After not having played D&D for more than 30 years in pulling together a group to start a game of 5th Ed with the Lost Mine of Phandelver. I have six mates who want to play all with a fair amount of RPG experience and all good guys. I'm happy to DM but I don't know if six is likely to be one or two too many. Does anyone have any general advice on this? Has anyone played specifically the Lost Mine with six?
I don't want to slow the game down to much , unbalance the module, or make things more difficult than they might be but my inclination is to try not to exclude anyone if possible.
I find 5 to be my "sweet spot" - but that's really a matter of personal taste. I can run with 6, it's just easier ( for me ) with 5. I wouldn't expect you to be too taxed with 6.
I have not - however - run the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
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I am currently running and office game of LMoP with 6 players. It runs just fine but I do make the encounters a bit harder by adding another NPC here and there or increasing some health.
i'm running a game with 8 players (crazy) and I can only say one thing: Running a game for 4 or 8 players it's not that different. The game is slower, but if you take notes of your players and adapt some encounters, you can handle this. Try to write down everything important like modifiers, CA, HP and keep them by your side. You don't need to know every spell or ability, but be prepared for search if necessary :]
After not having played D&D for more than 30 years in pulling together a group to start a game of 5th Ed with the Lost Mine of Phandelver. I have six mates who want to play all with a fair amount of RPG experience and all good guys. I'm happy to DM but I don't know if six is likely to be one or two too many. Does anyone have any general advice on this? Has anyone played specifically the Lost Mine with six?
I don't want to slow the game down to much , unbalance the module, or make things more difficult than they might be but my inclination is to try not to exclude anyone if possible.
I ran a few sessions of LMoP with 7-8 teenagers (we stopped playing because of conflicting schedules) and currently running it with 6 players, most of whom are newer.
Suggestions that I would make to help the game go faster is to have some way to indicate the initiative order so that people know who is next and to try to get people to roll their damage and attack rolls at the same time. The only other thing that slows down our game is people not knowing how to play their characters abilities (I made word documents with their abilities on it and have the spell cards that they can use to help with reference time), but that's not likely to be as much of an issue with more experienced players.
Thanks for the advice chaps. I think I'll go for it then. We'll get the sixth player in and take it from there. I'll name sue we've got a few accessories such as tented cards for initiative and status effect cards etc. Thanks again.
I'm currently running 5 through LMoP, and even with 5, some of the encounters feel like a walk in the park for them. I'd definitely suggest adding more creatures to some of the encounters if you have 6.
Ran 8 through LMoP, then transitioned to HotDQ adding 2 more to 10 players. For combat, there are a lot of times in both modules that you can just double the number of enemies. But this doesn't always work, and at the lower levels it can create a combat encounter that lasts for hours. 8 PCs vs 16 twig blights (vs 8 as written in Thundertree) can take a long time. Same with the cultists. The giant spider encounter in the same area worked for me by doubling it, but be aware of encounter area. (8 players and 4 large creatures all in a small area is rough.)
I recommend using the monsters that are given, adding a few to the listed number, then adding in a thematically appropriate higher CR monster. Instead of having my party fight 16 twig blights, I had them fight 10, plus an awakened tree. For the cultists, instead of fighting 6, they fought 8 plus a higher CR humanoid. Encounter builders help, but I found that once you pass 5 or 6 PCs, the calculations aren't as reliable as with a small party.
Outside of combat, you have to decide if NPC reactions are any different with an 8 person party. They'll be easier to spot, might get harassed more, might find it harder to gather info as a group, etc. Some things could also be easier for the same reason though.
Finally, from a table perspective, get a timer system started early. A group of 8 or more deciding on what to do next can drag out for a long time if half want to go one way and the other half want to go the other. If it looks like a decision might take a while (or already has) start a 10 minute timer and tell them you need a consensus at the end of it.
Finally, from a table perspective, get a timer system started early. A group of 8 or more deciding on what to do next can drag out for a long time if half want to go one way and the other half want to go the other. If it looks like a decision might take a while (or already has) start a 10 minute timer and tell them you need a consensus at the end of it.
