If a game absence is prearranged, he'll NPC the character with no problems, as long as the absence isn't prolonged. (I don't remember if that character receives 50% xp for any encounters while being NPCd or not; I think that is the case, though.) So, if you're going to be out of town for a week, with no internet access, then he'll NPC your character until you return and you'll mostly benefit from whatever happens in your absence. If you want him to NPC your character for two months, though, I don't think you'll get any benefits from whatever happens in your absence, even at 50%.rredmond wrote:How does RC handle player activity?
If the player simply doesn't respond in a timely manner (48 hours in general, though it also depends on the current pace of the game), he assumes their character is scared into inactivity/paralyzed with fear/asleep/picking four leaf clovers/whatever and continues on without them. I think he said he'll let one or two rounds/response requests like that go by with not much penalty (excepting the fact that their character isn't taking any actions to assist the rest of the party, which might make other party members mad). He does not NPC their character through those actions.
(I did not ask why re: this method, but I could surmise this creates a minor amount (i.e. a positive amount) of peer pressure. If you don't take any actions, and the GM doesn't "fill in" for you, then you do nothing. It won't take long before the rest of the party either writes you off because they can't count on you or they start pestering you to take actions because you aren't carrying your weight in the campaign. Again, we didn't discuss that; it is just an extrapolation on my part.)
But after that, one of his Experience Point rules kicks in. It is: XP is given for participating in encounters; not replying nets you no XP!
In short (too late for that, Al), if you don't participate, then he doesn't let it slow the game down, but you don't get any XP, either.