Game Attendance

[Jcosby]

Ok, so I’ve had enough of the 4th Edition Vs 3rd Edition conversation so I thought I would start a new thread with something that has reared its ugly head at my game lately. I would like to know how people, DMs and players feel about people not showing up to a game.

I have a group of 7 players and I feel sad to say that I accepted as many as I did because I had a feeling I would have a problem with players not showing up to the game. Now, don’t get me wrong I’m not an attendance-Nazi. If someone has RL issues that come up and they miss a game from time to time it’s not the end of the world. But… To me there is a difference between once in a while and 3 out of every four weeks. Then there are the players that wait until either 5 minutes before the game starts or 30 minutes after start time to call and say they aren’t coming.

How do you handle players like this? Do you just let it pass; do you warn them that they need to start attending or risk being replaced? How do you feel when another player misses a lot of games? Do you feel like your game is less rewarding and or fun because the party isn’t complete?

As a DM I spend a fairly large amount of my time creating a game so that the players and I can have fun as a group. Part of that process of creating the game revolves around making challenges for the group. When I’m designing a challenge for the group whether it is a monster, puzzle or direct NPC interaction I create it with the assumption that all players will be there. There for they should have access to all of their skills and abilities. When people don’t show up that directly affects the ability of the party to over come that challenge. Sometimes that just means they won’t get some information, or extra reward; but in some cases that means they might die.

This last week was a bad week for this topic which is the main reason I’m writing this post. Out of the 7 players I had one player tell me right up front at the end of the previous night that he wouldn’t be able to make it. (He has a good reason, it was his family) Then out of the last seven players I had two cancel the day before and one cancel with in five minutes of the start time leaving me only three players. I had no choice but to cancel the session and apologize to the three players that did show up. (That current session would have ended badly had only the three that showed up tried to play through it.)

Out of my 7 players I have two players that have made all the sessions and the rest miss about 50% of the games. It’s usually a round robin type thing so I usually have 5-6 players which is enough to run the games but the group really doesn’t have a sense of it’s self because its almost like having a new group each week. Right now I’m not going to say anything about attendance and see what happens this week but if I get the same results I’m going to consider replacing people. As I said before I’m not an attendance-Nazi but I do expect to show up more then 50% or less of the time.

How does everyone else feel about this subject in their games?

JC

[PauloftheWest]

It is really annoying, but I don't know the best thing to do.

My favorite thing was DM that, if a player didn't show up, would turn that person's character to stone. (AD&D) Then the other players could do as the please. Most of the time the players would just leave them somewhere, but sometime they would decorate them or use the stone-character as ammunition.

As a DM the only thing I can think of is to shorten then difficulty. Cut down on number of enemies, give the players something extra to help out. While it is annoying for players to not show up, it is more annoying to go somewhere get settled and not play a game.

Just some thoughts,
~PauloftheWest

[Webhead]

The best solution, obviously, is to address the issue with your group. For players who flagrantly miss sessions, let them know that it is having a negative impact on the game.

If a player is missing more than half the game sessions for reasons other than significant schedule conflicts (such as somebody's work schedule), then let them know that the game is probably not for them and that they should go their own way.

For players who no-show without warning or who wait until the very last minute to contact anyone about their non-attendance, let them know that you need to be given advanced notice (preferrably a few days) if they can't show up, or they should seek a game elsewhere.

Be sure to be tactful and respectful handling these issues and clarify that you're not attack the player(s), but that you just need more stability and reliability or the game will suffer. The most important thing is communication. If someone can't make it, they need to communicate. If some people have schedule problems, they need to communicate that to the group. It's better to have 4 reliable players that you can plan around than 7 players who you have to do a lot of guess work for.

Be accomodating and willing to listen to what your players have to say and to discuss any changes that might be needed to make the group more cohesive.

I've had a couple players who were flaky and who couldn't be counted on even if five minutes ago they said they would show up. In the end, I decided that it was better not to invite them back than to have to worry about whether or not I could expect them to show.

[Valdar]

My XP system takes care of that. I'm offering "make-up" xp for people who have to miss a session here and there, and pitch in to help out with logistics- one encounter's worth of XP per session of assistance. Since we have about three encounters worth of XP per session, that means someone constantly helping out can miss one session a month and still be caught up. Logistics include taking care of things that I don't really need to be doing as a DM, such as tracking xp, initiative, or the pizza order.

