Too many players?

[Shalimar]

Because of the relative ease of use of the internet for play-by-post gaming it is very easy to allow more players into a game then you would for a tabletop game. With no space restrictions on where you are playing like a college dorm room, games can often grow to include many players.

I would like to know what the Game Masters/ Dungeon Masters/ Storytellers really feel is the number they can handle comfortably, before having the game bog down. As a player my comfort level is about 4 or 5 before there are too many people to get to know. Other people run games with 10 pcs, I am trying to find a general consensus.

 

[reapersaurus]

interesting question.

I think 4 is too fe, it makes it too dependant on each player being very involved and active.

Many times players don't contribute that much for weeks at a time (for a variety of reasons).

Too few players risks the game dying for lack of interest.

On the other hand, too many players risks having one voice be drowned in stronger characters, or more active players.

So I picked 6 as a mid-range # : not too many to learn and get to know, not too few for the game to die.

But it's really all about the DM's opinion, right?
(I just realized this was directed at DM's - sorry)

 

[Creamsteak]

I voted 6 as well. You can find a quote in some thread where I state that 6 is better for PbP games.

Oh, and I think xp tables should be adjusted for IC games, because combat is something that takes incredibly long and is hard to avoid. Thank Sollir for that idea.

 

[Shalimar]

Its ok for players to answer as well. I answered from my point of view as a player Reapersaurus. I haven't really seen games die out because they had 4 or 5 players. I've seen them die out because there was too any people though. One game I was in had soo many people that it became impersonal and onerous. People started replying less because it wasn't as fun, and gradually no one was posting at all.

 

[Timothy]

Hmm, I thought PnP (didn't read good) So I voted 5, although has to be 6 for PbP. Creamsteack, I'm gonna hijack your idea and start a thread about it, I'll give you (ans Sollir) credit though.

 

[KitanaVorr]

Hmm...

As a DM, I think it kind of depends on the game and what kind of game the DM wants to run. For me the usual for a regular D&D game would be 6.

But in my Gangs of Texas which is much more loose, allowing characters to roam wherever they want and not requiring them to hang out in a group, I find that keeping track of 6 individual actions occuring in different time periods in different places is pretty difficult when there is an intricate plot involved. If I had known this, I probaby would have limited it to 4. Though right now a few of the players have decided to work together in a group which does help.

In contrast, my In Character Character Game has an unlimited number of players. Mostly because it isn't even in the remotest serious and with no major plot (very loose) I can bounce everything off pretty quickly and react with no problem. They all don't even have to post in order to move the plot along. So its a very relaxed informal game.

Hmm what am I trying to say? Well basically, I believe that its all up to the DM's comfort level and the style of play.

As a player, I do think that if its a game where the plot is dependent on everyone posting, and there's lots of people, it slows down because not everyone is a frequent poster (at least once every day). But at the same time the different variety of players is fun and you may find someone in the large group to "hang out with" or you may form a small group of your own in the large group.

 

[Krug]

More than 5 and things get complicated, particularly combats...

 

[Viking Bastard]

I prefer Four, but work well with anything from two to six.

Still prefer four. I think it's a good balancing point.

 

[Shapermc]

As a DM in Real Life I really enjoy playing here. So here is your player opinion.

I think that it is all based around combat. If you are doing a very IC thread where it is mainly acomplishing a plot and not revolving around getting the bad guy and making him pay, I say up to 8. Like the 2 Call of Cthulhu games that I am in they are combat light and character development heavy. We have 6 people and honestly I think we could handle more.

If it is a combat heavy one I think that I would say 4-5 MAX! Combat would take a week to resolve with more (sometimes it takes more time than that anyways).

I put down 6 as a round number for either.

 

[GruTheWanderer]

I'll offer a counter opinion with regards to combat. If you are willing as a DM to auto-pilot characters who don't respond within a certain amount of time, combats with six players or more are definitely possible. Buzzard has been doing it in Rappan Athuk, and I have done it in Delta Squad and Sunless Citadel. Of course, level can play a factor here.

I'm liking the idea of six players. I started each of my recent games with six, lost a few, and then recruited a few more to make up the difference.