I’m running a game with a Star, and they’ve missed the last two sessions due to computer issues. In these two sessions, the team managed to take out a notorious supervillain (who, like the Star, is a popular new-media sensation), something which nobody (especially not me, the GM) would have ever expected them to do.
Obviously, this would make waves in the media, and it feels like the logical response of the press would be “well, where was the Star during all this?” This is also apropos due to the in-character explanation being that they’re in the hospital after picking a fight with a much-more-powerful supervillain to appease their needy audience.
However, I feel like directly giving them consequences for missing out (even if it’s something like marking a condition) is somewhat mean, since they had no control over the computer issues. What do you think is a good balance between not punishing the player for things out of their control, and getting affected by the fallout of missing a major triumph of the team?
I think this is a good time to talk things out with the player; they might have some good ideas of their own that build the story up. You have a better read on them than I, but I suspect most creative gamers will also want to address the question of “where was the Star?”
A decent place to bring this up might be at the start of the session–asking them questions, and building on the answers. With the player’s cooperation, you could build some cool storylines out of this.
Write a love letter based on the whirlwind press and PR tour they just finished making.
Remember the rule of Be a Fan of your PCs.
If you frame things in terms of giving the Star extra spotlight, rather than consequences for missing a session, you can make it awesome and fun that even their absence helped move the story along and helped to shape the world they live in.
As Andy Hauge said, ask them questions to get their buy-in. Ask them what the media is saying about their conspicuous absence in the fight against the notorious villain. Maybe they’ll suggest something surprising and then it won’t feel like you’re picking on them because the idea was their own.
I feel like I conveyed something poorly. Everyone knows where he was – in the hospital, after getting his ass handed to him. It’s not about what excuse to use – it’s whether I should have his absence effect his publicity or no.
There’s also the fact that me and the rest of the players have decided not to tell the Star exactly what happened. But I think that the “get their input” is good – current plan is to show them the news, show the reaction of the general public, and then ask the Star how their fans are reacting.