Scheduling
Our game will follow the general guidelines specified in The Alexandrian’s “Open Table Manifesto”. I’ll be tagging the events in the above calendar with [SP] for sponsered sessions, [RS] for regular sessions, and [OC] for Open calls. Those sponsered sessions which would like to include an open call will simply include both tags: [SP][OC].
In lieu of a more detailed explanation, the following is quoted directly from “Part 3: Organizing Your Open Table”:
For an open table, events tend to break down in two categories.
OPEN CALLS: For an open call, the GM simply announces the date and time of the game. Players then RSVP.
An easy variant of the open call is the REGULAR SESSION: Maybe you play every Tuesday night, for example.
SPONSORED SESSIONS: Alternatively, specific players (or groups of players) can “sponsor” a session by approaching the GM and requesting it. I generally tell players that they should offer me a range of dates and then I can figure out which one works for me. It’s up to them whether they want the sponsored session to also include an open call to fill any empty seats or if it’s an “exclusive” event just for them.
The reasons for sponsored sessions can arise from either the game world or the metagame. For example, I’ve run sponsored sessions in order to “explore the Temple of Elemental Evil”, “retrieve Varla’s corpse”, or “to go back for the rest of that treasure before anybody else snatches it”. I’ve also run sponsored sessions because Steve was in town, for a bachelor party, because we all happened to be drunk at the time, and because somebody was bored and wanted something to do on a Tuesday night.
