Dealing with large gaming groups

[eris404]

Hello all,

I've been running various campaigns and for the first time in a long while, I will be playing in a someone else's game. We have a fairly steady and large gaming group, but due to people's varying schedules and interest not everyone plays in every campaign. Well, it turns out that everyone will be participating in this campaign. We will have 8 more or less regular players, plus the DM and 1 other player who may be able to play only once in awhile.

I know I should be grateful for having so many people to game with, especially with so many people here who complain about their groups or lack thereof, but I'm afraid of getting "lost." As it turns out, there are players with characters who have abilities similiar to my character's abilities, and so I'm worried about conflicts. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, so to speak, but I want to be able to play my character and use her abilities, too.

So, I'd like to hear from any of you who played in big groups. How did you handle conflicts when they arose? How did you make sure that situations, especially combat, went smoothly? How did you keep everyone involved and interested? How did you keep players from "competing" with each other? I especially want to know what I can do as a player to keep the game running smoothly.

Thanks!

 

[Mark]

Hello all,

I've been running various campaigns and for the first time in a long while, I will be playing in a someone else's game. We have a fairly steady and large gaming group, but due to people's varying schedules and interest not everyone plays in every campaign. Well, it turns out that everyone will be participating in this campaign. We will have 8 more or less regular players, plus the DM and 1 other player who may be able to play only once in awhile.

I know I should be grateful for having so many people to game with, especially with so many people here who complain about their groups or lack thereof, but I'm afraid of getting "lost." As it turns out, there are players with characters who have abilities similiar to my character's abilities, and so I'm worried about conflicts. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, so to speak, but I want to be able to play my character and use her abilities, too.

So, I'd like to hear from any of you who played in big groups. How did you handle conflicts when they arose? How did you make sure that situations, especially combat, went smoothly? How did you keep everyone involved and interested? How did you keep players from "competing" with each other? I especially want to know what I can do as a player to keep the game running smoothly.

Thanks!

Leave most of that to the DM or it is his toes you'll be stepping on, IMO. Focus on your character, mainly, and be ready when it is your turn in the spotlight (which will naturally be less than in a smaller group.) You have the chance in a larger group to specialize more with a character so take advantage of it.

 

[ejja_1]

Dming and playing in a large group.

As a dm I have had groups as smal as 1 and as large as 17 players at a time.
The key to not being a pain in the dms butt, is to try and be as orderly as possible.
When the group is that large, I make them raise there hands before they speak. I also make use of init by having players roll it, and then calling out the numbers just like in combat.
This way everyone gets to say what theyre character is doing and you dont end up with a bunch of people screaming at the top of there lungs.
It takes much longer with a larger group, and you may find that weekend games with people sleeping over or some such fit better than the regular 4 hour schedule that most groups try to keep.

 

[frankthedm]

This is happening on my game days now too...

I have been on a game running hiatus of recent. From TRYING to play in one of these monsters i have thought up a few tips.

Interact and role play with the other characters, not just NPCs. In smaller groups role playing with mostly NPCs works since the DM only has a few players to devote time to. In a big group you will need to get a good deal more of you role playing done IN-group.

Understand that the DM's time will be crucial. make lists for the items you want to shop for. Be ready to take turns when dealling with the dm. Seat the experienced players near the newBs so the Vets can answer the questions.

Don't join in on distracting conversations / activities. try to encourage the DM to squelch these with ANY means nessasary. In fact try to encourage the DM to get a 1E iron fist. you might even purg a few peices of excess bagage

Plan your combat actions ahead of time. Develop tactics with other characters in-game for combat ahead of time so you will have a battle plan prepped. Examples; Fighters delay for the casters to do a quad fireball launch THEN charge. Heavy hitters should Let the Trippers go first to knock the foes over so the barbarians can charge the prone foe with a raging power attack.

DO NOT invite more people without checking with the Host and DM.

Try to have a one- night adventure prepared with premade charaters in case te DM needs a break. i am working on a One shot call of Cthulhu now / delta green senario right now [PX poker night].

 

[Chronosome]

Re: Re: Dealing with large gaming groups

Leave most of that to the DM or it is his toes you'll be stepping on, IMO. Focus on your character, mainly, and be ready when it is your turn in the spotlight (which will naturally be less than in a smaller group.) You have the chance in a larger group to specialize more with a character so take advantage of it.

