[Djinnocide]

How do you guys adjust your games for small groups? If all of the stars are aligned and the spirit of Dunkelzahn wills it, I've got four players in my game group. From what I gather, that's pretty average, however, I'm quickly finding that most days I'm fortunate if I get three. Luckily, two of my four players are fairly dedicated to showing up on game day, so I'm wanting to provide them with the best possible game I can and I'm wondering if you guys have any pro tips for running a game with so few characters.

Additionally, what do you guys think would be the best character builds for running a duo? Currently, my two most dedicated players have built a Decker and Street Samurai, but I'm finding that there's some trouble with only these two as they've built these characters to be very good at their profession, but lacking in versatility. I'm having fun with the idea that there are consequences for their actions, which has instilled in them a fear of killing any one, though the street samurai is built for combat and a little bit of etiquette and and some perception for good measure and the Decker is pretty much all Decking with a couple of other skills like Pilot Ground Craft and such.

So yeah, any help with two man runner team builds or suggestions for ways I should tailor the details of my games to get the most out of only two players would be greatly appreciated.

[BetaCAV]

This looks like a job for NPCs. Perhaps not good enough to outshine the missing players, but good enough to make the run possible.

Overspecialization is a separate, but compunding, problem. In the short term, NPCs can help also. Longer term, they characters may want to spend some downtime and karma learning to cover for eachother in a pinch. They may not be able to handle stuff at the top of the power curve as readily, but eventually they'll spend less time sitting on their hands and watching trids waiting for the rest of the team to form up.

[GiraffeShaman]

As said, toss in an NPC. I usually try to put one in that won't hog the spotlight. That's how my Giraffe shaman was born, who actually later turned into a PC. Like you, I had 2 players at the time and they had no magic at all. I purposely gave them a shaman who was more of a support/utility spell/stealth type, rather than a full on battle shaman. And the totem's tendency for avoiding combats, similar to Rat, made the character less likely to outshine the players, particularly in combat.

I think it's generally not a good idea to try to pay with 1, but 2 is definitely enough. 3 and 4 is optimal, and getting 6 or more can actually be difficult to run.

Go easy on them, but this pretty much goes even full sized teams. It's a deadly system and so be less worried about challenging than you are about keeping them alive. Particularly if you think they will see any auto fire or heavy magic. Try to avoid hammering them on areas they lack, especially at first.

Feel free to give them help. Have the Johnson give advice, plan and infiltration ideas, or throw in other help. Be more generous about information they find on the legwork portion, such as ways to infiltrate a sight, guards that are open to bribery or able to be blackmailed, etc.

The style of the game can also effect play. If it's more planning involved and there is less over the top heavy combats, the chances are better for a small team. Smal teams of Face/Infiltrator/Hacker types are particularly suited to this type of game.

[Djinnocide]

Thanks guys! I hadn't considered sending an NPC along with them at all. Do you recommend statting the NPC out like any other character and just role playing him/her as though they were part of the team or should this be a thing that's more story related with a bunch of hand waving when the need arises?

[GiraffeShaman]

Whatever you thinks works for your story. It could be someone they saved from danger. It might be a cousin. It might be someone provided by a Fixer or a Johnson. In my case, I had a Fixer introduce the shaman when he gave them the job. He explained that he thinks they'll need some magical backup and the shaman's cut was already paid for. Fixer's are like talent agents, among other things. They put teams of shadowrunners together sometimes, in order to then market their services to Mr. Johnsons and employers. So it makes sense for them to provide NPCs. It's often how you get your NPC runners in the SR Returns video game, actually.

[Djinnocide]

Thanks for clarifying. I'm wondering if working a face character in as an NPC is a good idea. So far there have been a few obviously social scenes that my players have had a rough time with. I've talked to them about retooling their characters, and they've taken some etiquette ranks, but not enough to fill that Face void. My concern, though, is putting a face NPC into the group will likely turn into a situation where my players feel left out of those moments or it's going to seem like they're doing too much if they're issuing orders to this character instead of him acting independently.

[Reaver]

I use NPCs to fill the holes in my group's composition all the time when I have a lack of a specific skillset (usually hacking/decking)

Sometimes I stat them out, sometimes not (depends on if the stats are going to be important) but I also make sure that the NPC can NEVER outshine the PCs in their chosen field.

for example: in one game I only had 3 players:

A face (low combat skills)
an adept (melee skills, sneak skills)
and a mage (combat focused)

So this team was missing a ranged combat person and a hacker (this was 4e) Enter Scars and Wizkid.

Wizkid was a hacker, and a damn good one. he could get the team into and out of any electronic building they needed, Sleaze past almost any firewall, but couldn't walk 10 feet with out tripping over his own feet..... and he was more likely to dose himself or an ally with his super soaker (DSMO laes mix) then he was an enemy.... (after the second time spraying the mage, the team now insists he not carry a weapon AT ALL!)

