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HidesHisEyes
2017-02-07, 01:53 PM
I've committed to running a D&D 5E session for a group of people from work and the group has kept getting bigger as more people got invited. There will be seven players in the party. As it's only a one-shot and a single session planned, it needs to be an adventure that will fit into about five hours maximum and be self-contained. And of those seven players, two have never played RPGs before, three have played only once and the other two are also relatively new to the game.

So all in all a recipe for a game that's gonna be really hard to plan and run. Does anyone have any advice for this kind of situation?

PhoenixPhyre
2017-02-07, 02:04 PM
I've committed to running a D&D 5E session for a group of people from work and the group has kept getting bigger as more people got invited. There will be seven players in the party. As it's only a one-shot and a single session planned, it needs to be an adventure that will fit into about five hours maximum and be self-contained. And of those seven players, two have never played RPGs before, three have played only once and the other two are also relatively new to the game.

So all in all a recipe for a game that's gonna be really hard to plan and run. Does anyone have any advice for this kind of situation?

If you can, at least make a partial set of pre-made characters. Otherwise, character generation will take the whole time due to new people. