Hey all, my friend is starting a new game. We have some newbies joining and their attendance maybe hit and miss, with work schedules and life. What are some creative ways your groups have managed missing players outside of someone paying for them one session?
The few times my group has had to do this, the DM would ask the player some quick questions in advance detailing what business their character might have to engage with elsewhere, then sometime between the current session and the next one work out what they accomplished while they were away. “Offscreen” side activities could range from mundane things like shopping to progressing background character development (or even secret projects).