, but we make it work.

    If I had one be a no-show a lot I would probably suggest they DM a mini-adventure. It might make them more engaged if they're the omniscient role and have to do the planning, or they'll quit, or they'll learn to appreciate the DMs time. Depending on their reason for being unreliable I would perhaps ask them to pause and return when they can prioritize the group more. And I would definitely make their arc detached from the main story and the other characters.

    I've only invited people who have enthusiastically agreed to take the time for the campaign, and are proactive in creating their character ahead of time. The players who left so far told us several sessions in advance, so I could weave their personal finale into the story.

    Not every group or player is able to do a set schedule, some tables can only book one session at a time. We make that work too.