TheAlkaizer
Game Designer
So, lately I have acquired half a dozen new TTRPGs. Can't wait to try them. In the meantime, I've been reading them. I'm obviously not done, but for several of them, I jumped around looking for one information I couldn't find: the recommended number of players.
The number of player is something I've been thinking about all year. Firstly, because I've been making so many plans of "of we'll play this, oh we'll play that once the pandemic will be over" and everything was TTRPG starved and asking to join and I had to put my foot down and limit the size of my groups. I never take more than five players, and even then, I much prefer four than five.
I've also ran D&D for two players multiple times before, and it was a ton of fun! But it was much harder to balance encounters. Action economy and all that.
I've also taken interest in games that are solo games and realized that there's really few games that are sold on the concept of one on one games. I would have loved a game like that during the pandemic. I did acquire a solo game or two, but I've yet to try them. I'm waiting for my vacations from work.
So, I don't have a specific angle to the topic, but I wanted to maybe exchange some thoughts around the idea of number of players:
The number of player is something I've been thinking about all year. Firstly, because I've been making so many plans of "of we'll play this, oh we'll play that once the pandemic will be over" and everything was TTRPG starved and asking to join and I had to put my foot down and limit the size of my groups. I never take more than five players, and even then, I much prefer four than five.
I've also ran D&D for two players multiple times before, and it was a ton of fun! But it was much harder to balance encounters. Action economy and all that.
I've also taken interest in games that are solo games and realized that there's really few games that are sold on the concept of one on one games. I would have loved a game like that during the pandemic. I did acquire a solo game or two, but I've yet to try them. I'm waiting for my vacations from work.
So, I don't have a specific angle to the topic, but I wanted to maybe exchange some thoughts around the idea of number of players:
- I tend to prefer smaller groups. More time to give to every individual player.
- Most TTRPGs that I've seen seem to tend toward the classic 4-6 recommended player.
- The challenges of running smaller groups (action economy, etc).
- Why is there so few two players games or solo games? What are your experiences with them?
- Is the "recommended number of player" an important information that shouldn't be omitted from rulebooks?