Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
9 players. Help.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 2771484" data-attributes="member: 9254"><p>I've run large groups almost exclusively for the last 15 years; the smallest was 5 with the largest at 13. The big group actually had the most newbies. </p><p></p><p>X-second rule: I use it religiously <em>but</em> I make some exception for newbies by suggesting the most common actions "Bob, you're up. Do you want to hit the bugbear, move around it cautiously, or something else?" I tell them in advance this is "hind brain" advice, the kind of obvious reflex action that may not be the most best/safest/efficient thing to do but is something typically done. </p><p> If I get told "Ummmm...." Then I tell them I'll skip to two other people while they get some basic advice from a player I trust not to metagame and come back. </p><p></p><p>Having 2-5 rounds of actions for NPCs is a great thing, especially with creatures who have spells, unusual feats, or special abilities. Sometimes I try to make little football-play diagrams to show where the baddies intend to be at different parts of the maneuver but I save that for flank-happy types like rogues. </p><p></p><p>Use a combat map. I prefer miniatures and a battlemat but for the love of all that is visually-oriented thought processes, at least use some spare dice or bottlecaps. I personally prefer to use small candies like hershy kisses as bad guys to give people some visceral pleasure in defeating foes. "You killed the giant, eat the cookie." "Mmmmm, giants taste like peanut butter."</p><p></p><p>Make a habit of scanning the faces of your players; eye contact keeps them involved and it lets you know if someone is becoming bored or feeling ignored. Try to keep everyone in the action. RttoE isn't a big city encounter where they are likely to split up but make sure that NPCs address more than the party leader. Sometimes they will seek out the Cha6 half-orc either because they intend to play up the "hey, I'm an outcast too" mindset or because they think the half-orc will be likely to betray the party. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Play act a bit when meeting NPCs. Changes in accent, mannerisms, and voice can help keep things lively. You don't need to keep doing the voices during the whole encounter and they don't need to be great; just long enough for their imaginations to engage. And keep notes on the NPC's mannerisms! If you protray someone as a hunchback, you need to do it again in future sessions or else the players will become confused. </p><p></p><p>Keep a game log. Get a Yahoo! group, set up a blog/wiki/web page, but after every game session make some write up that identifies the NPCs by name/race/age/description for both your use and the players.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="kigmatzomat, post: 2771484, member: 9254"] I've run large groups almost exclusively for the last 15 years; the smallest was 5 with the largest at 13. The big group actually had the most newbies. X-second rule: I use it religiously [i]but[/i] I make some exception for newbies by suggesting the most common actions "Bob, you're up. Do you want to hit the bugbear, move around it cautiously, or something else?" I tell them in advance this is "hind brain" advice, the kind of obvious reflex action that may not be the most best/safest/efficient thing to do but is something typically done. If I get told "Ummmm...." Then I tell them I'll skip to two other people while they get some basic advice from a player I trust not to metagame and come back. Having 2-5 rounds of actions for NPCs is a great thing, especially with creatures who have spells, unusual feats, or special abilities. Sometimes I try to make little football-play diagrams to show where the baddies intend to be at different parts of the maneuver but I save that for flank-happy types like rogues. Use a combat map. I prefer miniatures and a battlemat but for the love of all that is visually-oriented thought processes, at least use some spare dice or bottlecaps. I personally prefer to use small candies like hershy kisses as bad guys to give people some visceral pleasure in defeating foes. "You killed the giant, eat the cookie." "Mmmmm, giants taste like peanut butter." Make a habit of scanning the faces of your players; eye contact keeps them involved and it lets you know if someone is becoming bored or feeling ignored. Try to keep everyone in the action. RttoE isn't a big city encounter where they are likely to split up but make sure that NPCs address more than the party leader. Sometimes they will seek out the Cha6 half-orc either because they intend to play up the "hey, I'm an outcast too" mindset or because they think the half-orc will be likely to betray the party. Play act a bit when meeting NPCs. Changes in accent, mannerisms, and voice can help keep things lively. You don't need to keep doing the voices during the whole encounter and they don't need to be great; just long enough for their imaginations to engage. And keep notes on the NPC's mannerisms! If you protray someone as a hunchback, you need to do it again in future sessions or else the players will become confused. Keep a game log. Get a Yahoo! group, set up a blog/wiki/web page, but after every game session make some write up that identifies the NPCs by name/race/age/description for both your use and the players. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
9 players. Help.
Top