Reflections on scheduling - Part 2
My players felt rather strongly that the Game Master should be the social hub and in charge of logistics, such as scheduling. I, on the other hand, felt that the GM is just another person at the table - simply one with a different set of responsibilities.
As part of that conversation, I supported the idea that everyone involved in roleplaying should take a proactive approach to logistics, rather than having everything weigh down on the GM. If the GM forgets to schedule, it doesn't mean they are not available. Hashtag GMs are humans too.
Once everyone cooled off and we agreed on some rules for our group, I had a drifting thought: "Is this the case in the larger hobby, too?"
Part one already covered why I think "trad" games lead to the GM being the center of the universe, and how player expectations often align with that. I promised I would write about how I think other traditions influence scheduling as well.
So, what about the other traditions?
Aside from my offline group, I also play quite a bit with a group I met online through the Blades in the Dark Discord server. I was privileged enough to meet people I resonated with from the get-go. One single LFG post later, and they've been my main group ever since.
Story / Narrative Games
Even though we’ve explored quite a few types of games together, I'd say everyone leans mostly toward story games. This means they are used to sharing responsibility for the world. While whoever GMs still acts as a "Master of Ceremonies" of sorts, it is not uncommon for players to chime in with various details about the world. (We usually rotate GMs when our main lead doesn't feel like running anything).
With this anecdote in mind - and knowing that mechanics in story games tend to change the fiction directly through the use of meta-tokens - it leads me to believe that story gamers are used to taking a collaborative approach not only to fiction, but to logistics as well. When the GM isn't the sole authority and open dialogue is nurtured, wouldn't it make sense for scheduling to be approached as a conversation, too?
At the very least, I know for a fact my online group often gives me reminders when I forget to schedule something. We also have a handy tool we use, which I'll include at the end of this post.
Old School-Revival
Now, the thing about OSR is that I haven't explored it in great detail, but my presumption is that because OSR players are so keen on solving challenges, they would treat scheduling as one, too. If one part of the "scheduling machine" (the social group) does not work as intended, I imagine someone else will step up to address the question: "When do we play?"
Of course, OSR tends to be more generous with GM fiat. The famous OSR principle - "rulings, not rules" - essentially paints GM fiat as part of the design. At the same time, the relationship is very different from that of "trad" players and their GMs. OSR GMs are often called referees, they are not "gods" in relation to the fiction, and their stories are not things to be defended until the last drop of sweat. That's because, most of the time, there is no story planned beforehand. It emerges at the table.
My point is that OSR players really trust their GMs to do the right thing. Perhaps, if the GM misses the usual scheduling day, the assumption isn't "Oh, we're not playing anymore." I imagine those players would be more generous and extend the courtesy of asking, "Hey, we noticed you didn't mention when we're playing next. Are you available?"
It feels important to mention Open Tables and West Marches too. These aren't exclusive to OSR, as any tradition can adopt these styles of play. What makes them interesting, however, is that players often go to the GM rather than waiting for the GM to come to them. The question becomes "Could you run a session for us?". This leans nicely into what I said in my previous post about asking the restaurant if they can cook for you, rather than assuming an irrevocable "no."
In order to sync everyone's schedules, I recommend using a dedicated tool such as When2Meet, Timeful, or Rally. In case you play online, HammerTime or any other Discord timestamp tool can do wonders for timezone management.