D&D 5E (Poll) I play 5e, and there are X players at the table.

[Mort]

hehe way way way too soon to draw any conclusions. That number of votes is so low, that the margin for error wipes out any conclusions you could draw.

Sure it's soon, which is why I qualified - but I will be surprised if it doesn't hold. The only number I suspect might be in the top 3 other than those three is 3 players, but I suspect that will end up at #4. We'll see if enough people respond to draw any actual conclusions. Hopefully not skewing the results just by posting this, but I suspect people aren't that invested/interested for this post to matter!

 

[Oofta]

I have a hard limit of 6 which is what I always seem to end up with. I'd probably prefer 4 players but it never happens.

 

[Jmarso]

My last group was 4 players, and to me that's about optimum. I definitely don't think I'd want to run a group much larger than that for any sort of long term, continuous campaign. With smaller groups the players can do a little more 'individual' stuff in towns, and so on. With big groups that's a lot tougher to pull off.

 

[Hussar]

I always try to have 5 players because that means if anyone misses a session, it doesn't really hurt that much. It's pretty easy to have that fifth character fade into the background for the session, and the other four pick up the slack. Only problem is, my fifth chair is totally cursed. Always has been. We've had rock solid 4 player groups for ages. The four plus myself will generally play together for years - two of my players have been with me for over a decade now. But that damned fifth chair. I'll run an 18 month long campaign, with four of the players playing from start to finish, and wind up having gone through anywhere from 8-20 players. :wow:

I have no idea why that fifth chair is always so problematic. And it's been that way for twenty years now.

 

[aco175]

I have 3 players, but generally 4 characters, with either a player playing 2 or a DMPC

 

[teitan]

When I launched my previous campaign it was 2 new players and 2 "veterans" and I agreed to add 1 more so one of the new players invited... 4 of her friends. Understandable to an extent, she got excited but had never played and didn't understand the pressure on a DM to run the game. I cap at 5 with the ability to add a sixth on occasion as a guest spot. Because of this (I am slightly neurodivergent and it has worsened since having Covid last year, I have issues with large groups of people) I have been accused of "gate keeping". LOL

 

[guachi]

My personal preference as a DM is 6. I just find it easier to balance adventures and it also still leaves a nice table dynamic if there are one or two players absent (temporary or permanent). I've also enjoyed playing the most when there have been six players. Not more, not less. Six.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

I won't go lower than three players (except in special circumstances, like a fun impromptu one-shot). My sweet number is four. Six is the max I'll play with.

 

[the Jester]

This should be multiple choice, I play in two groups and run about three.

Also- do you count remote players as "at the table"?

Assuming the answer is yes, my groups' sizes are: 8, 4, 10, 9, 5.

 

[TerraDave]

Sure it's soon, which is why I qualified - but I will be surprised if it doesn't hold. The only number I suspect might be in the top 3 other than those three is 3 players, but I suspect that will end up at #4. We'll see if enough people respond to draw any actual conclusions. Hopefully not skewing the results just by posting this, but I suspect people aren't that invested/interested for this post to matter!

Of course it will peak at 4-5, with high 3 and 6. I guess we can look at the shape of the tails.

That does not mean its not worth doing the poll. But the pattern for D&D is well established. It has to do with interactions of small groups--once you get 6-7 or more people together, they inevitably break into smaller groups if they can--but with just 2 or 3 the energy can lag--though it depends on what exactly they are doing. Also probably some legacy elements of the game. It started with 3 classes, then went to 4, with most classes after that variations of the originals.