Brave adventurers, hardy souls who thirst to see and experience the unknown and test themselves against challenges heretofore undreamed of, how many players are in your Dungeons & Dragons, or other role-playing game system, party of adventurers? What’s the ideal number of players in said party of adventurers?

I play in a group of three players, myself included in that trio of players, and the Dungeon Master (DM) too, of course. For awhile there, when the party of adventurers formed, there were six players. Play was consistent from week to week, as it was easy to continue the adventure if one or more players missed a game session. As a result of the pandemic, life events, and other obligations and responsibilities that have occurred in the lives of my fellow players, the group is now down to three players.

As I’m sure you can guess, the group’s play schedule is now inconsistent and a lot of playtime is missed due to said life events, obligations, and responsibilities. The opportunities for the group to play whenever possible are better than being unable to play at all! Thus, while the four of us have grown to be a tight knit group and have a blast when we do play, the fulfillment—and fun!—factors would increase if the group had three more players which would make it possible to play on a more consistent basis.

While opinions vary due to taste, the level of skill that the DM and players possess, and the number of players available and interested in playing in any one game session, my opinion is that six players is the ideal number of players to make up a party of adventurers. I want to go with five players as the optimum number of players. However, I’ve bumped it up to six players and I’ll tell you why. A party of adventurers composed of six players means that the adventure can continue, even if one, two, or even three players are absent from any given game session.

The benefit of having six players instead of five players is that it gives that extra little cushion that increases the likelihood that the adventure can continue when real life inevitably intervenes in the lives of your fellow players. (Or yourself!) The interruptions caused by the unavoidable realities of everyday life can disrupt the fantastical adventures that the party of adventurers is on if there are less than six players; adventures which can consist of the thrill of exploration and adventures in space, the horror of facing down undead hordes, crawls through creepy dungeons, encounters with majestic (and frightful?!) dragons, or anywhere and everywhere in-between. While six players is the maximum number of players I suggest in any one group, three is the minimum. I know there can be less than three players and a fun time can still be had, even with one player and the DM or even solo.

If you want a fun group of adventurers, the more the merrier. (Parties of greater than six can be fun too!) Six players is optimal to make sure that everyone has their time in the spotlight. With each successive player that is added beyond the sixth, this time in the spotlight erodes a little bit for each player. If the DM and players manage their time at the table well, this can be overcome. (Hint: Players know what you’re going to do before it’s your turn!)

Which again begs the questions I asked at the beginning of this quest (blog), how many players are in your Dungeons & Dragons, or other role-playing game system, party of adventurers? What’s the ideal number of players in said party of adventurers?

Now, where should the party of adventurers meet and start the adventure? Tomorrow’s quest will answer those questions!