I'm sad. Cheer me up.

[Simon Atavax]

Six years ago, I posted some ads to start up a new D&D group. I got three replies, from three quality dudes. I DMed. Later we added more people, and others moved away, etc. etc.

To make a long story short, that group has now morphed into a group of about 10-11 people, and I have long ceased to DM (due to burnout, essentially). I really love some of the people in the group, but most I don't know that well. The bottom line is the group has gotten way too large, and some of my die-hard homies who used to be in the group have moved away some time ago. The group has outgrown me, if you will.

Sigh. I want a new group. Small again, like it used to be, meeting at my house, like we did in the beginning.

Can anyone relate?

 

[S'mon]

I feel it, brother.

I hate it when good players move away...

 

[+5 Keyboard!]

Totally there. While I prefer big groups of about 6-7 people, I do like that my players are quality players that I would hang out with outside of the game. Could you invite some of your favorite players from the existing group to a small second group?

 

[Tewligan]

I feel ya. A while back when I moved cross-country, I had to ditch a damn fine DM and group of players (hey, Fathead!) Three and a half years later, it's been tough - well, impossible, so far - to find a group that comes close to being as fun to be in.

 

[Simon Atavax]

Totally there. While I prefer big groups of about 6-7 people, I do like that my players are quality players that I would hang out with outside of the game. Could you invite some of your favorite players from the existing group to a small second group?

Considering doing just that. I'm going to wait until 4e is released, and then try and start up a friendly little game with 3-4 choice players from the now-mammoth group.

 

[Thurbane]

I'd love to be in a group that got too big - ours has the exact opposite problem. :\

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I hear you.

My husband and I gamed with friends earlier in our gaming lives. We even gamed with friends during our stint in Korea. Then we moved to Hawaii, where I used an online Gamer Classifieds to assemble a new group. Out of that group, I met the best friend of my life other than my husband, but the rest of the group was pretty much a wash in terms of forging close friendships outside of the game. Plus, I'd say that probably half of all the players I've located online or via word-of-mouth here in Hawaii have turned out to be people for whom I--in all honesty--have a sincere dislike. I'm grateful that I met the one good friend through online classifieds but most of the rest I really could have done without knowing, let alone sitting around a table with them for hours upon hours.

Our Hawaii experience has confirmed for my husband and for me that if we are going to game, it needs to be with friends. For us, it just doesn't work to game with 'acquaintances.'

Even for PbP, I admit to having a predilection for certain players with whom I consider myself online friends.

 

[palleomortis]

I have basically the same problem, but it's not a big group. It's about as bad as it gets . I used to game with one of my best friends and his little brother. But, life happened. He's in college, I'm waiting to ship off for basic training, and I still craved D&D. SO I DM for some other friends. Only problem, they don't get the game like my other friend did. It's still fun, i guess, but doesn't have the exhuberant thrill it used to. . If I were in your position, I would definatly invite a couple choice players though. That sounds like the perfect solution. Just make sure you do it descrete enoughe to not draw attention to yourself, so you don't get the few other people that you really don't want in interested. Last thing ya want is for it to backfire and havin' ya wind up with the guys you don't want.