DMing Large Groups

[Katerek]

Another thing I do, and I just thought of this thanks to a later post, is make sitting arrangements.

Shorter players sit closest to the GM. Tallest at the end of the table. I can see everyone better that way.

I also try to place gabby players next to non gabby players, that cuts down on the out of game chatter which seems to plague bigger groups.

If you have players that take a more 'alpha' role, do not sit them on the same side of the table. Eventually, you attention will be divided and you will start to ignore the quiet side of the table. Try to play sandwiches with them.

This is ideal for me because my shortest player is also my quietest, yet she often has some of the most interesting things to say. As a new gamer at a table full of loud mouth men she often gets over shadowed. I try to keep her to my immediate left as often as possible.

Also, if you have one or two players that are particularly obnoxious at times (ie Glory Hounds, Loud Mouths, Slow, etc) yet still good friends sit them AWAY from you. At the far end of the table. This really cuts down on their crud and keeps them in line.

If they wonder why you are using sitting arrangements all of a sudden mumble something about societal anthropological organizational structuring then grab your Book of Vile Darkness, open it to a random page and call for initiative.

Good Luck.

Big groups are a blast once everything starts to sink up.

 

[Voadam]

Don't give characters more than six real time seconds to decide on their actions when it is their turn in combat. If they can't decide tell them they delay as suggested above or that the round has passed and then move on to the next character.

Make sure there is something in each night's adventure for most every character, so that one player can not dominate the whole night.

Do not split the group or allow long solo scouting missions, PCs get little enough floor time with a big group, sitting around waiting compounds that issue.

Don't throw in too many henchman, familiars, animal companions, etc. the more players, the better the PCs side can stand up on its own without extra bodies to keep track of.

 

[AdamDray]

From the introduction to the original D&D set:

Number of players: At least one referee and from four to fifty players can be handled in a single campaign, but the referee to player ratio should be about 1:20 or thereabouts.



FIFTY players? I can't even imagine handling TWENTY players, let alone fifty. And people complain about 3rd edition not being playtested

The original D&D set was a wargame. A DM with wargaming experience could handle a large number of units if they were not that complicated. With very few spell choices, and very few tactical choices, running large groups is much easier.

Also, at least in the later Basic sets, the rules required that the players appoint a Caller who interacted with the DM. With large groups, I'd recommend having several Callers (1 caller for every 5-6 players, perhaps). Each player does not get to talk to the DM; the players just talk to their Caller, who does the talking to the DM.

I started playing in 1980, and not with the Original D&D rules, so I don't know what the earliest play styles were like. I assume that there was less role-playing between DM and players (PC-NPC) but the same amount of PC-PC role-play (that didn't require DM intervention). The DM largely got involved when players moved to a new location (descriptions, traps, interactions with things) or there was a combat. Little NPC-PC role-playing happened during those things.

The game was vastly simpler then, too. D&D 3E barely resembles OD&D. Even Gygax has said it's a totally different game, in feel and philosophy, in these discussion forums.

 

[fusangite]

Unfortunately, 3E combat is more complex than 1E. I struggle with this and am planning to come up with a 3E variation that eliminates the need for miniatures and cuts back on the item creation feats. If anyone would like to work with me on this, let me know.

All I can offer is that you should treat the initiative numbers like strike ranks in Runequest and do a countdown every round. If people aren't ready, they're holding their action utill they figure it out.

 

[Azure Trance]

Oddly enough, I play with eight and combat goes pretty smooth. On their turn characters have their action ready with die rolled and damage die ready to be rolled if it was good.

Unfortunatly, I still have the bad habit of focusing too much time on the experienced roleplayers and not on the newbies enough during RPing.

 

[fusangite]

One other suggestion: get a meta-gaming fiend player to help you coordinate the PCs' actions so that he gets their orders ready & preps them.