D&D 5E Running a 7-player group
The hardest thing is combat, make sure your players are aware that if they don't plan their attacks ahead of their turn, it'll take longer for their next turn to come around. Honestly 7 is no different to 6, so I'm sure you'll be perfectly equipped.
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KahlessNestor
Adventurer
Roll attack and damage together. Roll multi attacks together (harder witj advantage/disadvantage). Limit table strategizing maybe.
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Warmaster Horus
Explorer
I yearn for the days I could run a four player game. Seven players is just so cumbersome in comparison. Sure, you have fun, but I think the game works best with 4-5 players.
Tony Vargas
Legend
I've run for as many as 12 players - in 4e, no less - and it's doable. In 5e, I haven't had that many, yet, but have still bumped up against the per-table limit. In 5e, table & party composition really matters. Some players can take their turn quickly and stay engaged while it's not their turn, some (OK, a lot) lose focus and you have to refresh the T of their M at the start of their turn.
Combat may slow down when you have many players, but if you budget time & challenges accordingly - have fewer, more difficult combats in a session - it's manageable in aggregate. Combat is also the easiest pillar to keep all your players involved, because of cyclical initiative, everybody gets a turn. Ideally, they stay engaged when it's not their turn, and enjoy the whole game, not just the 1/7th of it when they're declaring actions & rolling dice. Ideally. ;( But, at least, everyone participates in every fight.
It's the other two pillars that can be problematic. The social pillar tends to be dominated by the players (not PCs) with the more assertive personalities. Y'know the drill, you introduce an NPC and one or two players perk up and start talking in character - and 5 phones come out. The exploration pillar borders on netrunner syndrome, with the specialist in the current environment tending to eat up play time - others just have nothing much to do, unless you salt the environment with bits of their specialties.
One thing you can do in both cases it to adapt what works in combat - turns. Go around the table and get what everyone is doing before letting the forceful social types or exploration experts take the next step. It won't eliminate the problem, but it will have a shot at keeping everyone more engaged.
Combat may slow down when you have many players, but if you budget time & challenges accordingly - have fewer, more difficult combats in a session - it's manageable in aggregate. Combat is also the easiest pillar to keep all your players involved, because of cyclical initiative, everybody gets a turn. Ideally, they stay engaged when it's not their turn, and enjoy the whole game, not just the 1/7th of it when they're declaring actions & rolling dice. Ideally. ;( But, at least, everyone participates in every fight.
It's the other two pillars that can be problematic. The social pillar tends to be dominated by the players (not PCs) with the more assertive personalities. Y'know the drill, you introduce an NPC and one or two players perk up and start talking in character - and 5 phones come out. The exploration pillar borders on netrunner syndrome, with the specialist in the current environment tending to eat up play time - others just have nothing much to do, unless you salt the environment with bits of their specialties.
One thing you can do in both cases it to adapt what works in combat - turns. Go around the table and get what everyone is doing before letting the forceful social types or exploration experts take the next step. It won't eliminate the problem, but it will have a shot at keeping everyone more engaged.
Quickleaf
Legend
When running for large groups, I hang folded index cards over the top of my DM screen (or the equivalent if playing online). These cards display name of monster/NPC/PC, AC, and relevant defenses/auras in BIG FONT. They are arranged in initiative order from Left to Right (for the players, Right to Left for me behind the screen).
It take some time for people to adjust to not having to say "17...does that hit?" to just looking at the card reminder and going from there.
The visual cue also helps players who easily lose track of their place in initiative.
Li Shenron
Legend
I've never had that many players. The only things I'd worry about are:
- too much overlapping between PCs, especially with skills and spells, which can cause some PCs to fall behind and make too little contributions outside of combat; to help a bit, I would probably discourage taking races or feats which grant extra proficiencies
- too long waiting times between a player's consecutive turns in combat; to speed up combat you have to discourage a player from stacking up too many options, and instead encourage simpler builds with focused fire; of course being low level would be a good thing here, as would be to keep magic items few; if it's your cup of tea, you could also use randomize initiative to keep players a bit more attentive (pre-declaration of intents before rolling initiative every round means that the player has something to do twice in a round: in the declaration phase, and then at her actual turn)
Unfortunately the game still suffers a bit from the individualization of the 3e-4e era, and this means it tends to offer more high-complexity options than simple ones. Too much stuff already at 1st level with little room to opt-out
- too much overlapping between PCs, especially with skills and spells, which can cause some PCs to fall behind and make too little contributions outside of combat; to help a bit, I would probably discourage taking races or feats which grant extra proficiencies
- too long waiting times between a player's consecutive turns in combat; to speed up combat you have to discourage a player from stacking up too many options, and instead encourage simpler builds with focused fire; of course being low level would be a good thing here, as would be to keep magic items few; if it's your cup of tea, you could also use randomize initiative to keep players a bit more attentive (pre-declaration of intents before rolling initiative every round means that the player has something to do twice in a round: in the declaration phase, and then at her actual turn)
Unfortunately the game still suffers a bit from the individualization of the 3e-4e era, and this means it tends to offer more high-complexity options than simple ones. Too much stuff already at 1st level with little room to opt-out
Horwath
Legend
By the gods do not do this.
Random initiative each round? Seven more rolls that just suck up time?
And pre-planning? Players already over analize the seven hells out every option when they KNOW what is going on.
Now imagine if they had to think about 2 or 3 possible actions depending in what COULD be situation few players actions in advance...I predict 4-5 round fight to last 2-3 hrs...
I would suggest "simpler" classes or archetypes.
Warlock better than sorcerer better than wizard.
Champion before battlemaster or EK,
Life cleric better than bard or druid.
Barbarian(bear totem) before paladin or ranger.
But this is limiting players options, do NOT force this, just put it out as suggestion.
werecorpse
Adventurer
My usual group is 7 players.
For non combat encounters you have to be careful that certain players aren't excluded. My suggestion is limit the NPC interaction stuff and when you do have it have a couple of npc's with different roles (merchant and head guard/ Barkeep and troubadour) so you can have interactions which may exclude some of the more dominant personalities so that everyone gets a chance.
But IME 7 player games are most even when they are more combat oriented as the initiative system gives everyone a turn so my suggestions on this are:
1. Avoid choke points in terrain - they prevent characters from getting into the fight
2. When announcing whose turn it is in initiative also announce who is on deck
3. Have a line of initiative tents
4. Have multiple things to do in combat (battle mooks, battle big bad, protect the flank, disarm the trap, free the prisoners)
For non combat encounters you have to be careful that certain players aren't excluded. My suggestion is limit the NPC interaction stuff and when you do have it have a couple of npc's with different roles (merchant and head guard/ Barkeep and troubadour) so you can have interactions which may exclude some of the more dominant personalities so that everyone gets a chance.
But IME 7 player games are most even when they are more combat oriented as the initiative system gives everyone a turn so my suggestions on this are:
1. Avoid choke points in terrain - they prevent characters from getting into the fight
2. When announcing whose turn it is in initiative also announce who is on deck
3. Have a line of initiative tents
4. Have multiple things to do in combat (battle mooks, battle big bad, protect the flank, disarm the trap, free the prisoners)
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