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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 5646829" data-attributes="member: 6669384">My normal group is eight people, seven players and a DM.  we actually feel a bit light right now, since we're down two players.The idea of adding more monsters to encounters is a good one.  Normal encounter CR calculations are based on the idea of a party of 4.  Bump critter counts by half for a party of 6.One important thing out of combat is a thing I try to think of as "the spotlight".  Some players will grab attention.  They just will.  Try to plan missions so that each character gets his or her turn in the spotlight.  Use story hooks to draw different people in, in turn.  Everybody can't shine all the time, so make sure you give each of them their time center stage.For initiative management...  I cheat.  I went to the hardware store and bought some sheets of metal flashing.  It's used in roofing.  You want steel, not aluminum.Next I laid out a battle reference sheet.  Notes on what different conditions mean, and space to note spell effects.  Down one side I laid out a column of numbers, from 1 at the bottom to 30 or so at the top.  Expand the type face until this column is nearly as tall as your flashing sheet is long.Print out the sheet and glue it to the flashing.  (Hint:  Round the corners slightly with some tin snips, then sand off burrs.)  Finally, lay down a sheet of clear laminate on it, so it's plastic coated.I have little bits of magnetic rubber with player names on them, and a few extras labeled things like "NPC1" and "Monster 1".I use these to mark the initiatives as they're rolled.  One extra marker as a "pointer", and we're ready.  Place the player's markers on their Initiative count as they roll, and roll for your monsters.  Now start the counter at the top and work down.  The pointer helps keep me from losing track.  I just slide it down to the next person.I also warn the player who's next in line, "You're on deck", so they can be thinking about their action ahead of time.  I use a wet-wipe marker to note conditions like "stunned".  I can move markers as people do things like hold or ready actions, and I can pull the markers off to the side when a monster goes down.</blockquote>

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