Guys I have a dilemma.
Me and a group of my buddies are gearing up to play a new campaign soon. I'm gonna be DM. No problems there.
The big problem comes I when a buddy moving in from out of state is planning on joining too. He's kind of "that guy" but that's exactly not the bad part. The bad part is he's recently married to a sweet but incredibly dumb girl and she wants to play as well.
I have no experience playing with a couple at the table. I have a really bad feeling about this. Is that warranted? How do I proceed?
Play it by ear, see what characters they roll up. I'm dming a weird western/call of cthulu/pathfinder game where one of my players is a 10 year old who likes to curb stomp folks and it's been going ok
>>47169350
Sounds strange af. We are just playing a Star Wars rpg.
Do you have any experience with couples in games?
Only as a player, but it was never really a problem. The characters weren't related and didn't pursue romantic ties with anything, which is usually where things get weird.
>>47169282
If you think he's kinda that guy, trust your gut and don't invite him to the game.
I've had a lot of players who I was hesitant about, because they felt "wrong" but weren't "that bad", and eventually it turned out to ruin the fun for me, if not for other players.
one more thing I just thought about. Them jumping into game will bring the total number of players to 8. The most I've ever run with was 5. Combat in that was already a slog and I was worried that 6 would be too much.
Does anyone have advise for running a game with so many people? Or am I worrying too much?
>>47169568
Also, while I don't have an issue with couples playing at my table (because why the hell would I), I don't accept people I don't know, or that I don't enjoy the company of outside of the game, to the table. If you don't think you'll enjoy playing with her, don't. Be polite about it, but straightforward.
>>47169620
8 players works well with fast games. What game are you DMing, and if D&D, which edition?
My rule of thumb is 8 players max. if playing OD&D to Basic, 5-6 players if playing AD&D 1e or 2e, and 3-4 players if playing 3e or later.
Again, if you're not comfortable with increasing the number of players, don't. You don't need a zillion people to make the game fun, just good players.
I've ran solo marathon games that went for as long as two days without an issue, and most of my old gaming sessions were with only two or three players, due to the fact that there aren't a lot of gamers in my country.
>>47169699
It's Star Wars saga edition. The d20 based Star Wars ruleset. Essentially d&d 3e. I think it's a bit better though personally.
>>47169660
I know this guy really well. He and I go way back. It would be brutal if I told him he can't join up. He'd be hurt and I don't want that.
>>47169748
I'm sorry I don't this game much, but assuming it's close to 3e, I think you'd better keep the player number low (3-5 is good).
>>47169775
Do you know each other well enough that you could discuss with him what is That Guy-y in his behavior, so that he gets better? Also, is it at least possible in the situation to tell him that you don't want his wife to join?
If party size is an issue, you could try running a separate game with them within the same realm as your original party, then have them connect or work against each other
>>47169893
I might be able to convince him to leave his wife out. Dunno.
But I've played with him before and I've talked to him at length about how he tends to drag the table down. He doesn't exactly learn (guarantee he will complain about missing if he rolls a 1 on a melee attack against a stormtrooper) so I eventually had to learn to work around his bullshit. The players help me out with that a lot. I feel like I can handle him and still make it fun.
I'm just kinda caught off guard on the whole couples play thing. Never seen it before and he will definitely do something faggy with it.
>>47169951
What if I bring a minute-glass to the table and restrict everyone to deciding their moves within that time or else forfeit their turn? That could speed things up a bit..?
Or maybe allow everyone to make their actions at the same time and initiative determines who overrides what in terms of conflicting moves?
I dunno. Sounds like a clusterfuck
>>47169994
Then I say play with him : it'll be fun.
But don't play with his wife : it'll be shitty.
From what you're saying, I'm getting the impression you know this to be your ideal solution, but are still hesitant about something. Is it that you don't trust yourself to manage, or that you don't trust her to be an enjoyable player?
I know one bad player can make the game shitty for me. Not all the time too, some are pretty discrete.
Also, about the complaining about rolling ones and similar fate happenstances, I've found that it works well to recognize the bad luck and such, basically be on the side of the players when they're rolling.
Like, when I DM, if my players roll well, I'll be like "hey, you're really fucking up those goblins great job", and if I roll well, I'll be like "Hah, they're really fucking you up, poor sods".
Enthusiasm is the key.
>>47170060
Running with a timer is a great tool to manage stress (positive stress, not boring day job stress), but it's a pass-or-break thing, if you're players don't like being cornered, they'll feel threatened and it will reduce their general engagement in the game. On the other hand if they're the type who are very engaged by default, they'll take it with enthusiasm and accept it as another mechanic/game rule.
I know X group of friends would love it, because it would keep them focused, and another would hate it, because they like taking it easy and just play that way.
>>47170222
Also, a good way to speed up play is to have a lot of material at hand. Have all the info you need printed or on spreadsheets if you use your laptop as a screen. Have copies of the characters if your players don't remember their numbers so you can (gently) remind them when they start slowing down :
-ok roll a mind trick DC 15
-eh, well...eh...
-you wanna roll a 10 or better with your stats
-oh thanks *rolls*
>>47170222
Thanks man. You've really helped a lot.
I feel confident in my abilities overall. I've been running games with most of these guys for 3 years now. I guess my biggest reservation is the girl and what she does to the dynamic especially regarding the chaotic player that she's shackled to.
I can handle him. But I don't know what to expect when you throw her in the bag.
>>47170308
I'm happy to help.
If you think they can handle it, you could also run with them but say beforehand that you're not sure you'll manage, and if she plays bad, you can then say that you don't want to play with her (or if it's a no-no, simply tell them that you aren't comfortable with the party being this big, which is a white lie, but if you're looking to avoid conflict, it might be a solution).
I've had one player bringing his gf at the last minute, and she spent the whole time teasing him and fucking his focus. A trend I noticed is that players that are brought to the games because they just wanna be with their bf/gf don't engage with the game. If she's the one who wants to play, it might turn out good.
>>47169620
Sounds like you don't want to play with him and you've got a ready-made excuse of the table already being full. Say you feel bad about it and you'll see about getting him in if some people drop out, them don't actually do that.
>>47170466
He did say he does want to play with him and can manage him and still keep the game fun tho.
>>47170560
Why the fuck make a thread, then?
>>47170629
Clearly you haven't read the thread or you'd know he didn't state it right there in the OP. I asked questions, got this info, and could then procure adequate suggestions.
You sound angry.
I think OP left anyway so we can let the thread die.
Ya know, you could just start the campaign ASAP, before That Buddy even arrives.
Then you'll at least have the option of saying "Oh, the campaign isn't in a great spot for introducing new players, do you and your wife want to try playing a one-shot/side campaign/unrelated board game night/just fuck off until I get a good sense of how problematic you two are going to be?"
