Is 4-6 player's a rule or a preference?

[RamYaz]

To be or not to be...

I believe Rel's comments are 'right on the money'. I've been DM'ing for 20+ years, from 1 to 12 players and, 6 is as many as I'll go.

The number of players in the group is entirely a matter of personal preference for the group as a whole. I don't consider it to be the sole province of the GM to get to decide what the group size will be since it impacts the fun of everybody. I wouldn't run a group of 8 and I don't think my group of players (currently at 5 having been as big as 6 and small as 3) would want a group that size either. But if you're comfortable with it and the players don't mind then I see nothing wrong with the number 8 (or any other number for that matter).

I DO think that it is completely reasonable and helpful to consider your players in terms of the type of players that they are. This has been an invaluable tool for me in my own games. And I do think that certain types of players will require more maintenance than others will.

In your situation, the guy you are thinking of adding is simply an unknown quantity at this point. If you invite him, I'd make certain that he understood that it was on a trial basis. If you find that your gaming styles don't mesh well then I'd have it laid out very clearly from the start that he's free to walk or you're free to ask him to leave if things aren't working out.

Quite honestly the girl you talk about kind of scares me. The psychodrama players can be fine but they can require a lot of attention from the GM and sometimes demand that the game revolve around them. But more than that, the whole "doctor's orders" business indicates to me that she might have some mental or social instability issues. D&D is not a very good tool to use to deal with these issues. And if they other players are not also friends of hers then I doubt that they will be as patient and understanding as you will if she starts to be a disruptive influence.

 

[Angel of Adventure]

Gaming with more than 6 people, in my experience, sometimes wastes a lot of time. People end up going all over the place and, if you don't have a strong party leader/interest to hold everyone together, everyone feels a bit slighted and doesn't get enough attention.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

The "4 players" default assumption in D&D isn't so much a preference as it as it is what research determined the most common size of a group in real life actually was. Since that was what most people did, they built 3rd edition with that as a baseline.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Always ask the powergamers to give the roleplayers a hand with the mechanics. Do it in front of everybody so one one feels like they are being singled out. The roleplayers can come up with a concept and the powergamers can help them realize it.

That's great for character creation, but can really slow down combat as the "roleplayer" struggles with the interaction of all the abilities they don't understand the nuances of. Notice I said "can"--it doesn't have to slow down combat, but it might.

And congrats on being "Ennie sexy", BiggusGeekus!

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I tried running a game for 7 in my previous game, and it was too much. My style is to try and integrate each PC's backstory and goals into the game, and 7 backstories with their associated goals, villains, etc. was simply too much to squeeze into one campaign for me. Now I'm running for 4, and I'd possibly go as high as 5, but no more. But if you're comfortable with more, there's nothing wrong with it. You know your style, time constraints, interest, etc. best of all.

I do think you'd be doing your players a disservice if you brought this girl in without consulting with them first. She could be disruptive, and I don't think it's courteous or keeping with being a friend to the players to add such a disruption to the game without talking with them. I know you want to "be a friend" to this girl, but aren't you friends with your players? Talk to them and see what they think. If they're happy to give this girl a try, then great. If not, then I'd suggest you simply tell her your players are uncomfortable having someone watch the game, and leave it at that.

 

[Jdvn1]

I've had groups of up to 13. You can imagine I'd say that 4-6 is merely a preference. Even with different styles of play. It's important, though, that most if not all of the players know what they're doing and stay on task. Those that are slower should get help from other (as long as ther own actions aren't delayed) players. Make everyone roll beforehand.

 

[NewLifeForm]

A matter of preference...

to be sure

The least I've GMed for has been 1 and the most was roughly 21. My average is about 7 or 8.

I've tended to like larger groups then most GMs I've encountered, though no so much these days. For some reason, my regular group gets more wacky as they get older :\

I remember fondly my ol' high school Star Trek and Champions campaigns. My friend Will ran a Champions game in which anywhere from 5 to 16 people sat in per session. On one occaision he ran a huge, summer crossover blow-out adventure (collect all 9 holographic covers!) which included about 30 players or so. I'm not kidding. Will, where ever you are, you were, are and always will be "da man".

NewLifeForm

 

[HellHound]

I've DMd for up to 19 players at once.

My experience has been that I distinctly prefer smaller groups - 3 - 4 players is my real comfort zone, where game play can be personal and exciting, but I can run for up to 5 without breaking stride, for 6 or 7 in the right environment.

 

[smilinggm]

Lets see

When Playing an RPGA Module 4 Players is the minimum allowed and 6 players is the Maximum allowed. So in this case 4-6 players is a Rule.

When playing in a home game it is just a good Idea not a hard and fast rule. This depends on the group and your DM.

 

[DonTadow]

Yeah, if she asks to join i'm leaning now more to tell the girl that the campaign is too big. As for the other guy I'll keep an open mind. We currently have a guy in our game taking a three to four month break from the campaign because his first child is going to be born in a few days.

He says he'll be back in a month, but I doubt it, I expect it is going to be much much longer. That would give me a maximum six, and not allowing the girl to have a real character would keep it even.