Exceptions & Overrides

What Are Exceptions?

Exceptions are changes to your normal availability for specific dates. They override your weekly pattern without permanently changing it.

Use exceptions for:

• Conventions and game expos
• Holidays and family gatherings
• Travel or vacation days
• One-time events that block your usual game time

Exception Types

Unavailable

Marks an entire day as unavailable, regardless of your weekly pattern.

When to use:

• Convention weekends where you'll be playing other games
• Family holidays
• Travel days
• Days you need to recharge

What happens:

• Your weekly pattern is ignored for this date
• You appear as unavailable all day
• Groups see this in availability heat maps
• Smart scheduling excludes this date

Available

Marks a day as available when you normally wouldn't be.

When to use:

• You have unexpected free time
• Special sessions you don't want to miss
• Covering for another player
• Holiday weekends where you're actually free

What happens:

• Overrides your weekly pattern
• You appear available for your default time slots
• Groups can schedule you for this date

Modified

Changes your availability hours for a specific day.

When to use:

• Partial availability (morning only, evening only)
• Different hours than usual
• Events that block part of your day
• Days with unusual schedules

What happens:

• Your specified hours replace your normal pattern
• Only those hours show as available
• Other times are marked unavailable

Adding Exceptions

Single Date Exception

1. Go to Settings > Availability > Exceptions tab
2. Click Add Exception
3. Select the date
4. Choose Away (unavailable) or Free (available, overriding your usual week). For custom hours, use Add Exception on the dashboard's schedule, which has time fields
5. Add an optional note (for your reference)
6. Click Add Exception

Date Range Exception

For multi-day events like conventions or vacations:

1. Go to Settings > Availability > Exceptions tab
2. Click Add Exception
3. Toggle Date Range
4. Select start date and end date
5. Choose Away or Free
6. The exception applies to all dates in the range
7. Click Add Exceptions

Quick Add from Calendar

You can also add exceptions directly from your availability calendar:

1. View your availability calendar
2. Click on any date
3. Select Add Exception
4. The date is pre-filled
5. Choose type and details
6. Save

Managing Exceptions

Viewing Exceptions

Your exceptions are displayed in multiple places:

Exceptions List

• Go to Settings > Availability > Exceptions tab
• See all upcoming and past exceptions
• Filter by type or date range
• Sort by date or creation time

Calendar View

• Exceptions appear with special indicators
• Unavailable days are shaded/crossed out
• Modified days show a badge
• Available exceptions show a highlight

Editing Exceptions

To modify an existing exception:

1. Find the exception in your list or calendar
2. Click Edit
3. Modify the type, dates, or hours
4. Save changes

Deleting Exceptions

To remove an exception:

1. Find the exception
2. Click Delete or the trash icon
3. Confirm deletion
4. Your weekly pattern resumes for that date

Exception Priorities

When multiple settings could apply, EventMoot uses this priority order:

1. Date Exception (highest priority)
2. Group Override (group-specific settings)
3. Weekly Pattern (your base schedule)

This means:

• An exception always wins over your pattern
• Group overrides can't override your exceptions
• Your pattern is only used when no exception exists

Common Scenarios

Convention Weekend

Scenario: Gen Con is Thursday through Sunday

1. Add a date range exception
2. Type: Unavailable
3. Start: Thursday of Gen Con
4. End: Sunday of Gen Con
5. Reason: "Gen Con 2025"

Result: You're marked unavailable for all your regular games that weekend. Your groups see this in their heat maps and won't try to schedule you.

Late Arrival to Game Night

Scenario: You have dinner plans but can still make the late session

1. Add a single date exception
2. Type: Modified
3. Date: The specific day
4. Hours: 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM (your Night slot only)
5. Reason: "Dinner plans, available late"

Result: You're only available for the late-night portion. If your group usually starts at 7 PM, they'll know you can join later.

Bonus Free Day

Scenario: You're normally unavailable Sundays, but this Sunday is clear

1. Add a single date exception
2. Type: Available
3. Date: The specific Sunday
4. Leave hours as default (uses your time slots)

Result: This Sunday, you appear available during your usual time slots. Great for one-shots or special sessions.

Monthly Conflict

Scenario: You have a recurring obligation on the second Saturday of every month

For recurring conflicts, you have two options:

Option A: Modify your pattern

• Remove Saturday from your pattern entirely
• Add Available exceptions for the Saturdays you're free
• Best if you're unavailable more often than available

Option B: Add multiple exceptions

• Keep Saturday in your pattern
• Add Unavailable exceptions for the specific dates
• Better if you're usually available

Holiday Season

Scenario: Family visits and holiday chaos from Dec 20 - Jan 2

1. Add a date range exception
2. Type: Unavailable
3. Start: December 20
4. End: January 2
5. Reason: "Holiday season"

Result: Your groups know you're out for the holidays. They can plan their session zero or holiday one-shot around your absence.

Bulk Exception Creation

For adding many exceptions at once:

1. Go to Settings > Availability > Exceptions tab
2. Click Bulk Add
3. Select multiple dates (click each date)
4. Choose the exception type
5. All selected dates get the same exception
6. Save

This is useful for:

• Convention season (multiple events)
• Holiday schedules
• Known conflicts throughout the year
• Blocking out a series of dates

Reason Field

The optional reason field helps you remember why you added an exception:

Good reasons:

• "PAX West"
• "Family reunion"
• "Moving weekend"
• "Campaign finale with other group"

Benefits:

• Only visible to you
• Helps when reviewing old exceptions
• Useful for planning around recurring events

Best Practices

Plan Ahead

Add known exceptions as soon as you know about them:

• Convention registration confirmed? Add those dates
• Holiday travel booked? Block it out
• Know about a conflict? Don't wait

This helps your groups plan around your absence.

Use Descriptive Reasons

Your future self will thank you:

• Include the event name
• Note if it's recurring
• Add any relevant details

Review Before Convention Season

Set a reminder to:

• Check for outdated exceptions
• Add newly announced conventions
• Verify upcoming exceptions are still accurate

Don't Overuse Modified

If you frequently need "Modified" exceptions for the same day:

• Consider adjusting your weekly pattern instead
• This is more accurate for scheduling
• Fewer exceptions to manage