Post by ripx187 on Aug 28, 2018 19:08:46 GMT -5
secretsofblackmoor updated his blog and once again there is gold to be mined from it. Of particular interest was the following quote:
This is interesting to me. When we first started playing there was something like 10 of us and we'd all play at least 2 characters. I particularly didn't really like doing this, I have my hands full and prefer to focus on just one character at a time. Later we readapted it so that we could focus on our characters but do the book-keeping for henchmen or what-not. We could suggest what our NPC is doing, and roll for him during combat, but he was actually controled by the DM; as DM I tend to forget about these guys, and they get away with murder, no saving throws for traps, no attacks towards them unless I suddenly remember that they are there, it is book-keeping Hel!
I do try though, I even sometimes succeed! The dice and morale dictate their actions and willingness to follow orders, but these NPCs are actually quite rare in my games, and always have been.
I have 10+ members in the club, thankfully they don't show up at the same time all that often, I prefer 6 players but in all honesty, I don't care if just 1 person shows, we can still play. I don't give them a party of NPCs either, we just have fun and focus on that character. My thinking is that fewer people in a party can move quieter and faster than an army. I don't make any adjustments really, but it's been a really long time since I've DMed for less than 3 people.
Stealth plays a big part in our games, particularly when you go into a hole in the ground. If you are discovered the denizens have security and will funnel you to kill zones that can get really bad, your best bet is to not be seen until you know that you can deal with it, and avoid the ambush halls.
This does get me thinking though, how big of a party is normal? For me, I prefer 6 characters, I don't care what classes they are but I can easily listen to them and they can hear me so the game goes a bit more smoothly, they can handle combat encounters and I can still make them feel like they are the only star of the show. I am most comfortable with this number, and everybody seems to enjoy it more.
What are your thoughts?
Sadly when we sent out notice for the last game, it was short notice, and we only had a DM and 3 players. Crisis briefly set in because many years of experience has proven that the ideal number of people is 4-5 players and a DM, with each player running 2 characters.
This is interesting to me. When we first started playing there was something like 10 of us and we'd all play at least 2 characters. I particularly didn't really like doing this, I have my hands full and prefer to focus on just one character at a time. Later we readapted it so that we could focus on our characters but do the book-keeping for henchmen or what-not. We could suggest what our NPC is doing, and roll for him during combat, but he was actually controled by the DM; as DM I tend to forget about these guys, and they get away with murder, no saving throws for traps, no attacks towards them unless I suddenly remember that they are there, it is book-keeping Hel!
I do try though, I even sometimes succeed! The dice and morale dictate their actions and willingness to follow orders, but these NPCs are actually quite rare in my games, and always have been.
I have 10+ members in the club, thankfully they don't show up at the same time all that often, I prefer 6 players but in all honesty, I don't care if just 1 person shows, we can still play. I don't give them a party of NPCs either, we just have fun and focus on that character. My thinking is that fewer people in a party can move quieter and faster than an army. I don't make any adjustments really, but it's been a really long time since I've DMed for less than 3 people.
Stealth plays a big part in our games, particularly when you go into a hole in the ground. If you are discovered the denizens have security and will funnel you to kill zones that can get really bad, your best bet is to not be seen until you know that you can deal with it, and avoid the ambush halls.
This does get me thinking though, how big of a party is normal? For me, I prefer 6 characters, I don't care what classes they are but I can easily listen to them and they can hear me so the game goes a bit more smoothly, they can handle combat encounters and I can still make them feel like they are the only star of the show. I am most comfortable with this number, and everybody seems to enjoy it more.
What are your thoughts?
