Stop Building Your Table Around the Ideal Party

This week I sit down with Flint Fireforge and JoetheLawyer to talk honestly about table size — solo games, duets, full 6-8 person tables, and the one time one of us ran for thirteen people at a con. We get into: • Why the “four core classes” ideal party shows up in every rulebook — and whether it actually matters • Running solo and one-on-one games by playing multiple characters yourself • How Shadowdark, OSE, and DCC each recommend a different table size, and why • Why online tables get harder to run past four players, and in-person doesn’t • Session length as the hidden factor nobody accounts for • What happens when a table gets too big and the group actually fractures • Why a marathon session might solve more problems than a bigger party However many players you’ve got — one, four, or eight — there’s something here for your table. TIMESTAMPS • 00:00 – Opening up table size as this week’s topic • 01:15 – The “four core classes” ideal party myth • 01:45 – Solo, duet, and trio tables explained • 02:07 – Is there a mystique around needing four players? • 02:40 – How Shadow Dark, OSE, and DCC each handle party size • 06:31 – Online tables: why four keeps everyone engaged • 07:56 – GURPS vs D&D: how system complexity changes scaling • 13:21 – Con games: running for 13+ players and losing the depth • 19:20 – Does size really matter? Revisiting the math • 23:49 – When the table breaks: handling group conflict • 28:48 – Session length as the hidden variable • 29:02 – The case for a marathon session • 30:48 – Cameras-on as the online table fix • 31:16 – Wrap-up: size and length both matter LINKS Patreon:   / gothridge   DriveThru RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publi... RPG Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/creator/1106/g... Blogger: http://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/ X: https://x.com/gothridgemanor Facebook:   / gothridge.manor.2025   Reddit:   / gothridgemanor   #OSR #Shadowdark #DnD #DMAdvice #GMAdvice