I'm running an online game with some friends that's going on 2 years now, and could use some advice for how to handle a player who's been very unreliable.

I run a small game of only 3 players (that's how many I could get, sadly). Two are very reliable (unless they suddenly fall sick, they rarely miss a game without at least a week's notice), and one player who I knew going in would be a bit unreliable because of his work. He very often tells me last minute "Sorry, they need me for overtime a lot this week" with maybe a day's warning at best or has to duck out mid-game to answer an after-hours work call, or there's so much traffic that he's over half an hour late, etc.

I figured I could make it work regardless, have him sometimes off doing his own thing away from the other characters, unless it was a majorly important session. And for a while it worked, and I had lots of patience, and even was cool with a few sudden cancellations because it let me get more last minute prep in.

But as we start getting into the part of the story where major plot stuff is happening, his absences are gumming things up more and more as they keep happening on critical sessions, and we have to keep doing last minute rescheduling, which plays havoc with the other players who often have busy schedules.

And this week things just came to a head in way that really frustrated me.

After like 3 separate "Oop, sorry, someone can't make it, major unforeseen real life issue"s, I got to run a critical dungeon, full of puzzles and lore and stuff that I spent ages prepping. It went super well, and as we planned the boss for next session, we realized that people had major stuff coming up in a few weeks and would need a hiatus. So next week was critical, and we all seemed to agree we'd make it.

And then, when I put out a vibe check for game this week, in case my unreliable player had some last minute OT or something... He goes "Wait, I thought I told you I had this other thing planned since a while ago!".

He had not told us. At least, not within the last few weeks, DEFINITELY not when I said "Hopefully next session we can wrap the boss before y'all head out! Think y'all can make it?" last session.

So now we're on at least a 3 week hiatus, the characters suspended before a climactic point, all momentum lost, after multiple weeks of "Someone's sick, or something major's in the way", and it's very frustrating.

I like the player a lot as a friend, and he's decent enough to have in-game (although he almost never engages with any of the content made FOR his character, and is mostly a comic relief goober)... But this last incident made me start to re-evaluate his invitation, because it's starting to really frustrate me, and at least one other player.

I've made a dedicated scheduling channel in our discord and told everyone to post any availability changes there so we can all see it, and I'm thinking of telling the player that if this kind of "woops, sorry, forgot to tell you" incident happens again I may need to disinvite him, and that we may just forge ahead without his character for major sessions if he can't make it.

Am I being reasonable with that? Too reasonable? Any other advice you can yeet my way?

So my mother is turning 60 this year. For it she wants a clue themed party with an actual murder mystery game. I've designed all the characters, weapons and motives, but I'm stuck on how to probably go about the discovery.

So right now the suspects are all females as she wanted a ladies only party. The suspects are all being blackmailed by a Lady Black (my mother's character). The suspects and their reasons for blackmail are:

Admiral Peacock: Weapons dealing.

Miss Peach: Selling government secrets.

Dr. White: Affair with a patient.

Madame Poppy: Three husband's who mysteriously died.

Mademoiselle Orchid: Posing as a fact medium.

Professor Scarlett: Art fraud.

The butler of Lady black, Butler Grey, is also a suspect as Lady black used the butler to get information to blackmail everyone with.

Every suspect is some how tied with another. Lady black and the bultet, the Admiral is working with Peach, the doctor's lover is Poppy's latest husband, and Orchid is a friend to the Professor.

I've written a series of letters showing what each person is being blackmailed for, and letters from one part to the other in order to show their bonds.

Now the weapons are: Candle stick, dagger, hammer, poison, revolver and rope.

Because of the venue, I'm unfortunately forgoing the place the murder happened and replacing it with a motive. Each person is being black mailed, but the reason for the murder isn't directly tied to the blackmail.

So by random pick, the murderer is Professor Scarlett with the hammer because of Orchid. The Professor's friend can't afford the black mail fee and has sold all that they own save a painting the Professor gave them. The Professor doesn't want their friend to know their a fraud, so they kill Lady black to cover up their own crime and to stop the blackmailing outright.

What I need help with is how do I make it seem like one person did it, but it was actually another. Professor Scarlett will be the killer, but I want to make them think it was actually Butler Grey who did it. Lady black confessed that she used her loyal butler to get the information and the butler is highly displeased by that. I want it to be a "is it one or the other?" but I'm struggle on how. I don't want to rely on letters alone, but how do I physically make it seem like its either of them.

All you beautiful minds on reddit! I need help please!