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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 6208780" data-attributes="member: 79141">Go with seven: it's easier to do that than recruit them mid-campaign if someone drops out!  You can also game with at least a couple of absentees, meaning few sessions get cancelled.An addition to Ryan's advice, I would strongly urge you to impose a time limit on player rounds during combat, especially if you are playing 4E.  Start with a minute, then drop it down to 30 seconds when everyone gets used to it.  Make it part of the fun - reflecting quick decisions in the heat of battle -  and reward players who keep to their limit consistently (in whatever way you deem convenient: additional action points, fortune cards, occasional bonuses).  Players spending action points get double the time; when a player reaches their limit their turn ends.  Put a reliable player in charge of the timer to save doing it yourself.You need to beef up encounters too, but watch they don't turn into a hit point grind. Have foes behave intelligently and surrender or flee when they have clearly been bested, or simply handwave the final stages.  Don't add soldiers, add minions, and make minions take two hits to kill.  Make artillery monsters a greater threat by giving them area or two-target attacks, but don't increase their hit points.Make sure you send out a bullet point synopsis of events from the previous session, or ask another group member to do so, and begin each session with a quick recap. It sounds like you have a cohesive group.  Do your best to foster the players' interest and appreciation of each others' characters, so that they don't lose interest when someone else is in the spotlight.  By the same token, if one player has a tendency to demand the spotlight too much, give them their moment early in each session to stop them trying too hard to grab the mike (or have a quiet word). Establish early which player is the best at a specific skill, to avoid them stepping on each others' toes all the time.  (Second and third best roll to aid another.) Encourage them to differentiate their characters in a similar way:  You don't want two 'strong but silent' types, or two 'jokers in the pack'.  I had my players come up with a keyword for their character personalities, to ensure their visions didn't overlap, and rewarded them for appropriate roleplaying.  (Some players might find this a bit heavy-handed but mine have all enjoyed having a focus.)Above all, don't be daunted.  I've run groups of 6/7 for a long time now, and it really is great fun.Sorry if any of this is obvious.</blockquote>

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