Average size of "Expedition Force" in your games?

[Zulgyan]

I usually play with 4 to 6 players at a time. Since henchmen will feature more heavily in my next campaign, I'm going to assume that each player hires 2, on average (some will hire none, some 2, some 4 maybe).

This will make the average expedition getting into the dungeon a 12 to 18 man force. This serves a rough guideline to balance the threats the groups will face (so no 30-300 orcs, but maybe 3d6?)

What's going on in your OD&D campaigns? How big is the exploration party and how is it usually composed?

[tetramorph]

I have anywhere from 4 to 12 players, with 6 to 8 most of the time.

Between player characters and hirelings, I usually cap things out around 12.

With higher level characters, I may not allow hirelings at all.

The wilderness is a different deal all together. I expect them to hire units of troops to survive possible wilderness encounters.

[Melan]

My OD&D group ranges from three to about six players. I set a practical limit of about 10-12 PCs and NPCs per expedition - more as a request to keep things manageable than a hard rule. You can bring more, but they will make a lot of noise.

3-30 orcs are fine in my book. If there are too many of them, run or strike a deal!

[eotb]

When I'm a player? I hire an entire merc company to set up a palisade/fortified location near to the dungeon. Happy to spend the money.

My players don't see the fun in having 3 dozen+ roughnecks riding the roads with them, which I as DM find absolutely crazy given how often they're hit with stuff like wild animals and squad-level random encounters that would have fled from their path if they were out in force. But they're cheap.

Henchmen, they do bring on once they have a couple of levels under their belt, and treat them well. I usually have 3-5 players so after the early mid-levels that doubles. Most of the henchmen serve auxiliary roles - spear lines, emergency heals, missile fire, and minor spell support.

[delta]

Playing with people in their 20's, mostly new to D&D/RPGs in general. Have 3-6 players at the table at a time (most that the host wants to deal with).

My players have been very anti-henchmen up until recently. I think this is due to (a) their expectation to focus for RP purposes on one character, and (b) a desire to not cut treasure and XP so many ways (explicitly the latter). But: then I did a video chat on the subject and a few flipped on the issue, hiring two more henchmen a month ago. But: then I came pretty close to a TPK last Friday in an undead temple and all the henchmen were lost. I'm not sure how they'll bounce back from that next time. (I think plans to try and reincarnate the top-level henchman may be afoot.)

[grodog]

Our Monday night AD&D game (6-8 players + DM most sessions) employs a small squad of men-at-arms: a sargent, 10-12 MaA, and three "named" MaA---Ernie, Luke, and Rob; Alex, alas, recently died at the hands of a parliament of owlbears, along with a couple of the other unnamed MaA.

In the other games I play or DM, both MaA and henchmen are occasionally brought into play on an per-mission basis, but none of the PCs employ either type with any regularity.

Allan.

[eotb]

Aug 7, 2019 22:31:17 GMT -6 grodog said:

Our Monday night AD&D game (6-8 players + DM most sessions) employs a small squad of men-at-arms: a sargent, 10-12 MaA, and three "named" MaA---Ernie, Luke, and Rob; Alex, alas, recently died at the hands of a parliament of owlbears, along with a couple of the other unnamed MaA.

As a former player in this campaign, the MaA were very useful when I was playing.  I remember one time Allan's character and mine were running skirmish tactics against a pincer movement of orcs that was trying to Cannae the main force of PCs, who were pinned fighting a large force of orcs in an area with many inlet halls.  The two of us drew the pincer force away (we had 12" move since we weren't tank characters - I was a thief and Allan a F/MU) back to the rear entrance to the dungeon where our MaA were waiting above.  

We took a position at the far west of the room which placed the entrance on what would be the right flank of the orcs should they charge forward to our position - which they did.  Then we called down the MaA from the entrance, charging down in a line of spears directly into the unguarded flank of the orcs.  The orcs fought for another round but fled from the onslaught.  I think we lost 2 MaA and richly rewarded the remainder with all the electrum and silver the party found after mopping up the main force.