If someone misses a lot of sessions, and doesn't do any logistics, their character will be behind in levels in short order. I haven't had to determine what happens when someone falls too far behind to be effective- I suppose I'd just replace that player.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

We had one guy that knew when the pizza would arrive, that's when he would show up to the game. He didnt mind missing an hour or two or even being docked xp, or even lose out on possible magic items but pizza, he couldnt miss. It was a double win for him, he got pizza and never paidf his share.

Well, i put a stop to that right away. Told him in as few words as possible that he was out of the game, permanently!

We put alot into our games and it just isnt worth it to keep those folks on board. So i say, kick them to the curb and keep searching for like minded players. In the end, you and your players will be rewarded with enjoyable gameplay.

Dont get me wrong here, i do understand that legitimate things do come up and i am okay with this reality, but in the end, reliability equates to fun.

[Valdar]

That pizza thing would piss me off too. One of the reasons I'm having a player handle it- if the cash is short, I want someone else to be harassing the cheapskates or eating the cost.

I had a player that couldn't make it on time- work ending too late. I said late players was fine as long as they weren't disruptive on entering. This player had to stop the action and get a recap for everything, immediately, had to do the greeting thing with new players, etc. That and other reasons were why this is the first and only player I've ever had to fire (unless you count firing all the players at once, which I've done.)

[boulet]

I can't figure why this thread is specific to D&D. Is there a D&D secession happening ?

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

I didnt think it was. I had a WFRP campaign i was running and had to fire two of the players for being immature, and they were both over 30. They were new, i gave them a chance, and in the end they never played again. I still get calls from them a few times a year asking to play, but i alway tell them no... go find another game.

[Jcosby]

I didn’t think it was. I had a WFRP campaign i was running and had to fire two of the players for being immature, and they were both over 30. They were new, i gave them a chance, and in the end they never played again. I still get calls from them a few times a year asking to play, but I always tell them no... Go find another game.


Nope, sorry not D&D specific.. I just placed it here without thinking. Also from what I've noticed and I could be wrong the most people tend to read this section. Yes, it was a D&D session, but that shouldn't matter. Having players not show up would destroy any game.

Its funny last week I actually sent an email to everyone mentioning to them that it would require most of the group’s attendance for the next week. We only play once every two weeks, so they had 14 days to let me know if they were going to make it or not. I didn't tell anyone they had to show only that they please let me know ahead of time so I can adjust the game.

Someone mentioned that I should lessen this or change that. I will do that, if I have the proper notice ahead of time. Five minutes, or even one day before the game isn't enough, esp. with some of the reasons. I work a lot of hours and I don't always have time to work on the game every day, so I don't always have time to make last minute changes to my game. Yes, I could do it on the fly but I don't like to do that. I'm pretty particular how things run in my game and I like to at least have my side dialed in.

I think I'm going to make one more post about this to the group, I've actually waited a few days (Was last Friday) so I could say it the way I want to and not get anyone upset. We use a Yahoo group for our game so communicating to the group as a whole is pretty easy. Heck even that can be a pain, I asked people to create backgrounds for their characters, and asked them to just sign up to the Yahoo group so I could communicate to the group as a whole. I should have known I was in for a long game when I had a hard time getting some of the players to do just those two things which considering the work the DM does doesn't seem too much to ask to me.

Well, I'd hate to postpone the game to get new players entered but it looks like that might be a possibility. I'll write a post about this and let them mull it over for the next week and a half and let them decide if this game and schedule is right for them. By the way, I let the players decide what time and day we would play and they all picked Friday 7pm (every other) unanimously, so I thought that would be the least of my problems.

Oh well, I'll do what I have too.
JC

[Chavic]

I'm a player in a game where my DM has been having this problem. We are down to 3 players and we haven't had a full game in over a month.Its usually just two players and a DM. I'm just as guilty as the other guys but we're all in college and RL seems to get us every weekend.

Our DM tried to deal with this by just not progressing the story very far, just throwing some fights and RP with eccentric NPCs. This worked for a while but has slowed the game down. Then one session he just let the two players who attended make up new temporary charcters and play as
mercenaries on a related, but side quest. This was fun and humorus.

Our DM has asked for suggestions on what to do if any further games are missed and we don't really know what to say. If I find some good ideas on this thread I'll tell him.

