I've heard that it's possible to change the number of players while in game. (someone might be late, or has to go early)

Did you ever do that, and how?

Thanks

Just change the stats as if the game had taken place with X players instead of X+1 or X-1. If you are over the limits (e.g. too many Gates or too many monsters on the streets) you are allowed to continue as if you were playing with X players, until you've gotten back down to the normal limits.

Agreed. Most of the player-number-dependent variables in the game have to do with victory/GOO awakening, so if someone arrives late or leaves early you just adjust the target numbers and continue like nothing happened. The few other things that change, like Jake said, just ignore the new limit until the current board state becomes legal again (if applicable.)

I would have someone else control that character. Maybe it can be a "community" character that everyone has a stake in. Or if that doesn't work...

I actually modify the monster/outskirts limit immediately. Sometimes that requires moving a monster to the outskirts (if a player leaves) or raising the terror level by 1 (if a new player enters). The new gate limit would also take effect immediately, but if that results in the AO awakening (from a new player coming into the game) then I would do what the above posters have proposed: playing the old limit until either a gate is closed—you're now at the real limit, or another gate is opened—you're now fighting the AO.

Adding a new investigator, we adjust everything immediately. Losing an investigator , we actually just have someone hydra two investigators instead of dropping down. And if we do down for any reason, we keep the game state at the orignal number of investigators. That way we can't have someone "drop" just to increase the game limit or some other such nonsense.

Thanks a lot,

Bullying somone away just to win the game is a bad idea indeed. Just deleting a player if he leaves sounds a bit odd.