Scars was a battle hardened Samurai that could shoot just about any weapon you put in her hands... but because of her cyber-psychosis, was not someone you let talk to anyone (that and the fact she looked like someone beat with the entire "ugly forest"!!!).....

So while they could preform what the team needed, it was still up to the players to choose the direction, tempo, and objectives of the story....The NPCs would offer advice if asked, but wouldn't other wise do much then play a support role.

[Djinnocide]

Excellent! That was exactly the kind of specifics I needed. Thank you!

[Lorebane24]

My guys are about to roll up new characters after an unfortunate TPK, and I'm trying something a bit different this time around to compensate for the fact that their are only two of them.  One is making a mystic adept (house rule that power points are 5 karma, not 2), and the other is a rigger.  I figure that should make them fairly versatile, but they're getting a free contact in the form of a fixer who operates completely within the matrix, and who oversees a very loosely organized network of Shadowrunners.  My PCs will have a list of other runners they can make use of.  The runners will be slightly less skilled than the PCs (I think I will build them using the standard rules, but with B,B,C,D,E priorities) and it will be common practice in this game to Johnson's paying the party a lump sum rather than paying them per head, so the PCs can use a portion of those earnings to recruit one or two more runners per run to fill whatever niches they don't have covered.

[Reaver]

My guys are about to roll up new characters after an unfortunate TPK, and I'm trying something a bit different this time around to compensate for the fact that their are only two of them.  One is making a mystic adept (house rule that power points are 5 karma, not 2), and the other is a rigger.  I figure that should make them fairly versatile, but they're getting a free contact in the form of a fixer who operates completely within the matrix, and who oversees a very loosely organized network of Shadowrunners.  My PCs will have a list of other runners they can make use of.  The runners will be slightly less skilled than the PCs (I think I will build them using the standard rules, but with B,B,C,D,E priorities) and it will be common practice in this game to Johnson's paying the party a lump sum rather than paying them per head, so the PCs can use a portion of those earnings to recruit one or two more runners per run to fill whatever niches they don't have covered.

Not a bad idea.... it gives them more flexibility.  But, just remember who the "heroes" of your table are

[Lorebane24]

Oh, definitely.  That's why I'm building them to a lower standard than the PCs, and why I'm giving them a pool of guys to choose from.  That way, each individual NPC becomes a recurring alley, but gets less face time than they would if I ran a single, consistent 3rd party member for them.  I'm hoping it will inject a bit more verisimilitude into the game without the risk of any of them becoming a GMPC.  When these guys get utilized, the party hires them.  They're they boss, and the NPCs follow their plan and for the most part do what they say.

[BetaCAV]

NPC Faces are a special case.

In theory, you can just make a single Ettiquette or negotiation roll at the beginning of the encounter/scene, count successes, and have a pool of social hits to spend where necessary to get your desired exposition across, or not. (Yeah, I know that's not how it works in the rules, but it's a simple analog that avoids interrupting the flow of the conversation you're having with your other self for the players to overhear, rather than stopping to roll up yet another opposed test., and figure how many net successes there were and if it's enough to slip in that huge minor detail that the Johnson glossed over and got no reaction about).
"Wait, why do we need to keep the hellhounds out of the blast radius? What kind of bomb is this, anyway?"

[Reaver]

NPC Faces are a special case.

In theory, you can just make a single Ettiquette or negotiation roll at the beginning of the encounter/scene, count successes, and have a pool of social hits to spend where necessary to get your desired exposition across, or not. (Yeah, I know that's not how it works in the rules, but it's a simple analog that avoids interrupting the flow of the conversation you're having with your other self for the players to overhear, rather than stopping to roll up yet another opposed test., and figure how many net successes there were and if it's enough to slip in that huge minor detail that the Johnson glossed over and got no reaction about).
"Wait, why do we need to keep the hellhounds out of the blast radius? What kind of bomb is this, anyway?"

I would be REAL hesitant to use an NPC as the face... that could create just too many issues.... best to let a PC handle that role... even if they are not up to snuff as a true Face would be.

[Lorebane24]

One of the NPCs I'm giving the access to is a detective/adept, and probably the closest thing I have to a face.  If they ever DO want to count on NPCs for social interactions, most of it will be handwaved based on the general skill of the NPCs, maybe with a single roll to make sure there are no glitches.  It'll be a quick check and then "Face McSpace talks to the secretary at the desk for a moment, smiles a few times, and then waves you over.  You guys are in."

[Mirikon]

Tossing an NPC in would help round things out. Encouraging some diversification would be even better.