Anyways, I'm crossing my fingers that we'll all be there and we kind finally battle FOR GREAT JUSTICE!

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

What ive done while looking for players to join a game that is short on players(say that 3 times real fast), is to allow the sitting players to run more than one character. This is a simple solution for experienced players. In fact, i love running two characters at a time. This keeps the game running fine and the *bandaid* holds till more reliable players are found.

[GoddessGood]

The last game group I was in had a similar problem. Two of us were in college, four more had unreliable work schedules. Occasionally some of us had to miss due to other commitments or were just exhausted. Luckily, we had enough GM talent that there were multiple games to play at any given week and it would just be a matter of the GMs that were present saying "Well, I can run mine even if X isn't here, so long as Y shows up" and the like. We all agreed that, since there were 7 of us, that if 4 or fewer people were in attendance that we'd either watch a movie, play video games or break out the board games. We usually didn't know until several hours after the start time who all would be showing up that night, so our familiarity with the situation was probably a contributing factor to our laid back attitude.

Needless to say, now that I have moved to a new place and started a new group, things are different. I'm having a hard time finding players who are interested in the game I'm interested in running (Exalted). Well, no, that's not exactly true. We've had trial runs with a few players with limited success. As such, when there are only four people in the group, absences become crippling to gameplay. In this situation, I'd be very reluctant to kick out someone for tardiness or absences until it became a problem of chronic disregard. Being late or not showing up not only disrespects the effort I have put into constructing an entertaining evening, but it also disrespects the other players and the effort they put in to showing up on time.

[tesral]

I consider the game as much a social obligation as any other social obligation. As a player I respect the amount of work the DM puts into his game, it is my obligation to show up and be part of the game.

A the DM I know the work I put into the game and I appreciate it when players respect this by being timely.

I understand that some times life gets in the way, let me know, stuff happens. Someone that misses more than the make it, well maybe they either need some time management or a different place to be Saturday nights.

[Jcosby]

I consider the game as much a social obligation as any other social obligation. As a player I respect the amount of work the DM puts into his game, it is my obligation to show up and be part of the game.


As the DM I know the work I put into the game and I appreciate it when players respect this by being timely.

I understand that some times life gets in the way, let me know, stuff happens. Someone that misses more than the make it, well maybe they either need some time management or a different place to be Saturday nights.


So, I made a post about this topic on my Yahoo Group for my game and asked the players to evaluate there commitment for this game. I would rather have 4-5 players really committed to making this a great game then 7 people who just show up to roll dice and BS.. (Out of game stuff).

I tried to pose the post in a non-argumentative way and tried to let the players know I just want what is best for the game. I also suggested to the players that maybe we should reconsider the play day and time; anything that would help with attendance.

Well, lets see how it goes. Well, the good side of it is... I have 4-5 people on a waiting list to get in so if I have to replace people it won't be that tough. The tough part is, everyone at the table is a great person, so I don't want to see them go but I will do what I have to, to make the game fun and enjoyable for everyone.

JC

[Stormcrow77]

This is what i have always done if a person does not show up for 70% of games over a 6 month period they are banned for 3 months. After this they must keep a 90% record or kicked out of the group. I have been using this system in my 2nd ed game for years and has worked like a charm.

[nijineko]

i did something different. i made multiple campaigns. which campaign we played would depend on who showed. we would also take a break and play cards or board games or watch anime or something if we really wanted to wait for a particular player. nowadays, i don't (usually) play face-to-face games anymore. every time i've tried, it has not worked out for various valid reasons.

that's why i play play-by-post, or other remote methods, almost exclusively.

[tesral]

i did something different. i made multiple campaigns. which campaign we played would depend on who showed.

Once in a while we have two people not show, or even one at a critical point, I have a back up game just in case.

[Vulture]

What ive done while looking for players to join a game that is short on players(say that 3 times real fast), is to allow the sitting players to run more than one character. This is a simple solution for experienced players. In fact, i love running two characters at a time. This keeps the game running fine and the *bandaid* holds till more reliable players are found.

Ive done the same thing in my game, im down to only two players in my game, the DM and one other player, and he runs three characters in the campaign.

[nijineko]

Once in a while we have two people not show, or even one at a critical point, I have a back up game just in case.

exactly. that is actually the origin of my "anything goes 16" campaign, it is the standard backup campaign i run when we're missing people.

