Campaigns with 2-3 playes only

[Fenes]

I run a campaign with 2 (at times 3) players. I don't run modules, and we do not focus much on fighting extended battles, so it works out well. There's a load of NPCs around, though most of them are not a factor in fights, usually "busy fighting the henchmen of the BBEG". All three PCs are fighter-types too - with just about one battle per adventure, healing is not much of an issue, since one heals after the battle, so a cleric is not that needed.

 

[wolfpunk]

There are 3 of us in my gaming group, we have been playing this way for nearly a year. We take turns DM'ing. Usually, whoever is playing makes two characters. However, we have one of the characters is the player's major character, the other is a supporting character. So although they control the actions of two character, they only role-play one character.

It probably isn't a perfect system, but we get to role-play, and the DM doesn't have to pull any punches in combat.

We have played Gestalt characters, and you do have tons of abilities, but as has been said, limited actions often reduces the overall ability of a Gestalt character.

 

[GreyWizard77]

Initially I was skeptical about running games with the gestalt rules or with fewer than four players, but a couple months back my next door neighbor bought Gamesmastery D1: Crown of the Kobold King and offered to run it for myself and his roomate. We had a high pointbuy to work with, gestalt rules, and action points (since this was being set in Eberron), and we went through the adventure with only moderate difficulty. So long as you have the ability to disable traps, inflict damage reliably, and heal between combats (even with a wand) a pair of gestalted characters can do well for themselves. Since you have fewer actions, combats tend to last longer, which means that both players and monsters get more opportunities to show off their various tricks and use more creative tactics.

My only concern with small gestalt parties in the long run is that loot may become an issue. Giving out half the loot for half as many PCs might be a bit too stingy, but giving two PCs the loot expected for a four man party could be excessive after a couple adventures, expecially if your PCs are the types to take everything that isn't nailed down.

Robert "Overpowered on Paper, but Awesome in Practice" Ranting

What level were the PC's when you ran them through D1? That's one of the mods I'm looking at running. The mod says it's for 2nd levels, but I was going to use 2 gestalt characters of level 3-4. I'd like to know about your experiences with this module (and D0 if you have any).

 

[Whisper72]

When faced with a lack of players, I usually let the players have one or two henchmen each, usually two, as they are of lower level and sometimes meet with redshirt syndrome...

 

[Evanta]

I tend to use 'cohorts' to shore up the PC numbers. (In essence giving each player a free leadership feat) In combat the PCs pretty much dictate what the cohorts do, except where it is obviously out of character / suicidal.

For RP purposes they will tend to fade into the background and let their superiors tell them what to do, except when the DM needs them to nudge players when they miss an important point or two, or when it adds a little laugh / story.

 

[WhatGravitas]

My only concern with small gestalt parties in the long run is that loot may become an issue. Giving out half the loot for half as many PCs might be a bit too stingy, but giving two PCs the loot expected for a four man party could be excessive after a couple adventures, expecially if your PCs are the types to take everything that isn't nailed down.

That's less of a problem - since they get more XP due to the smaller party size, they need the extra money to get the stuff they need for their higher level.

Cheers, LT.

 

[hexgrid]

I have a 2 person campaign with each player running two characters. It works fine for us, but the players especially love d20 character creation and optimization, and are efficient with in-game resource management.

We tried gestalt characters at first, but I hated it because the balance with CR and published adventures was way out of whack.

 

[Quartz]

Warbeasts are good companions - wardogs to start with, of course.

 

[Wraith Form]

Just to add a few coppers to the collection, since I've run with 3 players for a year or so:

If you have 2 players I'd basically halve the CR of each encounter, since they were built to oppose the "optimal" 4 players.

Healing is optional, unless you have a player that volunteers to run a priest. You, as DM, can take up the slack in healing by doling out more healing than usual or maximizing the effects of healing--I made a flat decree that all healing potions do 8 points, salves do (what, 6 or 4?) and made sure there were a few extra potions in the bad guys' pouches on occasion.

Eventually I created a DM-run NPC-class 3rd level expert--a medic, taught by priests of healing but who didn't require gods to "channel" healing energy, who was too weak to enter combat much...a nerdy scientist, really. He carried around a thick, large black bag and performed impromptu surgery on the PCs after combat--mostly using sutures to close gashes and the like (this was the use of a cure light wounds spell, without the smoke & mirrors of priestly magic and maxed out to provide decent healing). Surgery was always very effective (i.e. not chance of failure), but took time to complete (the player was out of commission for 30 minutes while the doc sewed the PC up). I layed the guilt on thick whenever the surgeon got hurt, and the players eventually began to "protect" him.

Encourage them to stick together rather tightly...especially those pesky rogues who tend to run off on their own secret missions.

Be prepared to open the can 'o' whoop-arse during fights, but also be flexible enough to understand that sometimes you might have to tone down the damage a bit to keep the players from a TPK.

 

[Darklone]

I'd have a look at what the players want to play... then add in something (perhaps just multiclassing) for the missing thing (e.g. tank, healer, artillery, trapspringer) and that's it.