In my experience, the every other week thing doesn't work. Games get canceled and you end up missing months. In my experience every week seems to work better.
Unfortunately, weekly sessions aren't in the cards. The whole reason I decided to do bi-weekly sessions was to accommodate a player whose schedule changed at the last minute, so kicking them from the game after adjusting my schedule for them seems a bit gauche. However, even if it weren't, it still wouldn't solve anything. On the weeks when I don't run a game, one of my players DMs Vecna: Eve of Ruin for us, and I thought it would be fun to write a plot point in my game based around his, so now, I can't do weekly sessions without screwing over both our games.
TL;DR: Due to how I set things up for myself, it's every other week or not at all.
So, this is what I've gathered, correct me if I'm wrong:
After the initial session, you did have three sessions, but cancelled them all. Twice because only three out of five players could make it (it's not clear if they're the same people) and once because you made the session about a specific player, and they couldn't make it.
It's August, people are very likely to go away. This is very much Captain Hindsight speaking, but don't start a campaign in August because people are often away, busy with family etc, and that absence sets a bad precedence. I'd have done maybe one shots until September. [...] From what you've said, it sounds like individuals have missed one, maybe two sessions each in the holiday month.
The funny is A: so far, all of my players (5 total) have had to bail one time each, and B: of those 5, only 2 were because of Summertime Shenanigans; the other 3 were all because of power outages, and all on game day.
Don't have sessions completely reliant on one person, because Murphy's Law. If you must, have back up stories to play if they don't turn up.
I think I'll do that going forward if only to have something to do that day beyond moping over not getting to run what I wanted.
Realize that sometimes players won't do what you expect and you can't always run what you want. I had PCs completely decide against a quest. I still had certain non location specific things happen. I then altered an encounter to occur where the PCs are which made for a really awesome encounter. Id say always have a couple alternative things that could happen. Especially being on a VTT. Have a couple generic maps handy.
In my experience, the every other week thing doesn't work. Games get canceled and you end up missing months. In my experience every week seems to work better.
Unfortunately, weekly sessions aren't in the cards. The whole reason I decided to do bi-weekly sessions was to accommodate a player whose schedule changed at the last minute, so kicking them from the game after adjusting my schedule for them seems a bit gauche. However, even if it weren't, it still wouldn't solve anything. On the weeks when I don't run a game, one of my players DMs Vecna: Eve of Ruin for us, and I thought it would be fun to write a plot point in my game based around his, so now, I can't do weekly sessions without screwing over both our games.
TL;DR: Due to how I set things up for myself, it's every other week or not at all.
Then I would definitely run as long as you have 2-3 players. You can't cancel every time 2 players have to cancel or you will never get to run, especially going every other week.
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Unfortunately, weekly sessions aren't in the cards. The whole reason I decided to do bi-weekly sessions was to accommodate a player whose schedule changed at the last minute, so kicking them from the game after adjusting my schedule for them seems a bit gauche. However, even if it weren't, it still wouldn't solve anything. On the weeks when I don't run a game, one of my players DMs Vecna: Eve of Ruin for us, and I thought it would be fun to write a plot point in my game based around his, so now, I can't do weekly sessions without screwing over both our games.
TL;DR: Due to how I set things up for myself, it's every other week or not at all.
Realize that sometimes players won't do what you expect and you can't always run what you want. I had PCs completely decide against a quest. I still had certain non location specific things happen. I then altered an encounter to occur where the PCs are which made for a really awesome encounter. Id say always have a couple alternative things that could happen. Especially being on a VTT. Have a couple generic maps handy.
Then I would definitely run as long as you have 2-3 players. You can't cancel every time 2 players have to cancel or you will never get to run, especially going every other week.