|
09-26-2019, 03:34 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2018
|
Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
I'm going to run mini campaigns and other less involved arcs to two players. I got the DFRPG box as a birthday present last summer and I thought I'd test it out.
Do you think two-player DFRPG adventure is doable? Are the published adventures I Smell a Rat or the stuff in Hall of Judgment something that could be modified to accommodate lower player count? Any other ideas for converted adventures in other systems or similar? Any other stuff I should watch out for? I've read the Basic Set from cover to cover so I'm lightly familiar with the mechanics. But the characters' power level is a mystery to me. What can a duo accomplish realistically compared to something like modern D&D? |
09-26-2019, 09:24 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Earth, Sol, Milky Way, Infinity.
|
Re: Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
Welcome!
Yes, you can definitely do DFRPG with just two players. For existing published adventures, you'd need to scale the challenges back for them. Depending on the chosen Professions, it may be easier or harder. If your players, for example, are going for a Martial Artist and a Bard, they're going to have a tough time. If they're going for a Cleric and a Barbarian, it'll be a bit easier. As far as relative "level" 250 points is a pretty competent adventurer in most Professions. My recommendation is to have them make their characters based on a Professional template. And then just pick a monster or two, Giant Rats work, and have them get attacked in an open field to test the combat mechanics. You'll learn a lot and they'll learn a lot. Then run a generic mugging with a few bandits (All relevant skills/attributes at 12, 1d damage or so). Since you and your players are learning a new system, a few trial runs are a great way to learn the basics of combat. |
09-26-2019, 11:12 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Seattle
|
Re: Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
I've done this many times. I often allow players to run 2 characters (who are explicitly player-controlled NPCs, so they have their own motivations, but I don't generally have to run them in combat). Pick what's missing - mages, clerics, heavy fighters, whatever.
__________________
Seven Kingdoms, MH (as yet unnamed), and my "pick-up" DF game war stories, characters, and other ruminations can be found here. |
09-26-2019, 11:40 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Dec 2018
|
Re: Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
Thank you! Great advice from both of you.
I might run some test combats by myself too to get the hang of it. |
09-26-2019, 11:47 AM | #5 |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
|
Re: Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
This is generically a good idea for you and your players. Run a "training montage" or something.
__________________
My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon |
09-26-2019, 12:31 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Central Texas, north of Austin
|
Re: Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
Quote:
In fact, check out some of the detailed combat examples recorded by Mook who writes for the game. |
|
10-01-2019, 02:24 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Saint Paul, MN
|
Re: Dungeon Fantasy/DFRPG with just two players?
I've done this many times. When I don't want to add extra PCs (or allied NPCs), I often toss in an extra advantage or magic to help round things out. If they don't have a cleric, I give them a magical way to heal. In a game with my kids, I ran a mini-adventure about a leprechaun and they earned a magical 4-leaf-clover that would heal them back to full, but only four times. Giving them rings of protection or enchanted armor will boost defenses. Magic weapons boost damage output. Giving all the PCs some version of Luck can help them survive the foibles of the dice. If there aren't any other PCs, I toss niche protection out the window. A thief with a wand of fiery death blasts? Sounds fun to me.
Basically, I just take a step back and think about what kind of game we want to play (or what kind of story we want to tell). Usually, my answer is, "one where the heroes get to do heroic things without dying too much." |
|
|