I HAD TO GO BECAUSE... Helps D&D Dungeon Masters Temporarily Write Out a Character

If you have ever played Dungeons & Dragons, you know the struggle of trying to get your group together. Someone always has plans that prevent the group from furthering their adventure. This leads many DMs to either find a creative way around a missing player (or two) or the group just eventually disbands after not being able to play for months. In the current game I DM, it’s online and the struggle is a big problem as we’re in different time zones. That’s why I have a big enough party that missing one or two players won’t lead to a TPK (total party kill), and I invented my own way of making the characters unavailable for that night’s adventure.

If you are struggling with coming up with an excuse for your players to be absent, there’s a new supplement on DMs Guild that will help you. I Had To Go Because… is written by Ashley May and uses a character’s background to help a DM determine why the character is missing. What’s more is that some of the reasons work well for either short (1-2 sessions) or long (3+ sessions) absences. What’s better is that May suggests that DMs could turn these excuses into small one-on-one adventures to further that character’s story or even get cool magic items.

With the cost of the unofficial supplement only being $2.95, I would recommend DMs pick up I Had To Go Because… for that one person who is always finding a reason to not show up.