I've just started Skyrim again. I never finished, but I did want to try a few mods that needed a new game to run with.

I found myself heading in and getting impatient to meet up with Lydia so she could swear to carry my burdens. I like running with a small company of violent bloodthirsty minions.

Now I've read loads of people who much prefer to solo and I wonder how unusual I am in preferring playing with followers in my games. I can't be wholly alone, since there are mods, for example, in Skyrim like UFO, and there are games like Mass Effect that force you to have a little squad, but still, many games do give a choice.

So, solo or company, and in which games?

Solo!
I hate it when I am stuck with companions or even games where I have to manage many heroes (with some excepctions). For Skyrim I only used a companion once for a quest where you had to sacrifice one :D
If course it is fine if the game sometimes gives you a companion for a quest or such, but in general I prefer to do things alone. I am playing a hero, why should I need help? ;-)
But also when not using companions I am not stuck with stupid AI or the task of looking after them or outfitting them etc.

I prefer solo or with companions, but not a party.
I prefer investing myself in one character and I especially enjoy it when my character is near godlike at the end.
Companions are also fine, as long as they just do their thing.

Depends on the game. I liked the party interactions in Baldur's gate, and generally speaking any RPG that goes more towards the tactical side. When you get more towards the action part, specially if your companions' AI is too dumb to live, I'll go alone thank you very much.

exactly -- AI can ruin the experience

From a gameplay point of view, I prefer having a party. I think that games like Baldur's Gate, Temple of Elemental Evil & Dragon Age are more fun than most solo games (Divnity, Skyrim, Fallout), but I do find myself getting more invested in the main character when it's a solo experience. So in the end, what I prefer depends on my mood.

I prefer to have some kind of party in most of the games, the problem with Skyrim for me is (and the whole Elder Scroll) that companion are pain when you play sneaky character, so in the end, it depends what type of character I play.

Always with a party/followers . I just like having minions :D

I usually prefer solo... Even in the "old" days (like Baldur's Gate 1&2, Fallout etc.). If I must have a party, then I usually like to keep the number of members to a minimum.

For roleplaying, I particularly enjoy the way that BG(2) does it: you're roleplaying as one character, but are with companions which you (as the player, if not the character) chose to join. Then, if it's done well, you're able to invest in and develop one character while interacting with the rest of the party, which is played by the developers. Or, in the case of pnp roleplaying, the other players. From the point of view of gameplay, I think I prefer controlling a party to an individual, as you tend to get more interesting tactical possibilites. I definitely prefer playing solo to playing with an ai controlled companion, though, as they can be extremely frustrating at times. I'm willing to accept playing with an AI companion for the roleplaying, though, especially if the game has safeguards to reduce the effect of bad decisions on the AI's part. An example is the original NWN campaign, which I'm currently playing through with a companion: when said companion dies, they "respawn" back at the temple, and you can pick them up and return in seconds at a small cost of gold. Means that when my companion (a cleric) inexplicably refuses to heal herself and subsequently dies, it isn't as bad as it might be.

I like RPG companions or parties only if:
- they're actually useful, so they provide some attack power or skill variety, quests or some good dialogs, at least some more inventory space lol.
- they're not annoying, so they don't get stuck\lag\die every 2 minutes or maybe don't constally interrupt your game with a terrible voice.

Company. But only if they have a good AI or I can manage/move them.

In games like Fallout 1 the company could be annoying, but in games like Infinity engine's (baldurs gate, icewind dale, etc) you could move the whole party and I love it, it's a very strategic factor, this makes the pace of the battles more slow so I understand not everyone like it.

I don't mind party if i either can control them completely or if they're not completely helpless and die a lot and get lost a lot.
Therefore when it comes to Elder scrolls i always try to avoid having anyone following me except for when i needed someone to sacrifice to daedra :D. On the other hand i don't mind Fallout 1 where you can almost nothing about their behavior, but they never get lost or stuck and they're not completely useless in combat and it's actually fun trying to keep Dogmeat alive through the whole game.
And then there's bioware and obsidian games that actually make it fun and interesting to interact with your party. This also goes for Shadowrun returns: Dragonfall, that was one of THE best parties ever.

I prefer games where you wander with a party. I like the social interaction it offers and the increased tactical depth.

This. If I can't control the party I rather play solo, there's nothing worse than buggy or useless followers/escorts.