diff --git a/app/main/routes.py b/app/main/routes.py
index 8e55414..69d1f7b 100644
--- a/app/main/routes.py
+++ b/app/main/routes.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import json
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
-from flask import render_template, redirect, url_for, request, abort, send_file, current_app
+from flask import render_template, redirect, url_for, request, abort, send_file, current_app, flash
 from flask_login import current_user, login_required
 from werkzeug.security import safe_join
 from app import db
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ def game_dashboard(game_name):
                                hunter_delay=hunter_delay, json=json,
                                location_encoder=LocationEncoder)
     if role == Role.none:
-        return render_template('game_hunter_dashboard.html', title='Game Dashboard', game=game,
-                               json=json, location_encoder=LocationEncoder)
+        flash('Please ask your game owner for a role to join this game')
+        return abort(403)
     if role is None:
         abort(403)
 
diff --git a/app/models/user.py b/app/models/user.py
index 60fa731..e647b67 100644
--- a/app/models/user.py
+++ b/app/models/user.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class User(UserMixin, db.Model):
                 offset (int): Offset in minutes. Only locations older than this amount of minutes will be returned.
         '''
         # pylint: disable=not-an-iterable
-        if offset is None:
+        if offset is None or offset == '':
             offset = 0
         if not self.locations:
             return None
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class User(UserMixin, db.Model):
                 offset (int): Offset in minutes. Only locations older than this amount of minutes will be returned.
         '''
         # pylint: disable=[not-an-iterable, unsubscriptable-object]
-        if offset is None:
+        if offset is None or offset == '':
             offset = 0
         if not self.locations:
             return None