I'm about to start a new campaign, I'm used to running games with 4-6 players, but time and real life situations have dwindled my forces down to two players. We haven't discussed exactly what the campaign will be, but with more players you end up with more skills, more insight and more firepower. so the question is, what would you do about filling holes?

Campaign Idea #1: Pulp-era crime fighters (either gumshoes or low powered supers)

Campaign Idea #2: Wild West bounty hunters

should I give more contacts? spare NPCs (player controlled or GM controlled)?

I'm currently running a solo 2nd edition campaign for my brother.

Quotebut with more players you end up with more skills, more insight and more firepower. so the question is, what would you do about filling holes?

A bit of tailoring, bit of having NPCs available to fill the holes. My brother is running a mage. He's got a wardog to do some tanking, and there are NPCs in the campaign who step in when he needs backup.

I think my favorite number of players is 1 to 3. Groups doing something that wants more people, bring along NPC friends/allies/comrades/hirelings/etc. NPCs in the group enable all sorts of things: Not just extra manpower and skills. They can provide sanity and in-character perspectives when players are getting OOC, weird or stupid. They can be split from the group in situations where it makes sense to split, but might be cumbersome to split the PCs. They can potentially violate all of the annoying gamey expectations some players have of what PCs can/should do to/for/with/against each other, such as have free will and agendas that don't need to stay in synch with the players. They can also serve as ready replacement PCs if/when PCs die in action.

(It may help that I play games where NPCs are just like PCs in terms of stats and possibly in ability levels.)

Quote from: NYTFLYR;1037921I'm about to start a new campaign, I'm used to running games with 4-6 players, but time and real life situations have dwindled my forces down to two players. We haven't discussed exactly what the campaign will be, but with more players you end up with more skills, more insight and more firepower. so the question is, what would you do about filling holes?

Campaign Idea #1: Pulp-era crime fighters (either gumshoes or low powered supers)

Campaign Idea #2: Wild West bounty hunters

should I give more contacts? spare NPCs (player controlled or GM controlled)?

I generally feel 2 is too small for most games. However, if you're running Aces & Eights, the immersion and details are such that you could probably do a pretty good game with just two players.

Been playing in a 2 player 5e D&D campaign about 8 months now. Worked out pretty good so far. Just have to play a little differently as some encounters you just cant fight straight up and need to either use hit and run tactics, trickery, or other means to even the odds or bypass.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1038139I generally feel 2 is too small for most games. However, if you're running Aces & Eights, the immersion and details are such that you could probably do a pretty good game with just two players.

That's always been my general feeling as well, but beggars cant be choosers...

Well, look into Aces & Eights. It's so detailed and puts so much emphasis on the players making their own goals, that it can probably work with just two player characters.