How to Handle Missing Players in Tabletop RPGs

What do you do when a player can’t make it to game night?

by Marx Pyle February 23, 2026

What do you do when a player can’t make it to game night? Cancel the session? Run a side quest? Hand-wave them into the background? In this episode of Art of the Game, we tackle one of the most common challenges every Game Master faces: missing players at the table. Joined by Dain Little, Game Master and Voice Actor, we dig into practical, table-tested strategies for keeping your tabletop RPG campaign moving forward when life pulls players away. Whether you’re running D&D, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Monster of the Week, or any long-form campaign, this conversation is packed with useful, actionable advice.

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Marx is the author of the non-fiction book Television on the Wild Wild Web, co-host of the podcast GenreTainment, co-host of DC Action Hour on YouTube, and creator of web series/films. He has been a panelist at various conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con, Boston Comic Con, Gen Con, and Dragon Con. As a professor, he teaches script analysis & film production. Click over to MarxPyle.com to learn more about him.

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