|
Post by Admin Pete on Mar 30, 2016 20:23:12 GMT -5
What are the limits that you place on the number of PCs and the number of Henchmen per player per game session?
|
|
|
Post by captaincrumbcake on Mar 31, 2016 1:26:11 GMT -5
Well, I suppose my response is more academic than based on actuality, but here goes. Assuming I've got my world in a running condition, I think I'd just let the mechanics run their course and modify when needed. Letting the players deal with this aspect would likely separate the experienced from the inexperienced, and serve as a lesson learner to all.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 8:23:44 GMT -5
For me, it depends on how many players show up and does the planned scenario merit a sizable group. Ideally, I like it when everyone plays one character and maybe a few henchmen, but I have most commonly allowed for multiple characters as sometimes it's just me and a player or two.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 10:30:11 GMT -5
Mu.
Henchmen want a share of treasure, and thus XP. I've found this causes the players to limit themselves far more effectively then any arbitrary rule I could come up with.
Once again, "gold = xp" is there for a reason.
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Mar 31, 2016 11:27:17 GMT -5
I allow complete newbies to have one PC active per game session, once they have a few games under their belt they can run a henchmen or two or three if they want. The experienced players have no limits as per @gronanofsimmerya .
|
|
|
Post by LouGoncey on Mar 31, 2016 21:30:35 GMT -5
Usually it is just one player/one PC. Lately I have taken"do not name your PC until it gets to third level" quite seriously. Level 1 and 2 are pure Fantasy F**king Vietnam meat grinders. It is a ton of fun once players 'got it.'
|
|
|
Post by robkuntz on Apr 1, 2016 3:23:19 GMT -5
As many as they like. There are as many monsters out there to match whatever the PCs conjure... Henchmen can be a lot of fun. Ask Gronan...
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Apr 1, 2016 6:10:21 GMT -5
As many as they like. There are as many monsters out there to match whatever the PCs conjure... Henchmen can be a lot of fun. Ask Gronan... Bitd we hired henchman all the time, even though we had a minimum of 12-16 players. My current group rarely hires any henchman and not through lack of opportunity.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2016 16:00:01 GMT -5
As many as they like. There are as many monsters out there to match whatever the PCs conjure... Henchmen can be a lot of fun. Ask Gronan... "The Ring, master, the Ring!"
|
|
|
Post by ffilz on Apr 4, 2016 16:59:21 GMT -5
Mu. Henchmen want a share of treasure, and thus XP. I've found this causes the players to limit themselves far more effectively then any arbitrary rule I could come up with. Once again, "gold = xp" is there for a reason. Yea. More an more, my thought is that the players get a lot of input in the game. I create the setting and run the game, but if the players want 10 PCs each, fine. It will certainly be a different game than 1 PC each, but if that's what all the players want to play, so be it.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2016 17:18:46 GMT -5
Henchmen are not the same as "another PC." A henchman is a hired NPC, and thus should begin with at least a basic personality supplied by the referee.
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Apr 4, 2016 18:37:06 GMT -5
As many as they like. There are as many monsters out there to match whatever the PCs conjure... Henchmen can be a lot of fun. Ask Gronan... "The Ring, master, the Ring!" And the story behind that?
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Apr 4, 2016 18:41:39 GMT -5
Mu. Henchmen want a share of treasure, and thus XP. I've found this causes the players to limit themselves far more effectively then any arbitrary rule I could come up with. Once again, "gold = xp" is there for a reason. Yea. More an more, my thought is that the players get a lot of input in the game. I create the setting and run the game, but if the players want 10 PCs each, fine. It will certainly be a different game than 1 PC each, but if that's what all the players want to play, so be it. Mulitiple PCs tend to be clones that agree on everything (and IMO that is poor roleplaying*), not so with NPCs as says: Henchmen are not the same as "another PC." A henchman is a hired NPC, and thus should begin with at least a basic personality supplied by the referee. NPCs value their own lives, want to be treated fairly, tend to think the PCs should take the most risk and they definitely do not want to be thought of as cannon fodder. ETC! *Poor roleplaying or not, I don't tell players how to run their PCs; however, on the occasions that I have played more than one PC, I play them as independent of each other with different personalities and different goals. I prefer as a player to run one PC and a few specific henchman as needed.
|
|
|
Post by ffilz on Apr 4, 2016 22:11:49 GMT -5
Yea. More an more, my thought is that the players get a lot of input in the game. I create the setting and run the game, but if the players want 10 PCs each, fine. It will certainly be a different game than 1 PC each, but if that's what all the players want to play, so be it. Mulitiple PCs tend to be clones that agree on everything (and IMO that is poor roleplaying*), not so with NPCs as says: Henchmen are not the same as "another PC." A henchman is a hired NPC, and thus should begin with at least a basic personality supplied by the referee. NPCs value their own lives, want to be treated fairly, tend to think the PCs should take the most risk and they definitely do not want to be thought of as cannon fodder. ETC! *Poor roleplaying or not, I don't tell players how to run their PCs; however, on the occasions that I have played more than one PC, I play them as independent of each other with different personalities and different goals. I prefer as a player to run one PC and a few specific henchman as needed. I'm not invested in how people "should" roleplay anymore. If the player group decides it's ok for each player to run a squad of PCs with pretty much clone personality, that will also be fine with me. We will play the game and see what happens. And if we're not invested in how we "should" play, we'll probably have fun. Frank
|
|
|
Post by robkuntz on Apr 5, 2016 2:22:58 GMT -5
"The Ring, master, the Ring!" And the story behind that? Yes, there is a story behind that, or in this case an extraction of one involving a solo adventure in Castle Greyhwak (the 2nd) by Gronan and his two wily (and recently hired) henchmen, and as co-Dmed by myself and Gary.
