Hi there.

After years of owning various editions of the rulebook and daydreaming about one day actually using the damn thing, I've managed to sell my group on the idea of playing a Pendragon game. And, not only that, but they want to play the Great Pendragon Campaign, all the way through. Fortunately, they didn't require much selling at all, and I'm fully confident that everyone's fully on board and committed. We did character creation last night (each player made a backup character, as advised), and everyone had a blast. We particularly had a lot of fun rolling up family histories and speculating about the odd quirks of their characters' ancestors.

The only thing I'm worried about at all (besides taking on a huge sprawling campaign like this) is that there are only three of us-- me, my wife, and a friend of ours. What adjustments, if any, should I make to the campaign to compensate for having only two players? Is a certain number of players assumed in the text? We might have more people join eventually, but for the time being, it's just going to be the three of us.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi Nemo!

In our campaign we've just made it (after far to long) to the Boy King Period in the GPC. Much of the time I have been in a similar situation as to yourself, only having two players (every now and then a third passes through). Its actually worked just fine. That said, if you can get yourself extra players, i would have to admit that when we've had three or four its been better. As far as I can tell there is no restriction on player number in it.

Any advice would be appreciated.



I'd advise that everyone be from different lineages, to take maximum advantage of the dynastic fun.

The Book of Battle requires a minimum of three player knights for certain things, but these can be those less-played characters, of even just "battle buddies" for the occasion of major conflict.

One other thing--two player characters per player tends towards an unnatural sort of cooperation, and I think that most adventures in the GPC will go just fine for two PCs at a time--many of them will in fact be much better than if for 4-6 players.

Will you also rotate GM duties, perhaps after a while when everyone know how to play? I suggest discussing it, at least.

But there are two times to start things: 1. When everything is perfect, so wait forever; or 2. When you just start it. :)

Have fun.
--Greg

Thanks for the quick response!



One other thing--two player characters per player tends towards an unnatural sort of cooperation, and I think that most adventures in the GPC will go just fine for two PCs at a time--many of them will in fact be much better than if for 4-6 players.

That's good to hear. The backup characters are going to be held in reserve in case their primary characters are killed before there's a suitable heir or otherwise out of commission. I might make an NPC knight who can occasionally accompany them (without stealing their thunder). I'll have one player take over a squire, too, if one knight goes off by himself (as knights are wont to do), but they'll only be in control of one PC at a time.


Will you also rotate GM duties, perhaps after a while when everyone know how to play? I suggest discussing it, at least.

We've talked about it before, in reference to playing Ars Magica, but it hasn't come up with Pendragon, yet. I'll definitely bring it up at some point. Have you gotten good results with rotating duties? We've never actually tried it before, and I've always wondered how exactly that would play out.


But there are two times to start things: 1. When everything is perfect, so wait forever; or 2. When you just start it. :)

That's perhaps the main reason why I'm finally running it. I think I was a bit nervous and intimidated by the whole thing, and I've never really felt like I (or whatever group I happened to be a part of) was up to it. Which is kind of silly when I think about it. When I was pitching various games to my players about what I should run next, my wife turned to me and said "You need to just go ahead and run Pendragon already. You've been talking about it for years." And I had been, but always in a kind of hypothetical context. "Wouldn't it be cool if..." It's a relief to just roll up my sleeves and get down to it.

I've been running a very episodic GPC with three players of late and it's working fine, I don't imagine dropping down to two players would make much of a difference - a lot of the things that knights involved with are one-on-one affairs anyway (it's not done to gang up in chivalric combat after all). Some of the nastier monsters and unchivalric opposition might be a bit more dangerous than in a bigger group, but having your knight die isn't an unexpected outcome in Pendragon.




That's perhaps the main reason why I'm finally running it. I think I was a bit nervous and intimidated by the whole thing, and I've never really felt like I (or whatever group I happened to be a part of) was up to it.


The GPC does a good job of breaking you in gently - the Uther period is quite heavily scripted, so that by the time you get to the Anarchy you're player knights should have developed enough plot hooks to see you through the more freeform nature of that time and then you should be well on your way.

The 'routine' to the annual round is also very helpful to a GM IME - if you're stuck for inspiration then the court-intrigue-conversation-news-*adventure*-solo-winter sequence can easily give you an evening of gaming if you're comfortable with a bit of improvisation. The various capsule adventures (AMBUSH, YOUR MANOR RAIDED etc) are handy for this sort of mix and match session I find.

Regards
Luke

Hi, congrats! GPC rocks hard, yo. (Sorry, I'm spending entirely too much time with teenagers)

My group played with three people for a year+ and it worked fine. It's a bit more fun with a few more knights, but we had no problems.

D

Two players is great! Even one will do. If you read the different literatures ( malory,etc...) you almost always find knights either Erranting by themselves or with a single companion or maybe two. Trystan and Dinadin are a good example, or Sagramor and Dodinas, or Lamorak and percival. Actually it seems that smaller groups or alone is the norm of the literature. you rarely see 5 or more knights traveling in each others company for very long unless you are going to battle. Actually a group with 5 player knights could be a burden if they are from the same county and have the same lord. Most provinces have somewhere between , like 15-60 knights depending on size. so taking 5 or more and sending them erranting is actually a semi-big deal! Anyways glad you got to start playing finally. Its the most brilliant game out there!!!!! Cheers! ;D