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Old 03-21-2019, 05:55 PM   #1
FireHorse
 
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Default Typical Party Size…?

When you play TFT, how many Characters are usually in the party? (And does your group allow more than one Character per Player?)

Also, does the party normally employ GM-controlled NPC hirelings? (Or only occasionally? Or never?)
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Old 03-21-2019, 06:58 PM   #2
JohnPaulB
 
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

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Originally Posted by FireHorse View Post
When you play TFT, how many Characters are usually in the party? (And does your group allow more than one Character per Player?)

Also, does the party normally employ GM-controlled NPC hirelings? (Or only occasionally? Or never?)
Depends on what the scenario is.

If I'm running Troop Movement games (each player runs 8 figures of a squad), then obviously its 8 figures per player. The scenario is set up for about 3 to 4 players with the GM running everything else.

Running a campaign game, I usually could only get two other players together at a time, but I would allow them to run 1 to 4 characters each.

If I was a playing a convention game, I was assigned a figure & that was that.

I prefer playing two figures at the same time in a game. Whether the figures know each other or not. I had no problem running a GM monitored NPC hireling too.

As a player in Tolenkar's Lair, I ran four figures. Still got skunked though.
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Old 03-21-2019, 07:09 PM   #3
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

I'd say 4 is pretty close to an average. I feel like any number under 10 works great, but if you are simply running fights it will be more fun if there are always at least 2 on a side so that you have some interesting choices to make during movement.
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Old 03-21-2019, 07:17 PM   #4
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

Quote:
Originally Posted by FireHorse View Post
When you play TFT, how many Characters are usually in the party? (And does your group allow more than one Character per Player?)

Also, does the party normally employ GM-controlled NPC hirelings? (Or only occasionally? Or never?)
I can speak for my group's current campaign. We started with five players with one character each. We lost one to real life issues. We would like to find one or two more players* to balance out our group.

There are a few NPCs we call on from time to time. One is a friendly ogre who has helped us several times although he is not the best fighter. There is a hedge mage we have asked for advice and he traveled with us on one mission. The local woodsman, and now lord of the manor, has guided us several times exploring new territory.

* If you are in the Richmond, VA area and interested in joining us, send me a PM.
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Old 03-21-2019, 11:26 PM   #5
Skarg
 
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

Depends on where a party is going and what they're doing, and how many comrades or random wide-eyed adventurer-wannabe NPCs they can enlist, etc.

Smaller parties tend to need to be stealthier and more cautious.

Our parties varied, from maybe 3 minimum up to about 20 or sometimes more. Typical size might be 6 to 10, but there was a consciousness for experienced players of needing enough people to feel like you could get there through whatever terrain/encounters, be confident enough to handle what was expected and get to safety alive, including being able to have people be hurt and still be able to operate and guard rested people while others could still do things.

i.e. NPC comrades are the main answer to how you survive dangerous adventures far from home with no magic healing (other than being smart and capable of avoiding getting hurt, which is also a thing, but also much easier with NPC comrades).

Usually one PC per player, but players often running the NPC comrades in combat, and/or using such NPCs as temporary (or rarely, permanent) replacements until their PC healed or could be replaced logically (e.g. back in a town - no "because a PC died, a new replacement PC appears to join the party ... er, in the swamp". Death is part of the game.).

The NPC comrades (of which there were almost always several or many) were all ultimately GM controlled though.
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Old 03-22-2019, 03:40 AM   #6
Chris Rice
 
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

Assuming you’re running the game as an RPG rather than a skirmish battle then I’d say the ideal range is 3-5 players with 1 character each. If you play with 1 or 2, it works, but there’s less room for interesting interaction between the players and there are less ideas coming forward for solutions. With 6 or more players, you can have too much going on and it can be hard to keep everyone involved. It also depends on the scenario and what sort of players you have. I’ve run single shot games with more than a dozen but I wouldn’t like to do that on a longer term basis.
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Old 03-23-2019, 12:18 AM   #7
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

I guess to me, the ideal party size would be somewhere between four and eight (depending on the number of players you have, and how experienced they are, and what kind of messes you're getting them into). That seems like a number the GM can deal with pretty easily, and that ensure the party isn't too weak to accomplish anything. Of course, YMMV and all that.

As a general rule, I think players can "handle" two figures at the same time at a minimum in a fight, and experienced players can handle as many as four (though it puts a bit of strain on their roleplaying skill to do so and keep them separate). So even if you're short of players, you should be able to build a party that can at least defend themselves. Ideally, of course, you'd have enough players to run 4-8 characters without having anyone run more than one figure at a time, but it's been rare in my gaming career when I had that luxury!
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Old 07-23-2021, 02:13 PM   #8
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

4-6 party members. I allow each player to play 2-3 PCs.
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Old 07-23-2021, 02:43 PM   #9
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

Assuming a game with an emphasis on role-playing, I've found that I work best GMing for two to five players, and I prefer it when each player runs only one character. It is increasingly difficult for me to ensure that each character gets enough spotlight as the group moves beyond five. In my experience, campaigns with more than six or seven players don't last long due to too many schedules not agreeing.

Sometimes the characters decide they want to employ hirelings, and typically the GM does run those.
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Old 07-24-2021, 08:20 AM   #10
larsdangly
 
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Default Re: Typical Party Size…?

4 is kind of the industry standard in TFT, perhaps because that is what is stipulated in Death Test but also it seems to be a sweet spot in terms of tactical interest and playing speed when it comes to the sorts of skirmishes that are typical in fantasy adventures.

My favorite size is probably 1 - whether you are a Conan or a Percival or a Cugel the Clever or a Sparrowhawk, this is the sort of play where decisions and conflicts and interactions are most immediate and engaging. The only down side is that straight-up fights to the death are more interesting in TFT when you have multiple figures per side.
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