Over on The Masters Council, I started a thread last weekend about one-on-one gaming:
I was wondering what sorts of experiences people here have had with one-on-one gaming, by which I mean one GM and one player. It’s been something I’ve been giving some thought to, due to a lack of local games, and I wanted to get some idea of what I might be getting myself into.
What sorts of challenges does it present for the GM (and the player)? What are the benefits? Are there any game systems or settings that tend to work especially well (or especially poorly) with the one-on-one format?
There have been some good responses so far, but I’d certainly welcome more (either on MC or in comments here).
May 27th, 2004 at 9:14 pm
Gaming “one on one” is both very similar and VERY different from gaming with a group. The absolute focus that the game demands (GM completely focused on player, player having to maintain focus as they are going to be the focus of _ALL_ the plots/schemes/derring-do that the GM comes up with.
I’ve done a fair amount of this style of gaming (mainly as a GM), both as side bets for an ongoing campaigns and as a completely independent project. I find that it can really help you get a handle on the character (GM and Player), but it can also get kind of tiring when you can’t switch focus from time to time. On the bright side, however, there are many more opportunities for in depth roleplaying and that can be REALLY cool when it’s firing on all cylinders!
One of the things that I find an absolute must as a GM is that you HAVE to have a “GM character”. I realize that this in itself is a topic that gets some argument, but I find that when you are dealing with a scale that small you need a voice in the scene, and the PC is going to need an ally or at least a familiar persona to play off of.
If you really like roleplaying with the other person, then it can work. If they are one of the people that you tolerate to get the other gamers there, then don’t bother.
Hope this helps!