Joined: Nov 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 91 Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Karma: 11
"4-50 players" « Thread Started on Feb 15, 2008, 3:11pm »
Reading on lunchbreak today, I am caught by the recommended # of players being anywhere from 4-50! I am assuming that these are not all participating in the same session, but somehow in the same campaign world of the single referee.
This got me to want to ask: How many players have you been able to handle in one session?
I have topped out at about 8, as that's about how many people I can keep track of without too much stress.
Dieter the Deathless, anger-fueled fighting machine.
Falconer Level 9 Sorcerer Cleric of OD&D member is offline
OD&D, Middle-earth, Star Trek TOS
Joined: Sept 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,338 Location: Chicago, IL Karma: 51
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #4 on Feb 15, 2008, 3:28pm »
I ran a campaign for three years where the average number of players in any given session was probably 7, the max was probably 13. But looking back over the whole three years, there are probably close to 40 people who at one time or another played in that campaign. I wonder if that’s what Gary meant. Next year I will attempt a campaign where 20-50 players are concurrently active in the campaign—but, as you say, obviously not all in the same session! There would be smaller groups that would interact only indirectly, though occasionally mixing up. I think just by accepting this as the norm it will be doable. Regards.
A man may do both. For not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time. The green earth, say you? That is a mighty matter of legend, though you tread it under the light of day! —J.R.R. Tolkien
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,224 Location: Argentina Karma: 51
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #5 on Feb 15, 2008, 3:43pm »
I'll try to make an "open campaign". Where anyone can join the game in any session, just roll a character, and begin play, and retire from the campaign whenever they wish.
Joined: Jan 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 2,327 Location: New Hope, MN Karma: 93
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #7 on Feb 15, 2008, 4:03pm »
Back when I taught high school, I ran some dungeon crawls with Tunnels & Trolls involving from 7-12 teenagers. It was pretty raucous, but I managed it largely by going round-robin. Modern day teenagers would never, I think, put up with a caller...
It got easier when one group found a different entrance leading onto the second level--- at that point I just switched back and forth between them.
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,224 Location: Argentina Karma: 51
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #8 on Feb 15, 2008, 4:05pm »
That's a terrific article Jeff.
I'm planing to do that, but I don't think I'll getting players from other OD&D campaigns, because as far as I know, I'm the only OD&D DM in Argentina .
Kyrel Level 6 Magician Defender vs Spam member is offline
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 488 Location: Florida Suncoast Karma: 13
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #9 on Feb 15, 2008, 10:58pm »
I've DM'ed for up to 10, but that was pretty grueling. My comfort level is no more than 5 (I currently have 4), & that seems like the magic number for me.
And I dig your blog, jrients--I'm going to check it out more often.
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #10 on Feb 16, 2008, 9:57pm »
OMGosh - 4-50?? Heh, should be 4-10. Wow. OK, I have seen some DM's run 10-12. When we started, it was 4-5 at most. In my games, I've run 4-7 and no more. At some point I may be able to run more, as I gain experience. But, on the other hand, it's just not comfortable for me. But, I do appreciate those DMs who can do large groups.
Joined: Jul 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 2,503 Karma: 57
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #11 on Feb 16, 2008, 10:27pm »
I find that it's easier to run an OD&D game, for 5 players, in a hallway at a noisy con, than to run other editions for four players in a quiet suburban house.
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 505 Karma: 15
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #12 on Feb 17, 2008, 1:45am »
The first time I went to a game con, I got roped into running a session by the guy who convinced me to go. By the time I got to my table, there were 16 players. I had never run for more than three or four prior to that.
I managed so well that a couple of the guys (who were college students to my being 11th grade or so) came up afterwards and gave me compliments. They smoothed my way into the college game club (which was open to non-students, one of my eventual players was in 7th grade or so, though he came with his older brother who was a year or two younger than me).
In college, I had a Fantasy Hero campaign hit 12+ players, with most sessions having 10 or 11 players (perhaps one even hit 12 players).
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 150 Location: York, Pennsylvania, USA Karma: 5
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #13 on Mar 13, 2008, 4:11am »
In the early 90's I ran a session every Saturday at our local gamestore and we regularly had 21 people at the table (that being the number of chairs available) as well as a gaggle of people just watching the game unfold. Incidentally this drew more people that came into the store to see what was going on.
My sweet spot is 8-12; enough class redundancy to seriously challenge a party in multiple fights in between returning to town or a safe haven without them depleting all of their resources in a single fight, but challenge enough that they get worried about losing a character. My current group is 8 strong.
calithena Moderator Official "Fight On!" Scribe member is offline
Will Withstand Adversity
Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,699 Karma: 91
Re: "4-50 players" « Reply #14 on Mar 13, 2008, 8:04am »
Hi Jeff -
Good post on your blog, I missed it. I'm with Victor (last comment), that's what I think of as a fantasy campaign. Some GMs choose to close down their worlds, but 'closed world' was pejorative in the late seventies/early eighties gaming culture I grew up with.
![[Home]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/home.gif "[Home]")
![[New Topics]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/topics.png "[New Topics]")
![[Help]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/help.gif "[Help]")
![[Search]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/search.gif "[Search]")
![[Login]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/login.gif "[Login]")
![[Register]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/register.gif "[Register]")
![[Search This Thread]](http://images.proboards.com/search2.gif "[Search This Thread]")
![[Share Topic]](http://images.proboards.com/new/buttons/share.png "[Share Topic]")
![[Print]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif "[Print]")
Author
![[homepage]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/www_sm.gif "[homepage]")
Logged![[avatar]](http://www.freeyabb.com/trolllordgames/images/avatars/trolllordgames/49541430946ca706f3ab62.gif "[avatar]")
![[avatar]](http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa152/jrients/BnM_Mogar.gif "[avatar]")
![[avatar]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4qI6i7wKX1c/SdZoRveimpI/AAAAAAAAADI/N5Grto0YRg4/S220/Mage.JPG "[avatar]")
![[avatar]](http://mux.net/~ulmo/ThorinII.jpg "[avatar]")
![[icq]](http://images.proboards.com/icq.gif "[icq]")
![[avatar]](http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii55/akesher3/erolaxeAvatar.jpg "[avatar]"){kind=avatar}
.![[avatar]](http://content.turbine.com/sites/compendium.ddo.com/images/uploaded/a/ac/Mindflayer.png "[avatar]")
![[avatar]](http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m109/Rhuvein/KEEPavatar.jpg "[avatar]"){kind=avatar}
![[avatar]](http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/Arminath/OCRBXSoftCoverRRGICON.jpg "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/Arminath/RangerLogo.jpg "[image]")
![[avatar]](http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d164/Calithena/FightOn1Cover.jpg "[avatar]")