D&D 5E (2014) How Many in your Group?

[Croesus]

My group currently has six players, but we rarely have all six show up at one time. Most of the time, we have four or five players for a session. Add in the occasional NPC or two and we have some pretty large adventuring parties running around.

I have noticed that six players causes attention to wander, as it's hard to keep everyone involved. Fortunately, combat goes fast, so it's usually only a few minutes between actions, but it can still be a problem at times.

 

[brockgonad]

I almost always DM, and that he been the case since about six months after I started playing, back in '93. And for that entire time, I have kept my groups to 2-3 players, 4 max. Currently I have 2. I find the smaller group makes it easier to keep a focus on characters and stories, though it does require a bit more swing in interpretation, and on-the-cuff adjustment of adventures.

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

Our group is 7 or 8 people including 3 people that rotate DM duties. Lately we've been pretty solid with 5 or 6 PCs at the table every week.

 

[HobbitFan]

My group varies between 4-6.

 

[AriochQ]

I opted for a 6 person group assuming one person would probably miss each session due to life and stuff. As it turns out, everyone has attended every monthly session for the past year. I guess that means they are having fun. Go figure.

 

[was]

We have 6, but one or two usually end up missing the game due to scheduling conflicts.

 

[Rhenny]

The group I DM online has 7 players, but usually when we play only about 3 or 4 can make it into the game. On some occasions we get 5 or 6. Rarely do all 7 play in a single session.

 

[Wik]

We sit at 6 players plus myself. It could easily go higher, though - I've decided six is where I feel comfortable capping the number of players. I find groups of seven or more players a bit more difficult to GM for... at least, more difficult for me to do effectively.

Our party, however, has more than six characters in it. Right now, in addition to the six PCs (some are 2nd level, most are 3rd), we have a 3rd level cleric hireling (he's also a tax collector who wants to keep an eye on PC acquisitions, "for tax purposes") as well as a few (mostly harmless) critters that nip at the heels of PCs.

It's good. Such a large party means they can handle more fights, and the game is always moving.

 

[RadioKen]

Ours is 6 PCs, by DM's choice. The game runs monthly in a public play program (though not an official one), and if he was willing we could easily get more players.

 

[Bawylie]

Kids' group is 4-6.
Disabilities Group is 4-5.
Adults' Group is 4-6.
One-shot "Don't Get Killed by Bawylie" challenges are 4-6.

I prefer 4-5, 6 is a bit much. But I can hack it. It just plays differently.