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So I have my monthly TOR session on tonight - we are most of the way through Theft of the Moon, a fabulous introduction to TOR. This will be our seventh session - amazing how a 3-4(?) hour adventure can be dragged out so much, however this is the first RPG for three players and first intro to TOR for two more.
Lots of setting the scene at Stonyford and narration by myself early on. As many of our players are very musical, the night before the session involving the musical Trial - The Lay of the Moon - I asked the players to contribute a song or some other appropriate performance at the session. We had a great session with poems read, songs sung with and without musical accompaniment, tunes played - it was more of a concert!

The company are partway through the Journey from Stonyford to the Falrock - they are 2 days along at the Old Ford. Two Fatigue tests to come - which may result in some Hazards, but I can't count on them.
However of the six players, two now can't come so I'm going to have to decide whether to 1) carry on as planned with Fatigue tests and the pursuit and possible combat with the thieves, 2) come up with some kind of additional activity for the characters which hopefully doesn't deprive the absentees of the finale near or at the Falrock or 3) some unrelated boardgame.....

I now intend to go with some campaign related activities - at least one Fatigue test then maybe some skirmishing with nearby dudes from the Misty Mountains which will give us all some practice with the Combat rules.

I can use some time to introduce new character sheets (Zedturtle's latest - ta!) and some Trait/Reward/Virtue/Blessing reminder cards and extracts from Richard Harrison's Guide to Trait Usage that I've made up for each character.

Finally onto my question - what have other LM's done when some players are absent? Have you carried on regardless? Inserted interesting but campaign-irrelevant activities for the characters?

Thanks
Michael

I'm not a LM but when I've read session reports, most seem to come up with in game reports as to why those adventurers weren't there, carry on with what they were going to do anyway, perhaps lessen some of the obstacles, and then come up with in game reasons when the adventurers re-emerge.

Yeah, I usually have missing player-heroes fade into the background... they don't get called on in Encounters, targeted in Combat and auto-pass their Fatigue tests. It's easy enough to imagine that they're just off-screen, perhaps doing something useful but we are just not focused on them right now.

As for the actual interlude, I'd be wary of doing anything directly related to the Viglundings. But that doesn't mean that there aren't other threats... wolves, goblins, weather. Perhaps they come across a trader arguing with Shanker, accusing him of stealing his wares. Could be some fun Encounters as the heroes learn the truth (maybe Gollum was the true thief).

Have fun no matter what you do!

Thanks Finrod and zed.
Spoiler Kurt - no reading!

In the end the company headed west over the Old Ford with the best wishes of the guard and some advice from their commander. They continued west past until they were well away from the river and past boggy ground when they struck off to the north after the thieves. However after a while whilst scouting ahead, the Woodman scout saw signs of disturbances to the north and the Elven lookout also heard sounds of Goblin voices.
They moved carefully west staying in cover and came across a group of Orc soldiers and Goblin archers who were concentrating on something to the south. In their first combat, the company sprang an ambush and with initiative they eliminated all but one Goblin archer in the first melee round.
What were the Orcs and Goblins watching? A caravan coming down from the High Pass with several Hobbits heading towards the Old Ford and beyond - with ideas about setting up an Inn somewhere....