[cplmac]

Now I know that we all know that there are times when stuff comes up that is unexpected, but If the same players are cronically giving one reason after another for not being able to be there almost all of the time, at some point you have to be prepared to cut them out for the sake of the group being able to be whole. If you don't want to completely get rid of them, maybe just have a character that they can use on the rare times that they do show up, but don't worry to much about the level and such. That can always be tweeked. Just be sure that the rest of the party makes sure that anything important is not being carried by the "part time" character.

We have a group of 10 people. I am the DM of our "Main Campaign", but we are fortunate enough to have another member of our group that has agreed to DM a "Side Campaign" for times when there will be a few folks not able to attend.

We did have one time this past week where originally there would have only been 2 people missing and were planning on still going with the Main Campaign. As I arrived at the game site, our hosts told me that another member just called and had to turn around after being halfway there due to having a problem at home with sewage backing up into the basement. We are pretty sure he would have rather been gaming. Just before that call, they got an email from another member that said him and the person that rides with him wouldn't be able to make it, but then that can happen when one of your members is a doctor. So, since we now were only going to have five, and the other DM was not able to make it now, we just decided to play a board game. We still had fun, even though we weren't playing either of our 2E games.

[ignimbrite]

I have had real problems with flaky people. I work on a 3 strike rule - you miss three sessions in a row and you are gone. Problem is one of the guys would skip 2 sessions then make one, then skip 2, etc urgh it was frustrating. Eventually he actually quit.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

If the player is a no-show, no-call, he'd better have a real good reason. We are adults here, if one doesnt understand respect, then one is gone. My most current rule. (;

[Skunkape]

I've found as I've gotten older that real life interupts the game more often than it used to. That's a generalization by the way, as it doesn't happen all the time, but the frequency of people missing games is a whole lot more than it was when I was in college!

I've had to rethink how I handle my campaigns and no longer plan events to happen on a particular time-line, hoping that the players will be there. I still plan for character specific events, but instead of planning that this event will take place during the very next game session, I make it non-time specific enough that it can happen whenever the player is there.

Course, sometimes I have to fudge things, but it makes the game better in the long run.

It's a shame that things have to be planned out that way, but in the end, I think the game is better for it.

Oh and we almost always communicate our intentions for attending/not attending for the game at least 24 hours in advance of the game. Course there are times when we have to cancel attending on the day of the game, but that's usually one of those instances that suddenly come up and we had no control over.

[tesral]

I've found as I've gotten older that real life interupts the game more often than it used to. That's a generalization by the way, as it doesn't happen all the time, but the frequency of people missing games is a whole lot more than it was when I was in college!.

One of the reasons my game went every other week years ago.

[Webhead]

One of the reasons my game went every other week years ago.

Indeed. No more gaming until 1 AM every Saturday these days. :(

[tesral]

Indeed. No more gaming until 1 AM every Saturday these days. :(

I ain't a young as I used to be.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

I'd play till 1am. I find that my de-nial, being a huge river in Egypt, is capable of pretty much anything. Too bad the bod disagrees more times than not. );

[tesral]

I'd play till 1am. I find that my de-nial, being a huge river in Egypt, is capable of pretty much anything. Too bad the bod disagrees more times than not. );

Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative hands down. We'll just have to wreck that evil cult a little slower.

[Inquisitor Tremayne]

I think the groups I have been in have been lucky in these regards. Very rarely will we need to cancel game due to absences. I have been sick with mono for 2 months and STILL play game via Skype. We have another friend who plays over Skype and another who lost his driving license for a short time and it was a simple matter of moving the game over to his house.

We are a pretty dedicated bunch to making sure that the games happen.

Obviously we had to cancel the games I was running due to mono, but at a minimum we usually have a group of 3 people at the table at all times.

So I have never had to worry about players not showing up. And the few times it has happened those people usually end up going away. Probably because they see how dedicated we are to making sure our games happen on a regular basis and realize they can't be as dedicated, who knows.

Either way I wish you luck!

[rabkala]

My current games have very dedicated players. 5 players one night and 4 others the other night... like clockwork for a couple months straight.

I never cancel a game and will find some way to reward those who do show. Well, last time was when my last son was born... I didn't want to, but the wife insisted I bring her to the hospital!