Curious, have you ever used a timer during combat as well? I've had the occasional group use them in the past--both for sheer number of players, and a couple of times when one or two players had constant analysis paralysis. Get a small boardgame hourglass or something and flip it for every player's turn. It can actually heighten the tension in combat in a good way, and force people to think now about their action next turn.
I've never used one for out of combat situations, but with 10 players, it makes perfect sense.
I tried the little ones that come with board games, but in the end we always forgot to flip it. I just play it by ear, with a lean towards your point of keeping it tense. I always give them a 15 second warning if I feel like someone is taking too long. But only now that they know their characters. In the early levels, it was brutal. We all shoot for 30 seconds or less per turn, and even that can feel too long sometimes.
I have six mates who want to play all with a fair amount of RPG experience and all good guys. I'm happy to DM but I don't know if six is likely to be one or two too many. Does anyone have any general advice on this?
Six player D&D is actually pretty common, but it can be hard on newer DM's (who are not as familiar with how to keep the game running fast & smoothly).
On the bright side: after a couple sessions you'll likely find some players becoming flaky in their attendance, making the game more manageable.
As for scaling LMoP: no harm in it being a bit easy at 1st level. After a couple session - you might consider adding some enemies if there's still six players at the table.
I’m probably late to this thread but I just wrapped LMoP with 6. About a dozen sessions, depending on what side missions they run. I’ll admit to a little railroading mainly b/c it was everyone’s first time, or in mine and one other’s case, first time since 3.5. And it was my first time DMing. I’ll tell you that LMoP is a great starter set for everyone. But I certainly tweaked it, changed monster types, etc etc. If your party encounters Venomfang, don’t be afraid to up his HP. I maxed him out and he knocked a couple of them out but escaped with only 5 HP. Feel free to look at my accounts of my tables encounters in the “How did your last session go” thread.
I've run for groups as low as 3 and as high as 12. Yeup, 12 players in 4th edition D&D ment combat was....long.
The good news is that most players want others to play with, and are happy to work together to make it work. Chat with your players ahead of time about the things you all can do to help keep things moving. Encourage everyone to be willing to sit back and relax and enjoy a bit while it's not their turn in combat, or if an RP is happening without them. As long as everyone tries to keep the game going but is also sympathetic to those moments when it may take an extra few minutes you'll all be fine.
I tend to run 4-6 players. Even the difference between 2 players is noticeable. I basically shoot for 4 players and keep the other 2 spots open just in case someone wants to join. The most I have run is 10 players at a time. That was a pain in the ass at times. Not to mention very slow. Currently my game has 4 players and the pace I feel is ideal.
I've noticed over the years that desired player numbers have generally dropped as the tendency of players and game systems to want more in-character roleplaying has increased.
In the 1st edition years I was playing, we'd shoot for 6 to 8 players, and feel like we maybe should cancel for the week if only 5 could show up. You'd go to a convention and play a one-off, GenCon for example, and they'd default to selling 8 tickets for your game unless you specified otherwise. And many DMs (raises hand) would plan for a possible 2 more players (so you could take extras and not feel bad about turning people away).
These days, 4 to 6 tops seems to be very common. And I noticed that starting in my experience when White Wolf hit the scene. No one playing Vampire wanted 10 people at the table, no way.
So that's just an interesting observation--but here's my question: those of you playing 8-10 people with 5e, are you finding those particular sessions or campaigns to be more strategy/combat/roll focused than focused on in-character interactions and role-playing?
