Scheduling

I am back on campus! This means that I am one step closer to starting up the campaign (obviously). So far I have heard support but One thing that everyone seems to be concerned with is getting it started once more. With that being said, I feel that talking about timing and scheduling is important. So far, everyone I have heard from has been able to set aside saturdays for game days. This I feel is crucial as the afternoon of Saturday generally is the most free for anyone.

One thing I am concerned with is the obligations people may have once classes start up once more. With that being said, it's easy to plan ahead and say "yes, saturdays are taken" but once group meetings and other such things must be scheduled, it is likely that D20 time will be one of the first planned events to be dropped. Not that I highly expect the group to be fluxuating in who attends but rather how the deal with these issues. As a past DM/GM, I have always been uncertain as to how to advance a game when someone is not there.

At times, I feel that it is prudent to not give the player the experience they would have earned, other times, that same EXP is crucial for what I have planned. Ultimately, the group I run for probably won't have to worry about missing out on EXP. I hope to provide enough chances to gain small amounts of EXP here and there to keep the game running smoothly. If anything, I want to avoid having players fall behind. This just makes one person feel singled out in the group and holds it back.

So when a player can't make a few meetings in a row and the game must go on, what's a GM to do? Anyone have any thoughts to share? I am all ears!