~Does size matter?~

~Does size matter?~


There are many genres of games for us all to try out and enjoy, everything from glorious mass battles to zombie hunting in old army camps and more besides.


One thing you should always take in to consideration however is the size of the game.
How big is its player base?


Why so I hear you ask, well really at the end of the day not everyone is suited for the very big games where you have hundreds or thousands of people all playing at the same time, just as not everyone is suited to the smaller games, where the player base is little more than say twenty or thirty at a push.


~Bigger is Better~
There are some who claim that it's only the big games that are worth going to, after all they're bigger, which means more will be going on, more plot, more drinking, more fighting, more chance to back stab another character and make off with all their loot.


For some the “national” sized games, such as Empire or Odyssey are the only thing they enjoy.
They get to be lost in all that rich lore, another face in the sea of faces all partaking of their hobby.


After all, if so many people go to the game of that size it must be the best thing since sliced bread yes?


~Good things come in small packages~
On the flip side of that however are those who feel lost at the big games, and they find that they're more in their element at the smaller games, they feel they can connect to the plot a lot more, or have more of a chance to shine if there are less players present.


A small game often has less personal rivalries in it, they can be very welcoming and always happy to meet & greet new players to their small group.


A small game may be small simply because of its geographic location, after all players may only be willing to travel so far to play a game of a specific genre.
It may be small purely because it was designed that way, and that if it grows to much it would become something the people running it no longer recognise or wish to have connection to.




In today’s society however it cannot be said that a game is small due to its advertising, given the way social media works and word of mouth trickles info out there is always a way to get the word out about the game.




~It's not the size that matters~
One thing games of any size has in common are its players.
Those staunch supporters of the system, who love the lore and the rules regardless of how simple or how complex they are.
There's something that draws those players to that game and keeps them hooked.


They go out of their way to never miss a game, and even trudge along in the worst of weather and even when ill.. (Man Flu is nothing compared to Larpers Flu!).


Something else every genre & system has is its haters.




~H8rs gonna h8!~
Sadly, as the internet is fond of reminding us is that haters are gonna hate.
It doesn't matter how good your game is they will find something to complain about.
The worst of them are the ones who have never played the game in question and pour on scorn like there’s no tomorrow, and when questioned about it they will always have an anecdote to hand on stuff they'd Heard, but never seen for themselves, which they latch on to and try to ridicule it as much as possible, and before long they'll turn round and say “we'll I’m only giving you my opinion on it if you don't like it don't listen..”.


Orcs in one system may be green, monosyllabic, big and dumb, whilst in another system they may be based on feudal Japan, deeply honourable and well versed in poetry and arts.
A hater will find something to complain about either one of those types of orcs..
“Oh, yeah typical orcs, just hit stuff and go 'ug smash'” and “Really? Orcs with katanas... their hands are to big to make the armour, they can't lace it up, next you'll be telling me they have a slave race they treat well....” are two such comments I’ve seen online over the years about differing styles of orcs..


No matter what we do in life there will always be room for improvement and feedback becomes criticism and not the healthy kind. It starts to fester and before long some one could be ridiculing some aspect of a game they love playing just because they've been dealt some kind of loss in game recently.


No matter the game size or genre there will always be those who just want to bitch and whine about the system.




If you look at the various facebook groups and forums for the Big Games you'll find plenty of people on there complaining about them for one reason or another.
However, when you look at the small groups you almost never find that sort of behaviour.


Smaller groups tend to be a lot more close-knit, its a different feeling of camaraderie, and no less valid than that at the big games mind you.




~Choosing the right size~
It can often be hard to know what sort of group size you work best in, and its often not until you try both sorts that you learn what lets you have the most fun.
There are those who strictly enjoy the smaller groups when it comes to fantasy games as there is more of a sense of accomplishment when they win the day.
Like wise there are those who feel that being in a small group is to restrictive and they can't play to all their strengths as a person let alone a character.


Neither is one is right and neither one is wrong.
It really is a case of different strokes for different folks and it's not until you've had ago that you can really say what’s more fun.


After all, isn't it all about having a fun day (or weekend if that's your thing) and having some wonderful memories of the game you played.
And if the Haters are getting to you, put them on block online or kill them IC. If you're lucky they might just leave and make everyone happier that way!


Written by Nick Sands, Ref of the nicely sized Camarilla Invictus game, who may have found a good portion of Battenburg and a mug which holds just the right amount of Tea...