i run my game for 10 players every week, it works just fine game still feels pretty quick for us, because you have 9 peoples turn to plan your action, so by the time its your turn you're ready, keeping track of initiative can be a pain but i just put folded papers on my dm screen to show order, each paper has a name of E1,2,3 etc for enemy type 1, type 2, etc. so its manageable, other than that its pretty normal
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Enethia is running a library, Kalnor is with one of his friends(Likely Mithris), Mali is making an elixir, Asari is sad, Ink is dying in Kalnoia, Nox is dead, Zal is eating cheese fries, Tefeerinn is experiencing fuller life, Shardia is watching the safehouse, Mabij is prepping for a trial, Hrakor is running from prophesy, Viperitahk is locked in a strange battle, Void is watching, Redd is writing all of these. See the EXTENSION for the rest
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After not having played D&D for more than 30 years in pulling together a group to start a game of 5th Ed with the Lost Mine of Phandelver. I have six mates who want to play all with a fair amount of RPG experience and all good guys. I'm happy to DM but I don't know if six is likely to be one or two too many. Does anyone have any general advice on this? Has anyone played specifically the Lost Mine with six?
I don't want to slow the game down to much , unbalance the module, or make things more difficult than they might be but my inclination is to try not to exclude anyone if possible.
I've had 5 or 6 in my group at various times.
I find 5 to be my "sweet spot" - but that's really a matter of personal taste. I can run with 6, it's just easier ( for me ) with 5. I wouldn't expect you to be too taxed with 6.
I have not - however - run the Lost Mine of Phandelver.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I am currently running and office game of LMoP with 6 players. It runs just fine but I do make the encounters a bit harder by adding another NPC here and there or increasing some health.
i'm running a game with 8 players (crazy) and I can only say one thing: Running a game for 4 or 8 players it's not that different. The game is slower, but if you take notes of your players and adapt some encounters, you can handle this. Try to write down everything important like modifiers, CA, HP and keep them by your side. You don't need to know every spell or ability, but be prepared for search if necessary :]
I ran a few sessions of LMoP with 7-8 teenagers (we stopped playing because of conflicting schedules) and currently running it with 6 players, most of whom are newer.
Suggestions that I would make to help the game go faster is to have some way to indicate the initiative order so that people know who is next and to try to get people to roll their damage and attack rolls at the same time. The only other thing that slows down our game is people not knowing how to play their characters abilities (I made word documents with their abilities on it and have the spell cards that they can use to help with reference time), but that's not likely to be as much of an issue with more experienced players.
Tented index cards for initiative might work well.
Whoever rolls highest gets "1", the next, "2" and so on... so it's obvious to the whole table who goes when.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Thanks for the advice chaps. I think I'll go for it then. We'll get the sixth player in and take it from there. I'll name sue we've got a few accessories such as tented cards for initiative and status effect cards etc. Thanks again.
I'm currently running 5 through LMoP, and even with 5, some of the encounters feel like a walk in the park for them. I'd definitely suggest adding more creatures to some of the encounters if you have 6.
Ran 8 through LMoP, then transitioned to HotDQ adding 2 more to 10 players. For combat, there are a lot of times in both modules that you can just double the number of enemies. But this doesn't always work, and at the lower levels it can create a combat encounter that lasts for hours. 8 PCs vs 16 twig blights (vs 8 as written in Thundertree) can take a long time. Same with the cultists. The giant spider encounter in the same area worked for me by doubling it, but be aware of encounter area. (8 players and 4 large creatures all in a small area is rough.)
I recommend using the monsters that are given, adding a few to the listed number, then adding in a thematically appropriate higher CR monster. Instead of having my party fight 16 twig blights, I had them fight 10, plus an awakened tree. For the cultists, instead of fighting 6, they fought 8 plus a higher CR humanoid. Encounter builders help, but I found that once you pass 5 or 6 PCs, the calculations aren't as reliable as with a small party.
Outside of combat, you have to decide if NPC reactions are any different with an 8 person party. They'll be easier to spot, might get harassed more, might find it harder to gather info as a group, etc. Some things could also be easier for the same reason though.
Finally, from a table perspective, get a timer system started early. A group of 8 or more deciding on what to do next can drag out for a long time if half want to go one way and the other half want to go the other. If it looks like a decision might take a while (or already has) start a 10 minute timer and tell them you need a consensus at the end of it.