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Apr 5, 2016 3:11:25 GMT -5
I'm not invested in how people "should" roleplay anymore. If the player group decides it's ok for each player to run a squad of PCs with pretty much clone personality, that will also be fine with me. We will play the game and see what happens. And if we're not invested in how we "should" play, we'll probably have fun. Frank I agree, as I said I don't tell them how to run there PC and if a players wants to have 10 PCs that all agree on everything I am not going to stop them from doing that. On the other hand, if I ever had a player like that I am under no obligation to admire it either.
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Apr 5, 2016 3:12:38 GMT -5
And the story behind that? Yes, there is a story behind that, or in this case an extraction of one involving a solo adventure in Castle Greyhwak (the 2nd) by Gronan and his two wily (and recently hired) henchmen, and as co-Dmed by myself and Gary. Tell us!
|
|
|
Post by robkuntz on Apr 5, 2016 4:28:12 GMT -5
I wouldn't want to derail the thread, or at the same time do injustice to the tale by reducing it to a partial. I have actually written it up in rough draft as part of a collection of adventure-stories from those days. Unless Gronan wishes to expand upon it from a player perspective, and that's his option, of course. His wily npcs caused Gronan much grief and engendered quite a bit of laughter from his co-Dms (but not from him, at least not initially). There's also "Monstrous Dead Ends" another Greyhawk story involving Gronan (solo) which is very short but strange for it breaking the statistical average occurrence barrier for wandering monsters.
|
|
|
Post by Admin Pete on Apr 5, 2016 7:33:35 GMT -5
I wouldn't want to derail the thread, or at the same time do injustice to the tale by reducing it to a partial. I have actually written it up in rough draft as part of a collection of adventure-stories from those days. Unless Gronan wishes to expand upon it from a player perspective, and that's his option, of course. His wily npcs caused Gronan much grief and engendered quite a bit of laughter from his co-Dms (but not from him, at least not initially). There's also "Monstrous Dead Ends" another Greyhawk story involving Gronan (solo) which is very short but strange for it breaking the statistical average occurrence barrier for wandering monsters. Well if you have written it up to publish, then I would just encourage you to do so. Perhaps Gronan will put his version of the tale in the book he is "supposed" to be writing (See Fin's ODD74 site). That would be fun, pull out both books and read the same tale from both the DM and Player perspective. BTW, we don't have to derail threads, we can always just start another thread.
|
|
|
Post by Von on Apr 17, 2016 13:00:57 GMT -5
Every time I have proposed anything above a 1:1 player:PC ratio, it has been shot down by a majority of the players involved. I see no reason to resist this but I would encourage the hiring of henchmen aplenty as an alternative to scaling content. Two PCs can take Ravenloft if they arm half of Barovia on the way in.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2016 23:41:19 GMT -5
Maybe.
Armed first-level characters won't last long against creatures more than about 2 HD. Garygoyles, wights, wraths, and a host of other creatures need magic weapons to be hit (silver works for wights.)
Low level soldiers are more of a hazard than an asset in some situations. Especially if they're nice and deep in enemy territory and they fail a morale check.
|
|
|
Post by Vile Traveller on Apr 20, 2016 2:23:13 GMT -5
I've always run and played games with 1 PC per player. Henchmen / retainers / followers / hirelings vary a lot and mainly depend on availability, player interests, the type of campaign ... can't really give a typical answer.
|
|
|
Post by robkuntz on Apr 20, 2016 2:56:14 GMT -5
Maybe. Armed first-level characters won't last long against creatures more than about 2 HD. Garygoyles, wights, wraths, and a host of other creatures need magic weapons to be hit (silver works for wights.) Low level soldiers are more of a hazard than an asset in some situations. Especially if they're nice and deep in enemy territory and they fail a morale check. Plus they make lots of noise and, if new, are not cooperating too well as a unit. Better do some drilling with them get get them acquainted with each other. Hiring men-at-arms for guarding and fighting at keeps is a different story from finding adventuresome henchmen. I change the morale for those of the former significantly (negative) when they are in a dungeon setting where oogly googlies are making themselves known in the real rather than in their nightmares at an above-ground camp, etc.
|
|
|
Post by Crimhthan The Great on May 9, 2016 11:47:45 GMT -5
No limits, I give my players a lot of freedom to make their own mistakes and learn from them. It is up to the players to determine what they think is the sweet spot for the size and makeup of the party.
|
|
|
Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Nov 28, 2016 8:27:27 GMT -5
I let the players have as many as they would like but it usually turns out to be one PC per player.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 15:27:45 GMT -5
Also, for Henchmen -- that is, NPCs with levels... don't forget to take Charisma into account.
There is a whole section in OD&D about charisma and henchmen. Beats the hell out of me how the idea of Charisma as unimportant ever got started.
Well, it got started because people don't read.
|
|
|
Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Nov 28, 2016 15:35:09 GMT -5
Also, for Henchmen -- that is, NPCs with levels... don't forget to take Charisma into account. There is a whole section in OD&D about charisma and henchmen. Beats the hell out of me how the idea of Charisma as unimportant ever got started. Well, it got started because people don't read. Preach, Brother Gronan!
|
|
|
Post by True Black Raven on Mar 13, 2018 23:06:32 GMT -5
I let experienced players run all they can handle and I am the judge of how well they are doing that. Newbie, show me you can run your PC and then we will go from their.
|
|
|
Post by Robert the Black on Jun 21, 2018 12:53:28 GMT -5
I don't place any limits and no one abuses it.
|
|
|
Post by mao on Jun 23, 2018 13:16:38 GMT -5
For about the fist 36 years of my game, 1 pc only, you guys influenced me to add them doring this past year I have been a member here.
|
|