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1 GM 2 Players

jinat

Explorer
Looking for a game or adventure module that plays good with just two players an done gamemaster.
Any system, setting, world, d20, indie etc. will do.
 

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The Gumshoe games (Trail of Cthulhu, Ashen Stars, Nights Black Agents, etc) should work well for two players. The system gives more points at character creation if there are fewer characters in a group to help compensate for lack of characters.
 

CHAMPIONS works well with a small group.

The great thing about superheroes is they are often reasonably self-sufficient and CHAMPIONS allows the design of well-rounded characters and tailoring the opposition to fit the circumstance.

Some of the other superheroic games may work as well, but others don't. Either they have strong randomness in character creation (Villains and Vigilantes) or are best used to construct specialists.
 



I second Champions (or any other HERO System genre.) The ability to make good, well rounded characters from the get go makes it very suitable for small groups. GURPS would also work in this regard (although I haven't played it many years.)

Also FIASCO is great fun. It's not a classic RPG, in many ways it's more like a LARP. A continuing campaign is difficult concept to work into the game; it's really designed for one-shot stories. IIRC there's no dice rolling (after scenario creation) and it's played out strictly through role playing. But it's great fun.
 

Mouse Guard and Burning Wheel can lead to really amazing games with only 2 players and a GM. Check out some of the actual play posts on the Burning Wheel forums to help.
 

I have run a few games for just 2 players to good effect. I think almost any game can be run for 2 players, but some lend themselves to the effort more easily.

Savage Worlds is at the top of the list. It is easy to run, and the core rules easily incorporate extras to help the heroes. That feature is probably what made it successful when I ran it for 2 and when I played it with 1 other player and 1 GM--several different genres & games. Try it free: http://www.peginc.com/freebies/SWcore/TD06.pdf

Next is Gamma World d20. It is a brilliant & concise adaptation of the D&D 3e rules to the classic Gamma World setting. It's a steal for under $5 for a pdf: http://paizo.com/products/btpy7zeq?Dungeon-Issue-94-with-Polyhedron-153

Actually, d20 is a good game for a smaller group without the magic. See above. I ran & played in a few other d20 games with 2 players & 1 GM with good success. A big benefit is that if everyone knows the d20 rules, then it is easy to take what you want & leave out some things to make the game more manageable for a smaller group of players. I ran a pirate D&D with (essentially) no spellcasters (no "flashy" magic) using the firearms rules from the DMG. The 2 players who lasted played fighters/rogues and had a good time with it.

Another was Judge Dredd d20. It had a rich development, including 4 adventures that were published. 2 main players went through 2 of those adventures, and it was fun. Judge characters are tough and effective, so it is OK to have fewer of them.

The one in which I played was a Star Wars Revised (d20) all-jedi game. We played 2 jedi characters each but it worked; probably because they started at a higher level (about 8th as I recall). Sadly, we didn't finish that adventure before something else shiny caught the GM's eye.
 



Into the Woods

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