D&D General How big is your gaming circle?

[Reynard]

Based on some responses I regularly see, I am curious how big other folks gaming circles are. Not just how many other people do you play with regularly, but how tightly knit that circle is.

For example, I have three regular (2 weekly, 1 biweekly) games at the moment. The first group is all local people that I have met through gaming clubs or stores that have become very close friends. My second group is close friends from farther afield (we were playing online before the pandemic because folks live in 5 states). The third (biweekly) group includes old high school friends and newer friends. There is no crossover between those groups, though some know each other and play in other games together. The total number of players among these 3 groups is 16 (myself included).

In addition, I attend at least 2 regional cons every year and get to interact with a large number of fellow gamers, many of whom are part of a pro-GMing collective. Last year was a bust but this year should be back to awesome con gaming. There are at least 2 dozen folks among these people that I consider part of my gaming circle.

Finally, among all those people and other folks who I do not actively game with for various reasons, I have a private facebook group of just under 100 members, all of whom I know personally and have gamed with at least once if not many times. This group allows them to interact with one another and I have seen gaming groups form out of that FB group.

I really love having a large pool of folks to play with, talk about games with and generally interact in the hobby with. For a long time my gaming group was more typically insular and the fact that many folks around here indicate they have one gaming group they have played with for decades and that's it got me to thinking about this. I am really blessed to have so many gamers around.

So, how big is your gaming circle.

 

[Marc_C]

I have two groups. One of three players. The other with four players. We alternate Friday nights. One player plays in both groups. Six plus me. I have three other players I can call on for one-shots. So, 9 plus me total.

 

[Umbran]

Currently, for tabletop/online, I think it is 21 people spread over 5 games, with some overlap.

I'm not counting conventions, or live-action play, where the circle expands to the hundreds very quiclkly

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

So, how big is your gaming circle.

πr^2

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I have two groups currently that total nine people. There is an additional group that gets the gumption to game together once every few years, and then falls apart in 1-3 months. Including them, that puts the total up to 13.

 

[Mind of tempest]

me more or less.

 

[el-remmen]

I have two groups currently.

Group one (which I lovingly call "the Newbie Group," though they are not all technically "noobs") has four players. Three of those people are also part of board-gaming group that meets every other month or so (and which includes two partners who don't do RPGs but love board/card games). This group is local, though we played remotely for about 14 months.

Group Two: Started as five people (two friends/colleagues from work circles, two old friends I've gamed with from the 90s, and the wife of one of the first two). Three people dropped out in quick succession, but we recently re-acquired a player we lost when he moved to Italy back in 2004 - but now with the relative ease of remote play has jumped in with two feet. In theory, one of the three people who dropped out will be returning down the line (life got in the way). So I'll call that another four people.

I used to have a bigger circle, but changing interests and changing priorities (and other complex interpersonal dynamics) have made that circle shrink in recent years. I am also not as interested in playing with strangers that have not been vetted by other people I trust.

I used to go to GEN CON with some regularity and run/play games, but the last time was 2007 (at least I got to game with Gary Gygax not too long before he passed) so I won't count that. And there is a home con in the Boston area I used to go to every year as well, but after a 12 year gap I went back in 2019. Still, not gonna count that either unless they start up again (last year and this year were both cancelled) and I actually start going regularly.

 

[iserith]

I play in three campaigns and run two. Between them all, there's over 20 people. But I'm also part of a Discord community where I run one-shots (though not much lately as my schedule is pretty full) which numbers in the thousands.

 

[Stormonu]

Currently I have two groups. Group one consists of my wife, eldest son, a coworker and the coworker’s brother. The second group (I’m a player in this one) is my wife, both my sons, my sister-in-law and a my eldest son’s friend.

I’m in contact with several other groups (often asked for advice or just swapping stories) where I used to be the primary DM - at least six, who have about 6 players apiece. I’ve been requested to DM at least two of them recently (pre-pandemic), did so for a Halloween Ravenloft one-shot in one, and the other for a MTG Ravnica game (in the latter, I know very little about MTG, but the group had a blast overall).

 

[payn]

My closest group of friends are non-gamers. I mean, they love cribbage and perhaps some board games, but no on TTRPGs.

My gaming group I've met through a combo of PFS and work. They have slowly become a closer and closer knit group. We tend to do things outside of gaming but its not often like my closest group.