How to Keep a Game Going When Players Keep Leaving

By Mike the Tavernkeeper, who’s rebuilt more parties than a noble with too many cousins

“Another One’s Gone? That’s the Third This Month!”

I once ran a campaign that lost six players in ten sessions. One fell in love. One moved to a new city. One vanished into the woods and became a professional tree listener (don’t ask). The others just ghosted like poltergeists with commitment issues.

But the game? Kept going.

If yer sittin’ behind the screen and watchin’ yer table bleed players like a wounded kobold army, ya might be tempted to call it quits. I get it. It’s hard to run a story when the cast keeps changin’, when backstories get abandoned, and when yer rogue’s replacement shows up not knowin’ what a d20 is.

But lemme tell ya, lad — ya don’t cancel the ale just because the first three mugs cracked.

Ya learn to patch. To pivot. To make it part of the story.

“Yer Table’s Not Dead. It’s Just Moltin’.”

👉 Want to keep the game rollin’ even when yer players drop like flies? Step into Mike’s Tavern and rebuild like a battle-hardened GM:
https://www.mikes-tavern.com/gm-wisdom
https://www.mikes-tavern.com/about-mikes-tavern

What To Do When Yer Table Keeps Shedding Players

1. Build Sessions That Can Flex

When yer party’s unstable, you can’t plan like yer writing a twelve-part opera. Plan like yer tellin’ tavern tales — one wild story at a time. Focus on modular arcs that work whether yer rogue’s there or not.

Need help building plug-and-play plot chunks? Take this one straight from the Toolshed:
👉 A Dungeon Built to Punish the Greedy, Not the Weak

2. Normalize the Exit

Don’t treat player departures like betrayal. Treat it like travel. “Ah, Thargan had to return to his homeland to train young warriors.” Done. Keep it graceful. It gives returning players a way back in — and helps new ones slot in without drama.

3. Bake in Transience

Design yer world like it expects people to come and go. Traveling guilds. Rotating merc squads. A haunted tavern (ahem) that recruits adventurers by accident. Story should flow, even when the cast don’t.

4. Lean on NPCs to Fill Gaps

Too few players? Bring in a helpful hireling, talking sword, or overly opinionated goat. Give ‘em personality — not to steal the spotlight, but to support the group while the roster recovers.

Need good plug-in characters? These two were made for fill-in chaos:
👉 The Goblin Cleric Who Hates Healing but Does It Anyway
👉 The Paladin Who Can’t Lie but Carries a Shield That Does

“Campaigns Don’t Die — They Just Need New Blood”

👉 Learn the fine art of game CPR, only here in Mike’s Tavern — where campaigns go to get bandaged, not buried:
https://www.mikes-tavern.com/contact
https://www.mikes-tavern.com/faq
https://www.mikes-tavern.com/tavern-etiquette

When to Let the Campaign Go

Even Mike knows when to put the scroll down. Sometimes, too much has changed. If half the group’s gone, the plot’s a wreck, and yer tired of duct-taping logic together — it might be time to end the campaign with style and start fresh.

But don't quit too early. Most GMs give up too fast, thinkin’ the game’s over just because the wizard dropped out to chase squirrels IRL. Nah. Ya still got a table. Use it.

If it’s lookin’ rough, salvage it like this:
👉 How to Fix a Game That’s Starting to Fall Apart

And don’t forget the social glue:
👉 https://www.mikes-tavern.com/tavern-etiquette

FAQ

Q: What if only one or two players are left?
A: Then ya run a duo campaign. Tighten the story, make it personal, and treat it like a campfire story with knives.

Q: Should I pause the game until everyone returns?
A: Only if yer confident they will return. Otherwise, adjust and keep movin’. A paused campaign is a dead campaign wearin’ makeup.

Q: How do I bring new players in without makin’ it awkward?
A: Use a hook that fits the story — a rescue, a letter, a debt owed. Make the world invite them, not just the GM.