Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

With the exception of a short lived home brew campaign I don't think I've run a game for more than 3 people in Years. My group of prospective players is rather large, but with constantly changing schedules, inconveniently large distances, transportation issues, and unreliable internet connections, I find myself more and more frequently just wanting to just run a game with the people I can, when we get the chance. With that in mind I started looking for modules designed for 1-3 players here, and failed to find anything. I certainly could, and certainly have in the past just modified some of the other modules to fit my needs. Some of them I've actually run as is, and the players simply adjusted their play style to account for being regularly outnumbered. But I'm curious if anyone has written any modules specifically for smaller groups of low level adventurers. And yes I could also house rule in some buffs to the PCs, but that still only gets me so far.

Here are a couple thoughts. Though I know you are looking for a more streamlined module, these might help.

1. Starting hp is a character CON score. Solo suggested this for a scifi game. I think some other games use it as well, though not sure.

2. Give each person a one line NPC retainer, it's like getting two attacks per turn or extra spells/healing per day.

One of my current games has 3 players. I let them create two characters each, one the main character, the other a retainer, with the understanding that the retainer becomes the main character if the main character dies. This has worked well so far.

I play mainly with my daughters, and in the beginning (when it was just my two oldest playing) I would just NPC the needed characters. Bob the Cleric and Fred the MU often came along with Sir Emma the fighter and Hannah the rogue. But I often gave them extra healing potions, or had them go through a module they were a level higher than, to give them a decent chance of success. Often it was whatever worked Now my 12yo enjoys clerics and the 9yo plays a fighter or thief at this point, Hannah has switched to MUs.

But I remember DungeonDelver had a couple modules for one or two players, check the DD ones out here: http://thedelversdungeon.blogspot.com/2 ... lvers.html
I think they are for AD&D but might fit what you need with a little conversion.

Good luck!

I've actually been working on an adventure for low/beginner level off and on recently. The current concept is 4 to 6 characters of level 1 to 3, but I may try to skim it down a bit in order to fit this need for smaller groups (I GM for just the wife and two kids, so I understand the need for something smaller).

Solomoriah wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 9:08 am One of my current games has 3 players. I let them create two characters each, one the main character, the other a retainer, with the understanding that the retainer becomes the main character if the main character dies. This has worked well so far.

I've done this as well, can confirm it works great. You can also bend the rules a bit more and make 0-level fighters available to beef up the party ranks at low levels (mercenaries are supposed to be used as part of a hired force, and don't normally go on adventures if I remember the rules correctly). I sometimes use the Barrowmaze meatshield generator.