Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Hilarious Memes About Trying To Schedule A Session

With the recent announcement that the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie Honor Among Thieves is getting delayed another 4 weeks into late March 2023, it was something of a familiar feeling to fans of the incredibly successful tabletop game. Nearly everyone has experienced the pain of trying to schedule a session and having to delay it again and again. Naturally, it’s only appropriate that the movie suffers the same fate.

The struggle of arranging a D&D session at a time and place where everyone in the party can make it is something that unites nearly all fans of the TTRPG and tabletop games in general. That’s why fans have produced some hilariously relatable memes on the matter.

The First Boss Fight Of Every D&D Session

To add to the comedy of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves being delayed, scheduling issues have been cited as the reason for switching its release window to a later one as it’s switched slots with Scream 6. That means it’s already encountered one of the game’s most fearsome and well-established foes.

Although it might not quite have the same intimidating appearance as an actual monster in the game, scheduling conflicts are probably the most painful obstacle a party can run into, ruining a campaign before it’s evens started.

There’s Always One Party Member That Can’t Make It

Whilst many play Dungeons & Dragons for moments where the party unites to take on a threat just like the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings, this meme offers a much more realistic version of the scenario given how conversations about scheduling sessions usually go.

Whenever a date is established that almost every player can do, there’s always one annoying player in the party that announces they can’t make it at the last minute. Picturing them as the one guilty voice during a moment when the heroes are committing to work together makes it all the funnier.

The Worst Part Of Being A D&D Player As An Adult

Though everyone wishes they were still a kid with all of the free time in the world to spend with friends playing games, most Dungeons & Dragons players are adults, and that generally means a lot more commitments. Whether it’s work, family, other social commitments, or something else entirely, there’s a lot more to get in the way of playing.

Of course, that doesn’t mean every excuse for not being able to play is a good one. Any GM or game organizer will know that it’s a bit suspicious when there turns out to not be a single free day between an entire group of people, and it can be especially demoralizing to GMs that are new to the game.

The Question Every D&D Player Seems To Dread

In a Dungeons & Dragons game, getting information out of NPCs can be as simple as a persuasion or an intimidation check. Unfortunately, getting specific answers out of people in real life tends to be fraught with a lot more difficulty, especially when that question is when everyone’s free to play.

Usually, the responses to this question range from noncommittal to outright evasive as no one wants to step forward and offer an actual time or date. Although it might not be easy to come up with specific dates when a person is actually free, it’s completely necessary if the conversation is to go anywhere.

The Routine For Scheduling D&D Sessions

Of course, establishing a date when one person can play is just the first hurdle in actually organizing a meet-up, because that’s when the disagreements begin. At this point, the whole process of trying to schedule D&D sessions can feel like a routine in itself of trying to coax people to reveal when they can play.

Whilst there is a ton of resources for helping a player learn Dungeons & Dragons, there’s sadly none to prepare for the levels of negotiation and tact needed to make a session happen in the first place.

Classic Excuses From Players

Even once a time has been decided on, things can still go wrong when trying to schedule a session. Typically, that’s when the problems and excuses start flying in. Though there are plenty of legitimate reasons for being unable to make a session, especially since they can run on for many hours, it’s still one of the most painful experiences for the one organizing.

On top of that, a lot of the excuses given sometimes aren’t that great or that believable. That’s why plenty of perseverance and optimism is required for anyone brave enough to try to be the group’s organizer.

D&D Scheduling Conflicts Can Take Their Toll

Whilst it’s expected that a group of busy people with their own lives would be unable to meet up to play Dungeons & Dragons some weeks and most people are understanding about that, it’s when it drags on even longer that it starts to become a lot more of a pain.

When multiple weeks go by without a clear solution to the scheduling conflicts, or even months, it can start to feel like an impossible challenge and one that will detract too much from the overall experience of the campaign. That’s why it’s important to deal with them before it starts to get out of hand.

A Distant Date Is Still A Date

Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable that sometimes a session will need to be scheduled a little longer in the future to avoid everyone’s immediate commitments and ensure that all of the players can plan for it. Though this meme takes that to an extreme, it does demonstrate the lengths groups sometimes have to go to in order to make sure a D&D session happens.

Of course, having an agreed-upon date is a lot better than the alternative so sometimes even the most impatient of players eager to jump back into a campaign or begin a new one have to accept a date that’s a little further away.

Every DM’s Worst Nightmare

As anyone who’s had to DM for unreliable players knows, agreeing on a date to meet up and having everyone confirm in advance is only really half the battle. Even then, last-minute cancellations can mean that the full party quickly becomes a lot smaller by the time the session actually starts.

One of the most underappreciated aspects of D&D is simply getting everyone together for a session of roleplaying and that also means it’s one of the biggest disappointments when it ends up not happening.

The Good Ending Of Scheduling D&D Sessions

It might be rare but the perfect solution to scheduling issues is simply having a reliable group that manages to keep meeting up regularly despite their busy lives. Persevering and actually managing to play on a consistent basis is the one thing that makes all of the hassles of organizing sessions worth it.

When it does come together, there are few better feelings as the DM or group organizer than knowing that there’s guaranteed to be another session on the way soon after one has just ended.