Lunchtime Poll #3: Imperfect Attendance deals with player and GM accounts of:
How do you cope with the absence of a player, either in a single session or repeated absences?
I really don't like the way my current FtF Amber GM does it, which is to place the PCs without players "in a coma." It's gotten so bad, the LintKing has snickered about renaming the world, "Narcolepsia." I keep complaining that I had actually ranked in Endurance.
On the other hand, I have to admit that while I may not like his methodology, I'm responsible when I miss a game. One of the things I love about the Phoenyx is that the folks there stress that the GM is in the same position of responsibility as if he or she were an employee of their organization. It puts things in a very different perspective than "a bunch of folks who may or may not get together, oh, say, probably on Sunday..." which is how many of my FtF groups have done it.
On the other hand, I don't like the "box" method, either, where the characters are along, just "stuck in this magical stasis box until the players return." It just suggests the characters are only animated when their puppeteer is available. Turning them into NPCs loses player control in the sense of, "So, what did I do last week, Bob?" "You were bit by a werebeaver at the height of a full moon." "What?!?" "Well, you said, `I'm a tree! Bite me, beaver boy!' and he, um, did." "That's not like Joe. Joe would have said, `My similarity to an arboreal is pronounced,' IF he would ever say such a thing which he wouldn't! What were you thinking?"
So, is there a good alternative? Maybe. I think each case really depends first on the in-game circumstances. If we left off the last session in a fight, I assume the character in question defends him/her/itself. Maybe they keep the camp going in the dungeon. Passing over it is acceptable up to the point where the character IF it were played by the player would be likely to intervene. Then, I think it's important to know what the players as a whole would like to do.