There are several reasons to need to cancel a game. After more than a year of playing a few dedicated games of D&D every week, I listed my main reasons for cancellations in my games. Remember that these reasons are based on my experiences with online play only. 

• A player or multiple players canceled.
• I was feeling sick.
• Schedule changes
• Players were late or unresponsive.
• I was called into work.
• Emergencies to do with the group.
• Internal Changes in the game itself.

If you want to know how to continue a game when a disruption occurs, click this link. In this article, I aim to discuss your options for dealing with these factors in your games as a Dungeon Master and help you determine when to cancel your session. 

You Should Probably Cancel When…

Multiple Players Canceled. 

Major bummer. But it happens! When multiple players cancel, you must determine how many players you have. 

• 3-4 players: You should cancel. Half of the party canceling the game will lead to the DM playing with themselves. Alternatively, you could do individual one-on-one games with your active players instead. Soon I will have an article up detailing my best practices for a one-on-one game. 
• 5-6 players: I recommend communicating with everyone to determine if they want to continue playing the game or wait for the others. If no one answers, cancel the game. If there is interest from the other players, keep it going. 
• *7 + players: You should continue playing, you mad lad! 

Players are late or unresponsive, and they haven’t communicated: 

This is a very worrying event. Your players could have had a terrible thing happen to them, or hopefully, it’s something as simple as not looking at the time. After all, they each have their own lives to lead. Try contacting them directly and determine if you can reach them. If only one person does this, by all means, continue the game without them. If multiple people do this, I recommend canceling to work on the game internally. DMs ultimately need to make their own determination when this event occurs. Suppose this happens with a particular player for multiple sessions. In that case, you may want to evaluate whether they belong in your game. Thankfully, I’ve never had to do this, and I hope you don’t either! 

You, The DM, Are Called Into Work or Family Matter:

Nothing you can do when life calls you back to tend to critical matters. Remember that playing dedicated D&D means you’ve made the conscious decision to dedicate a few hours of your life to playing D&D. Of course, when you need to pay the bills or care for a sick parent, you cannot control everything perfectly. Work is a leading reason why I must cancel my games. –But let me state that I very rarely let it happen. 

At my current job, I iterate to them just how vital my set days are to me. As a DM, it’s ultimately your responsibility to communicate with your job’s supervisor about your scheduling needs. I firmly believe nobody should work a job that doesn’t let them work on a consistent schedule. If this isn’t addressed, I think it will be tough for a DM to consistently play their game long-term. Similarly, you must ensure your family understands your boundaries and hobbies. Good luck! 

* I’ve had moments where my job started calling me to work almost weekly! Eventually, I told them I wouldn’t come in that day, and they stopped. I am fortunate to have a very understanding employer with an excellent boss. I feel it’s a respectful relationship. If you have to have any reason, all you need to tell them is that you have an appointment scheduled that day. –Because you literally do. Your appointment is to play some D&D with your friends!

You, The DM, are feeling sick (And Playing At A Table):

You should call the session off. While I’m sure it would be fun to raise the dead in a game of Dungeons & Dragons, it’s not fun to make others feel like the rising dead because you had the flu. This goes for players too. If you are unwell, stay home! 

*Alternatively, you could switch your D&D game to online play for that session. I will write an article soon detailing how to get an online game started quickly and for free so you can focus on playing instead of infecting your friends! 

A Group Emergency Happened. 

Many types of emergencies would affect the dynamics of your D&D group. Sometimes someone has a death in the family and needs to leave for a while. Maybe someone was injured in the group. Whatever that group emergency is, the prevailing feeling from everyone is that play would feel forced and not enjoyable. I recommend canceling the session, at least for that week, and openly communicating with everyone affected. 

Internal Changes In The Game Occurred Or Will Occur. 

Did you come up with an entirely epic storyline that needs further development? Are players pining you for something new & tasty for their D&D games in the future? What if you found a significant glitch in the game that may destroy what you’ve worked to cultivate? 

Cancel, cancel, cancel the session! –And use that time to develop what you need to update. You will thank yourself for doing it; I’m sure your players will too. Sometimes it makes sense to pause a project, like a dedicated game, so you can view it from all sides and make the necessary changes.

A Major Disruption Happened In Game. 

There are a variety of disruptions, but the worst ones will be the ones that cannot be worked around or ignored. These types of troubles include: 

• An outburst from a player or multiple players affected everyone’s enjoyment of the game.
• Power Outages.
• An act of God (Like an electric fire or a tree falling on your roof).

These disruptions are the ones that are entirely out of your control as a DM. Sometimes people aren’t in the best mood, or a lightning storm happens, and you must cancel the game. Whatever the reason, always communicate to your players why you need to cancel. I’m sure they’ll understand. 

In particular, whenever an outburst from a player or players occurs, it should be treated promptly and seriously, as it could affect the future of your game moving forward. Later, I will write an article detailing how to set up your games for success by having a strict but fair set of rules. It will be linked here. 

What Would Make You Cancel A D&D Game? 

Of course, there are several other reasons why you would cancel a D&D game. Every dungeon master has their own issues, obstacles, and pool of players with different needs and wants. There’s gotta be a random hodge-podge of specific reasons to cancel your game. The list I provided was merely a general summary of some of my most common issues. 

So what would make you cancel your game? Leave a comment below. 

I hope you enjoyed the read.