I had a 2e game in the 90's for years where we had 11 players, and expected several not to show. The game started at noon, be on time or wait hours until I felt like letting you in... All 11 players had a character tree with several characters. There were several stories going on at once, turnout dictated where the story went. Somehow, we always had fun, even on those rare occasions when turnout was better than I hoped.

I guess it depends on alot of things like how flexible you and your story are, but more importantly if your fun is being affected.

[DMMike]

I never cancel a game and will find some way to reward those who do show. Well, last time was when my last son was born... I didn't want to, but the wife insisted I bring her to the hospital!

:rofl:

Dealing with the players is pretty simple. If they're adults, they can take responsibility for their attendance. Show up regularly, and your character gets a front-row seat in the campaign. Show up irregularly, and you miss out on XP, treasure, and the right to have a say on what the group does and when it meets.

Dealing with the characters, now that's a pain in the arse. Although, a fantasy campaign should provide lots of options for missing players. The characters:
1. Get played by the DM (mostly as battlebots)
2. Take a plot-appropriate exit
3. Take a fantastic exit. Now, you don't have to pull a Gandalf and fall into a bottomless chasm with a balrog. But the options here are endless. Get absorbed into a gem for safe keeping. Teleport back to the church for "penance." Slip through a magical time-gap... :deadhorse:

[nijineko]

one dm i knew used the "wizard's express". the campaign being run was what the characters were doing "the rest of the time". they were all on tap by this really powerful wizard, so when the wizard wanted them for something, *pop* they disappeared. thus a sort of in-game explaination as to why they would suddenly not be there for a session.

[Aaron Young]

It can also depend on how many days a week you play. If you play 3x a week maybe shortten down to 2x a week.
Or you can use a painlity for lack of notice. For ex. If you don't give enough notice before you call off more tnan once in a month your PC will have exp taken, or your PC will lose a level.....
My DM would do things like that all the time. It wasgood for weeding out the some times player from the serious players..

[DeathByDM]

Wow, you guys really take your gaming seriously. I agree, 6 years ago when my group first started we would get upset if people didn't show.

Now, my group is down to 6 people, including two spouses, so we take what we can get. We only play 4 hours once every two weeks or so, so as DM I try to make it as fun as possible. If someone doesn't show up one week, we understand, as we're all adults with lives outside the game.

Heck, I even give the players that weren't there some xp so they don't get out leveled. It's a game after all. I'd rather everyone have fun than bicker about who was/wasn't there last time.

For those of you who play more often or longer, I can understand being a bit more picky, but I take what I can get.

[Aaron Young]

I see your point but if u play more often it can cause more problems

[mrken]

I truely do understand the life happens, even outside the game, therory. But the social contract we all have towards oneanother is still kind of important. As the GM I spend hours preparing for the game. The ideas do have to come from somewhere and that is my imagination, I have to go there, find the idea and then write it down so as not to forget them. I also paint figures and build terrain features from time to time. Unfortunatly I do have to spend time, but I enjoy it. Now when players don't show and don't bother to let me know, I figure they regard my time as worthless, eventually I wouldn't mind getting rid of them. Sometimes I wonder how they would feel if one day they show up at my house to play and no one is home. I do wonder.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

We are adults and i take commitments as serious as a dwarf. I'm busy as hell but when i commit to something then i WILL be there. So, taking my life and ways into account, i dont except consistent excuses for tardiness. Either you know you can commit or you know you cant. If you cant commit or guarantee an agreed upon date and time, i'm going to drop you. Be an adult is all i ask of members.

Yes, i do realize things come up, but there is a difference with things coming up every once in a while and things coming up consistently. The way i see it, be an adult and tell me you cant participate so as i can find someone who IS willing to commit to take your place at the gaming table.

I will NEVER allow inconsistent players to ruin it for the rest of the players. Why should 5 players and a DM put up with someone like that anyway. Inconsistent folks are just too selfish to tolerate, in my book.

My 2 gold.

[DeathByDM]

True, I agree if someone no-call no-shows it's rude, just as if they were to not show up for a meeting or a dinner date.

I don't think it's necessary to punish them in-game, however. I feel it not only detracts from their fun (and makes them less likely to show up in the future) but also the fun of their party members when they risk a TPK because their characters are weak.

Instead point out that what they did was rude and not something that friends do. If I don't consider someone a friend, I generally won't game with them.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

True, I agree if someone no-call no-shows it's rude, just as if they were to not show up for a meeting or a dinner date.

