Hey there,
I’m interested in how you handle the disappearance of character’s after a low roll on the Exertion table. Having a character disappear for 3d6 months can interrupt the flow of the game. The other characters may want to continue going on adventures. You may want to incorporate the last adventure into a campaign. And so on.
Do you simply skip the time? Do you let the player roll a new character for the time being? Do you hand out a character from the support cast? Do you even roll for exertion between missions when you know you want to play a longer campaign?
I’m interested in your answers.
Personally, I would skip the time and reintroduce events and characters the respective players visited afterwards. I think it makes the whole situation a bit more interesting and lessens the de-dramatizing effect of skipping time. Since the mechanic is clearly a nod to Porthos’ many disappearances in the Three Musketeers, this approach seems right. Additionally, you have an effective tool to introduce twists and quest givers without the problem of coming up with a reason for them to be there in the first place.
Cheers and stay safe!