Setting up regular play schedules seems straightforward, but getting everyone to actually stick to them is another story. I've tried everything from Discord bots to shared calendars, but there's always someone who forgets or has "something come up."
What strategies have worked best for you in establishing and maintaining regular play schedules with your team-based gaming groups? Are there specific tools that help with this?
The key to regular play schedules is making them non-negotiable. I set fixed times that work for the core group, and those times never change. If someone can't make those times consistently, they're not a good fit for that particular team-based gaming group.
I use calendar invites with automatic reminders, and I require people to RSVP yes or no at least 24 hours in advance. This creates accountability and helps everyone plan around our regular play schedules.
I've found that involving the team in setting the regular play schedules makes a big difference. Instead of just announcing times, I have everyone submit their availability and we find the overlapping windows.
When people feel like they had input into the schedule, they're more likely to stick to it. We use Doodle polls or When2Meet to find the best times, then lock those in as our permanent regular play schedules.
Automation is everything for regular play schedules. I use Discord bots that post reminders 1 hour before, 15 minutes before, and at start time. I also have Google Calendar integration that syncs with everyone's personal calendars.
The less people have to think about remembering the schedule, the better. When it's automatically integrated into their existing calendar systems, compliance with regular play schedules improves dramatically for team-based gaming groups.