"Optimal Number of Players in a Campaign?" Topic

How many players do you prefer in a wargaming campaign?

Exactly the number of players that will consistently show up/send in orders, regardless of work, wife or girlfriend, kids, kids' activities, or disappointment in their army's performance.

^^ What he said.

Henry

You're so strict!

One-day mini-campaigns: multi-player, 4-8 (depending on the nature of the campaign).

Long multi-meeting or email campaigns: 2.

But all of Justin Penwith's requirements apply regardless. The number of players is really a way to help ensure the requirements are met.

- Ix

+1 Justin

Two with a supporting cast of lead-pushers.

Justin nailed it.

Who ever shows up and stays with it even if their losing.

The same as for a one-off game. Which, of course, varies by rules, scope, scenarios, etc.

In some sense, a campaign is just a series of one-off games where you don't know the initial conditions of the next until the current one completes.

None. By which I mean that no players are assigned to particular states. Instead, we use a very simple boardgame that more or less runs itself to generate the tabletop battles. Those would then be played by whoever turns up on a club night. If the strategy game needs a decision, then the players who happen to be there make the choice. Or we just roll to see what the next fight will be…

The good thing about this is that it removes the possible death of a campaign due to player dropout, for whatever reason.

Justin is a fanatast. I agree wholeheartedly but his requirements in real numbers come up to zero.

For any campaign lasting beond two or three table top meetings the umpire must do ALL the lifting, heavy or not, and do ALL the work for the players. They almost never will do any work themselves. Any materials you give them they will lose, any rules you give them they will not read, and anything you expect them to remember they will promptly forget.

Like Caliban my present campaign system can run with zero players. If they show up fine, if not their automated stand in takes over for them. I mean it's not like they keep records or remember anything.

0.

Two, our campaigns are long battles that last maybe 8 to 10 eveninbgs of play in total. Troops leave when they run out of fuel or are exhausted by the fighting and are pelaced (if available).

They demand work from both players to make them enjoyable and setting up the terrain as it moves on is a bit of a nightmear. However hex based maps and a good camera makes recording of positions of on table positions and status is quick.

ummm….6?

I'd agree with the Yellow Admiral. For a long term campaign, week on week, two people. For a one day affair, maybe 6. Any larger and you can't keep everybody involved.