Main and supporting

I think this is a great idea, and I would love to do it, but I anticipate much resistance. Basically, right now one of the main reasons we have so many players is that we have so many absences. Having such a large number of players can make certain kinds of games (combat heavy ones especially) very difficult to run.

What I propose in this kind of game is that a small number of players (2-4) are deemed main characters. These players have recurring characters they play when they are present. The game will not commence if more than one main character cannot attend. Every other player is a supporting player. They do not have a character of their own, instead they are the important NPCs for that session. Sometimes they may be with the players, sometimes against them.

In any case, the supporting players can skip as much as they want and there is no effect on the story. Also they get a chance to play a wide variety of roles, possibly even creating a lot of different characters and participating in the back story and plot.