Game size . . .

[Nord_drache]

I've been playing with a smaller group lately, but a spanner was tossed in the works. A player last minute bailed from the group with the explanation that with 2 players + a DM the group was too small.

I'm an old schooler who has gamed a very long time in many situations. Once upon a time I solo gamed with a friend of mine.

I think that I'm going to offer up a "gear in the machine" campaign to the remaining gamer. He has a small on going part in a larger action happening, with his destiny in his hands.

Any other opinions on size of group, etc . . .

Jim

[MortonStromgal]

4 PC is ideal for me, adding or subtracting players from there makes the quality go down.

[WhiteTiger]

I'm with MortonStromgal on this one. 4 for me is ideal. Any more would unbalance the game not to mention the fact that adding more players increases the "chatter" in-game. I don't need that either.

[cplmac]

My Tsojcanth group had 9 players in it. When we pick back up (after I finish preparing the extension needed) there will be 10 players. In the meantime, there are 10 players in our group as one of the other guys is DMing and I am running a character in his campaign while I work on mine.

[kkriegg]

When I was in highschool, most of the gaming population (all five of us) were split into different lunch periods and different activities after school. We ended up playing alot of one on one games and I thought it was just fine. It's a bit tougher to GM, because players don't give you a nice "time buffer" when they make decisions. It's alot of fun to play though... ultimate freedom.

I think I prefer one GM with two players.

[Harwel]

2-4 players + GM is my happy zone. 5-6 is pushing it if I'm GM but fine if I'm a player. More than 6 is too many for my taste.

[Etarnon]

I've DMed games ranging from 1 to 10 for tabletop, and larger for conventions.

Upwards of 5 or 6 players is a bit tough for me unless it's a very simple system, like tunnels and trolls, or something I know really well like Traveller, or 1e AD&D.

[michael]

I like 5 players and the GM. More is ok if everyone is well-versed with the rules. 9 is too many players no matter how well they know the rules.

[Nord_drache]

This thread is proving that the size of a group is a real personal choice dependent on the GM.

Over the course of my gaming I've always believed in the 3 to 5 plus GM.

Personally I've never desired to run a real large game with an assistant GM.

Jim

[Arkhemedes]

I've run a campaign as large as 8 players plus the GM - I won't do that again. But my preference is 5 which covers the 4 main types of characters plus one variant such as a bard or something. Lately though I've been trying to get a sixth player because two of my five are inconsistent except for the fact that they are consistently late when they do show up. At least with six players, I would have enough people to get started at a decent time when the other two are late.

[Nord_drache]

. . .At least with six players, I would have enough people to get started at a decent time when the other two are late.

Thats the other rub against small group, lateness, illness, vacation and in this neck of the woods the occasional totally nasty winter storm. (luckily bodies I've gamed with have always kept me up to date, so far.)

Jim