I agree with that, there.

 

[barsoomcore]

I used to run groups of a dozen or more on a weekly basis. There is no more valuable asset to a DM in that situation than a couple of experienced players who actively assist in keeping the group focussed.

Really, it's just like being a good player in any size group. The difference is that with lots of people, each person's inattention has a disproportionately larger effect on the group. Because inattention tends to to breed inattention, once a couple of people drop out of what's going on, it becomes a nightmare for the DM to keep things moving.

Stay focussed. Stay involved. Keep others involved. Resist distractions. Stay in character. Encourage other players and watch for somebody getting overlooked or unable to speak up. Be prepared when your turn comes around. Look up rules when you're not involved, or offer to help with bookkeeping or whatever. Make plans with other players.

Give your DM all the breaks you can. Don't bog down play in rules discussions, accept a ruling and move on. If you're a quick mapper, map quickly. If you're not, give it to someone who is. Take notes. Avoid out-of-game discussions.

Have fun and help everyone else to have fun.

Your DM will bless you.

 

[Dire Wolf]

As a DM who has been working with a fairly large group weekly for a couple years now I will add my .02. I agree with all of the comments already made.

Have the experience players help the inexperienced players.

Help the DM by looking up the spells or rules of a special attack before it is your turn.

Use index cards or notes to remind yourself of how your special abilities work. Write down page numbers so that if someone else wants to look you can give them the location quickly.

Pay attention and stay in character.

Take frequent, short breaks to keep everyone fresh.

One of the things that I made up for my group that works really well is an initiative board. I found a magnetic dry erase board at Staples and i use magnets (business card size magnets with adhesive for... you guessed it attaching business cards works really well. I cut them in half and put a piece of white paper on the adhesive side. Let the PC's write their name in marker on the paper, get creative so it is identifiable up on the board). I also have magnets for the monsters and NPC's. Put them all up on the board in initiative order, that way people know who's turn it is and when their turn is coming up. It helps the DM keep track and makes less note papers to deal with. I also write notes right on the board to remember spell effects, wounding, poison, etc. It helped my group alot.

Hope these tips help!

 

[pogre]

I use an Initiative board as well. Great suggestion.

When someone is "up" they must declare their action or get skipped. This helps prevent combat slow down and seeking advice from others while everybody is waiting.

I use situation "callers" - examples: when we're in town the bard is the caller, when we're in the woods the Elven ranger is the caller, and when we're in the dungeon the Dwarven fighter is the caller. It speeds things up if you are a little less democratic and defer to these people for default judgment calls. People can pipe in their opinions of course, but it takes care of the "right or left?" debates generally.

This seems obvious, but make sure folks are rolling dice together - all attack dice and damage dice at one time. There are times when this is not practical, but it can save a lot of time at the upper levels.

Finally, encourage the group to concur on some Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These can save time and make things less tedious for everyone. Example SOPs: wilderness look out rotation (watch), opening doors in dungeons, checking seemingly empty rooms, casting cerain spells each day e.g. Bull's strength.

I realize most of these are Game Master tips, but a helpful player could certainly suggest them.

 

[eris404]

Thanks!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who replied. I didn't intend for it to sound as if I thought the DM was incompetent (because he definitely isn't), and I respect that he has the final say in most (if not all) game matters, but I merely want to be as helpful as I can as a player - with big groups, it could very easily be overwhelming for DM and players alike. We do try to help each other, with questions and whatnot, but let's face it, some players are way less organized (and have shorter attention spans) than others.

The tips were great though. I found some stuff to think on and to maybe suggest to the DM (or simply to start doing). Many thanks.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I play in a reasonably large group, and my pet hate is people that don't know what's going on in the fight. How many times does the DM have to explain where everybody is and what they're doing?

So my advice is:

1) Have a player keep track of initiative, by whatever means you choose.

2) make sure everyone knows where they are in combat, what they're doing, and any other details. If they get it wrong, tough. They should have been paying attention. And this goes for when someone gets hit with 'friendly fireballs' too. I've been guilty of this before, and I fully intend for it never to happen again!

3) if someone finishes their turn, be the one to ask "Who's next?" keep the combat moving. Don't let players take forever in their turn. It's a combat, not a debating session.