Planning for a game I'll be running with only 2 players, and I'd like them to have access to a larger team/crew with some helpful NPCs, which are also handy for storytelling. Presently, not entirely certain how best to represent them. Some options:

1. "I'm my own Wookie!" Just allow the NPCs to be run as full characters. Straightforward, but most time-consuming option. Less focus on PCs. Other player may get bored.
2. "Meet my lovely assistant, Krankor!" The NPC operates as an assistant, giving skilled or unskilled dice pool adjustment as appropriate. Keeps the focus on PCs. Less obvious how to handle in fights.
3. "R2, where are you!?" Something else. Maybe better or worse or both. Not sure what it would be.

Thoughts?

It's easy in this game for a player to run a couple of characters.

My son was the only one of his peers into RPGs, so we played with him as a solo player. To make it more dynamic, he had a droid sidekick which was treated as a full blown PC as far as XP etc was concerned. I also ran an NPC (full PC rules) as his loyal bodyguard.

In my friend's group, one guy runs Pash (from the beginner box) with Oskara as his sidekick lover. This works well because he's also the face of the group, whereas Oskara can just do stuff that doesn't require talking or planning.

I generally have my players use companions with them, but I tell them that if the companion dies, its gone, but I build those companions in such a way that they are useful, but not as good as any one player.

My son was the only one of his peers into RPGs, so we played with him as a solo player. To make it more dynamic, he had a droid sidekick which was treated as a full blown PC as far as XP etc was concerned. I also ran an NPC (full PC rules) as his loyal bodyguard.

In my friend's group, one guy runs Pash (from the beginner box) with Oskara as his sidekick lover. This works well because he's also the face of the group, whereas Oskara can just do stuff that doesn't require talking or planning.

It would actually be much easier if I only had 1 player, but I may still take this approach -- just a single NPC droid fully-statted to help round-out team, do boring-stuff remotely or whatever. At least, if there's no better option...

With one player I noticed the sessions can't last very long. One person has to think of every bit of dialogue, every plan, etc. At least with 2 they can riff off each other.

Three to four is my sweet spot, but we work with what we're given.

My son was the only one of his peers into RPGs, so we played with him as a solo player. To make it more dynamic, he had a droid sidekick which was treated as a full blown PC as far as XP etc was concerned. I also ran an NPC (full PC rules) as his loyal bodyguard.

In my friend's group, one guy runs Pash (from the beginner box) with Oskara as his sidekick lover. This works well because he's also the face of the group, whereas Oskara can just do stuff that doesn't require talking or planning.

It would actually be much easier if I only had 1 player, but I may still take this approach -- just a single NPC droid fully-statted to help round-out team, do boring-stuff remotely or whatever. At least, if there's no better option...

i usually don't like players having control of more than one character. too many (as in, more than 1 or 2) npcs in a party also cause more trouble than they're worth. players rarely treat henchmen as people.

if the henchman is a droid they don't need to. player and gm can easily "share" a droid npc. i haven't tried it yet but i guess it should work well.

If my group is small, down a Player or something, I NPC a Droid. They're the easiest to deal with and I can add whatever missing skills you need without becoming the center of attention. I run them by having the Player's tell me through their PC what they'd like the Droid to do (Slice that blast door, see if you can scrounge up a hyperdrive inverter coil in town, get the ones on the right!), then I play the Droid to the best of their ability.

I also don't show them the Droid's character sheet and any information they have on what the Droids abilities are are found out during play. A while back the Players assumed a Droid could so something they weren't actually very good at, it lead to some humorous situations.

If there are only 2 PCs, I'd see if they're up for running multiple PCs of their own.

It can be fun to run 2 very different characters simultaneously.

It has worked real well for my players to have an R2 unit. It fills a niche they needed, also works as a comedy relief. They pretty much just order it around and either I, or a player will roll the skills.

I also encourage the Droid Sidekick for small parties

Seems we have a winner, then...

You can do alot more with a droid than a sentient species because of personification. Maybe the droid is from their benefactor providing them with adventures or even part of a bigger plan. The poor droid just suffers constantly from memory errors, but in a pinch provides the technical skills they lack. Bear in mind that droids rights are an issue so, your players might want help their friend from being used as a tool. Maybe the droid is using the players to help droids rule the galaxy and erase the biologicals.

My current game is a a solo game with only one player. We just started a couple weeks ago so he isn't looking to broaden his skill base just yet; he is learning what his character is capable of "out of the box." He rolled up a human Hired Gun (Enforcer/Marauder). He's got a ship his deceased crime boss left him... well, okay he fled the space station in his boss's ship when he was being accused of the murder. Semantics, really. But he's no pilot. So he hired one, a drunk one, to help him get off the station fast. The pilot, an NPC, has stuck around for the time being because he would, you know, eventually like to be paid...

So I created the pilot, fully full on, like a regular PC. I run him as an NPC when they are talking with each other or to other NPCs, but my player runs him during combat so I don't have to. For now, I am giving the pilot half the XP the player earns. That way he's not a static character and the player's character stays "ahead" of him in power.

Last week, the player needed a slicer to look at the video of the boss's murder and see how authentic it is. During the session I used the generic slicer stats from the back of the EoE book, but I have since also fully statted him out just in case. My player seems to feel having a competent slicer handy would be... handy.

Like I said, 1 player would be easier: by default, the solitary PC becomes the leader, the captain, and now you're inarguably playing Josey Wales in space where the outlaw is morally redeemed by aiding his followers. You don't even need full character sheets for each, just a half-dozen 3x5 cards with important skills and talents for the player to physically handle. Crew management becomes a big part of the game, deciding who does what, who visits the station/planet and who stays on the ship, etc.