Curious, have you ever used a timer during combat as well? I've had the occasional group use them in the past--both for sheer number of players, and a couple of times when one or two players had constant analysis paralysis. Get a small boardgame hourglass or something and flip it for every player's turn. It can actually heighten the tension in combat in a good way, and force people to think now about their action next turn.
I've never used one for out of combat situations, but with 10 players, it makes perfect sense.
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)
I tried the little ones that come with board games, but in the end we always forgot to flip it. I just play it by ear, with a lean towards your point of keeping it tense. I always give them a 15 second warning if I feel like someone is taking too long. But only now that they know their characters. In the early levels, it was brutal. We all shoot for 30 seconds or less per turn, and even that can feel too long sometimes.
Thanks to everyone for the helpful replies.
I’m probably late to this thread but I just wrapped LMoP with 6. About a dozen sessions, depending on what side missions they run. I’ll admit to a little railroading mainly b/c it was everyone’s first time, or in mine and one other’s case, first time since 3.5. And it was my first time DMing. I’ll tell you that LMoP is a great starter set for everyone. But I certainly tweaked it, changed monster types, etc etc. If your party encounters Venomfang, don’t be afraid to up his HP. I maxed him out and he knocked a couple of them out but escaped with only 5 HP. Feel free to look at my accounts of my tables encounters in the “How did your last session go” thread.
Thanks Cardinal_Fang I'll be sure to check that out.
I've run for groups as low as 3 and as high as 12. Yeup, 12 players in 4th edition D&D ment combat was....long.
The good news is that most players want others to play with, and are happy to work together to make it work. Chat with your players ahead of time about the things you all can do to help keep things moving. Encourage everyone to be willing to sit back and relax and enjoy a bit while it's not their turn in combat, or if an RP is happening without them. As long as everyone tries to keep the game going but is also sympathetic to those moments when it may take an extra few minutes you'll all be fine.
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
I tend to run 4-6 players. Even the difference between 2 players is noticeable. I basically shoot for 4 players and keep the other 2 spots open just in case someone wants to join. The most I have run is 10 players at a time. That was a pain in the ass at times. Not to mention very slow. Currently my game has 4 players and the pace I feel is ideal.
I've noticed over the years that desired player numbers have generally dropped as the tendency of players and game systems to want more in-character roleplaying has increased.
In the 1st edition years I was playing, we'd shoot for 6 to 8 players, and feel like we maybe should cancel for the week if only 5 could show up. You'd go to a convention and play a one-off, GenCon for example, and they'd default to selling 8 tickets for your game unless you specified otherwise. And many DMs (raises hand) would plan for a possible 2 more players (so you could take extras and not feel bad about turning people away).
These days, 4 to 6 tops seems to be very common. And I noticed that starting in my experience when White Wolf hit the scene. No one playing Vampire wanted 10 people at the table, no way.
So that's just an interesting observation--but here's my question: those of you playing 8-10 people with 5e, are you finding those particular sessions or campaigns to be more strategy/combat/roll focused than focused on in-character interactions and role-playing?
Looking for new subclasses, spells, magic items, feats, and races? Opinions welcome :)
Do you have a job? I'm just wondering how that would effect it.
i run my game for 10 players every week, it works just fine game still feels pretty quick for us, because you have 9 peoples turn to plan your action, so by the time its your turn you're ready, keeping track of initiative can be a pain but i just put folded papers on my dm screen to show order, each paper has a name of E1,2,3 etc for enemy type 1, type 2, etc. so its manageable, other than that its pretty normal
Enethia is running a library, Kalnor is with one of his friends(Likely Mithris), Mali is making an elixir, Asari is sad, Ink is dying in Kalnoia, Nox is dead, Zal is eating cheese fries, Tefeerinn is experiencing fuller life, Shardia is watching the safehouse, Mabij is prepping for a trial, Hrakor is running from prophesy, Viperitahk is locked in a strange battle, Void is watching, Redd is writing all of these. See the EXTENSION for the rest