Good games for large groups?

[Retreater]

I'm facing that now with a group of 7-9 regularly. I tried Savage Worlds, but it presented its own problems (mostly because no one was familiar with the basic system). If you are playing with a group of people who are already vaguely familiar with d20 systems (aka D&D), I'd suggest looking at a system like Old School Essentials or Shadowdark.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm facing that now with a group of 7-9 regularly. I tried Savage Worlds, but it presented its own problems (mostly because no one was familiar with the basic system). If you are playing with a group of people who are already vaguely familiar with d20 systems (aka D&D), I'd suggest looking at a system like Old School Essentials or Shadowdark.

One could do a lot worse than to run a Dolmenwood (OSE with tweaks) campaign in a West Marches style. It's a big, beautifully detailed setting that the players can self-organize when they play and what they want to explore and put the DM in a reactive mode. ("Oh, they want to visit the ruined abbey next week? And six people have signed up for that? Great!")

 

[Retreater]

One could do a lot worse than to run a Dolmenwood (OSE with tweaks) campaign in a West Marches style.

I love the organization and streamlined design of OSE adventures. Very easy to pick up and play - no walls of text.
My biggest complaint I was discussing with a friend last night - I don't think any of their official adventures go past level 6.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Honestly, a game with a funnel -- DCC or Shadowdark are both good choices here -- is probably the ideal way to start off running games for this group. Everyone gets to jump in, there's lots of chaos and carnage baked in, and when some people flake on future sessions -- always the way to bet -- you can just say the others fled back home to become gongfarmers.

Absolutely! A funnel is zany fun and gets people into the game quickly. I've been in a funnel with 11 players (44 0-level characters!), so eight should be no problem.

 

[uzirath]

When you say character development, I'm not sure if you mean personality or mechanics

Good question. Primarily personality. The players have crafted rich, interesting characters and want to see them evolve in the face of unexpected challenges. They want the story to be about more than "does my character manage to kill the monster of the week?"

Personality:

Troika, Americana, Kids on Bikes

Mechanics:

DCC RPG - it's got enough levers and growth opportunities, but runs fast enough that people won't be waiting forever for their turn to come around in combat

Great suggestions, especially the first three. I'll check them out.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Good question. Primarily personality. The players have crafted rich, interesting characters and want to see them evolve in the face of unexpected challenges. They want the story to be about more than "does my character manage to kill the monster of the week?"

Great suggestions, especially the first three. I'll check them out.

I don't know if it gets more unexpected than Troika! And both Americana and Kids on Bikes are great for creating nuanced, interesting characters.

 

[Clint_L]

Dread is only designed for 2-3 players, but I've run it for a class of twenty by having groups of 2-3 per character and it worked fine. It's a great RPG for newbies because the rules are so absolutely basic.

 

[MNblockhead]

With a group that large, I would rather go with lighter game. I would have a lot of fun running InSPECTREs with a larger group. Even with rules light systems, it is hard to give the spotlight and turn-based games can get pretty sloggy. InSPECTREs is great as a rules light, light hearted, beer-and-pretzels party game.

If you want something more serious, Alice is Missing is a good game for a one shot with larger groups, but doesn't have a lot of replayability.

Dialect can also work very well with larger groups, but it pushing the boundries of what many people expect from a TTRPG. But with the right group of players, it can deliver a powerful experience.

A bit more traditional but easier to run for larger groups than most TTRPGs is Paranoia, which was mentioned above.

 

[billd91]

I’ve done 5e with up to 11 players. It’s doable but you really have to be kind of draconian with taking turns AND your players have to be good about waiting their turn with positive attitudes. Ultimately, that’s going to be true of other games, not just D&D. And back in the 3e days, that kind of patience seemed scarce to hear people tell about their experiences on messageboards.
Fortunately, if any of your players are Critical Role fans, they may have gotten the picture that being fans of each others’ characters and helping each other achieve life and narrative high points is good for the game.