I don't think it's necessary to punish them in-game, however. I feel it not only detracts from their fun (and makes them less likely to show up in the future) but also the fun of their party members when they risk a TPK because their characters are weak.

Instead point out that what they did was rude and not something that friends do. If I don't consider someone a friend, I generally won't game with them.
Three points:
1...I dont lecture adults on irresponsible behavior.
2...I never said i punish people in-game. Never have and never will. I'm not their parents.
3...I dont punish other players and increase the odds of a TPK because i have to drop one selfish irresponsible gamer from the party.

Just thought id clear up any misunderstanding.

[DeathByDM]

Three points:
1...I dont lecture adults on irresponsible behavior.
2...I never said i punish people in-game. Never have and never will. I'm not their parents.
3...I dont punish other players and increase the odds of a TPK because i have to drop one selfish irresponsible gamer from the party.

Just thought id clear up any misunderstanding.

No misunderstanding. I wasn't talking to anyone in particular.

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

No misunderstanding. I wasn't talking to anyone in particular.
No worries. Your points were valid, DeathByDM, and i do agree with them. Just wanted to clear up any possible misunderstanding. (;

[Aaron Young]

If u say you will be there be there.. Don't get me wrong I know things come up. But if you think you will get bored with the game or DM don't agree to the game.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Most of us have E-mail and most have telephones or know somebody who does, so not notifying the DM when its known you will be a no show unless its a last second emergency is rude, crude, and irresponsible. Some people have to make a great effort to make it to the game, driving 90 miles with a bad back and fighting fatigue, bad roads and weather. When I get there and 2 in town players out of a 5 person group don't show because one went to a beer party and the other went shopping because there was a sale on just leaves a sour taste in the mouth. I'd rather have the players who show up 3 times and drop out. At least you can just write them out of the game and bring in a new player if one is available. If I need to run 2 players I can do that, 3 is a bit of a pain in the glute area but I can do that too till we get a new player in. As a player I try to help the DM by being there, I know what they did to make the game and its unfair to the other players not to make the effort. Some people think a campaign is like a video game that you can drop for a few weeks and then pick up whenever its convenient. To many plans were changed and life situations rearranged so the players could meet at a set time and place. Life happens we know that but when the game is stressed because someone in the group 'just doesn't feel like it this week', that player spits on the group.

[Chavic]

I DM'ed a Star Wars: Saga Edition Game for over three months that was literally killed by attendence. It was no one's fault, I mean RL comes first of course. But one or more players had family come up, a school assignment, an illness, lost a job, or moved, etc etc etc almost every weekend towards the end. I must admit I missed a few games too.

But I could only run side missions or play alternate games fo so long. The players (and me) began to lose track of the story.

Maybe it will be revived some day...

[Geode]

I've had the same thing happen to me. My advice for you: Work with it. You've got a larger group, so there's a chance to have at least one person missing each time. If you don't like having the characters "disappear" every other session, have that person choose someone else to do encounters with that character. But that proxy player doesn't role play that character.

With the regulars, incorporate their background stories into the storyline and build encounters around them. For the irregulars, don't bother with their stories. That's the price you pay for not being a regular.

I always tell my players to tell me ahead of time if they're going to show up or not. In fact, I tell them to tell me as soon as they find out they can't make it. I've even gone as far as to tell them to ask around with everyone in their lives if anything is coming up. Yeah, I'm a bit pushy, but it gets the point across.

We've had a talk about it. I haven't had any problems since. :D In fact, we have a weekly email going where everyone emails me if they have a scheduling problem.

[Talmek]

We formed a new group about a month ago, and unfortunately we missed a session last week due to one of our players' being unable to attend. The only problem was, we didn't have a means to contact one another other than email (and a Google group) and one player travels about an hour one-way to play. In this instance we didn't know a player wasn't going to make it until the hour before, causing the player who traveled the furthest to arrive after the event had been canceled. Needless to say, the player who had already arrived was none-too-pleased, but we corrected the situation through phone numbers.

Now I'm using the Google group to send out a confirmation message, and try to catch any issues with unavailability early. I guess the bottom line is that no matter what means of communication you use with your players, it requires enough courtesy on everyone's part to consistently show up and let everyone know when something comes up that cannot be rescheduled.