Goodman Games

I'm in the process to read the rules to set my first DCC campaign as DM, but I undestand there's a lot of material off the manual, here and elsewhere, really important to adjust the initial gaming parameters according the needs and the expectations of my players.

So I read "in parallel" forums and blogs to get the essence of this new system and to avoid intial mistakes that could ruin their first approach with DCC.

That said I would ask here some general questions about the party composition.

I already know that there are not strict guidelines about the number/quality of characters (I would call them heroes) per player. I have also understood (at least I hope) the mechanics and the philosophy of the funnel.
Now I ask if a DCC campaign could work if, after the funnel, each player has one (and only one) hero, plus a low number followers and henchmen led by the DM.
I have seen that most modules require more than one hero per player. Is this a matter of tastes (more heroes = more enemies = more challenge) or is a structural need of the system that cannot be altered ?
My players are used to have one hero only and usually they do not die too often. Is it possible create adventures where a party of four or five heroes + a little number of henchmen/hired people is used and survives a few adventures? Or the system inherently asks for more bodies because a "traditional" party has not chances to survive? I suspect they will not be happy to have groups of 12-15 figures.
For more than 20 years of adventures they have only seen parties of four or five heroes and one or two followers.

In simple words : adventures in DCC are so crowded just for a style choice any DM could change at will simple weakening the Enemies or because no party can effectively work/survive if there are less than two heroes per players and an escorting squad of torch helder?
thanks

I run things at 1 character per player so long as I have 5 or more of my players on hand and things work just fine - they would probably benefit from hiring on some NPCs to assist them (torchbearers, pole-prodders, pack bearers, and weapon caddies for example), but as of yet the players have managed without any modification to any of the published adventures.

I need to cull my player's characters, I have 4 players and usually 3 regularly show up, which means 4-5 chars per player; it kind of sucks, it's too many for them to keep track of really. Although a halfling got 4 fingers blown off last night and retired on his own, so maybe I can just wait for them to naturally hit all the traps and winnow the herd, heh.

so, basically, if after the funnel I cut to ONE per player the Characters ( they can decide which survived zero level promote ) plus some hired cannon fodder it could work ?

The thing I fear more, knowing my players and their habits, is that if they must control > 1 hero in a big party they could be confused or distracted and do not roleplay properly.

That is a valid fear.

you also have to ask if you are running a lot of henchmen for them can you GM right? At what point are you roleplaying too much and the Gm portion starts to suffer?

I never play henchmen. I will step in if they try to make a henchman do something ridiculous, or something, but that's it.

I am still running the funnel, and I have not discussed it with my players yet, but my impression is that we'll choose a single PC per player as of level 1. Playing the crowd is an interesting experience, but I think they prefer playing a single PC. I'll really leave this up to them in the end though, and I feel that the question need not be asked before the funnel.

Depends upon party size for me.

Funnel to level 1: I don't mind if they keep adding Zeros to 4 characters.

Level 1 to Level 2: Probably best to begin not replacing fallen lower-level mooks.

Level 3+: One PC plus possibly assorted hirelings, etc.


RC

My first instinct was to cull the herd down to one character per player so that they could focus their efforts on that character and then let them get some henchmen.

The reboot however I let them keep all their characters. I figured if they survived they deserved to keep playing them. I am however not allowing them to roll up replacement characters as they get chewed up and or die. Some have decided not to recover the bodies too so the problem is kind of solving itself. I have noticed so far though that even though the players are playing a couple of characters they are all starting to develop personalities, just at a little slower rate than if they only had one PC.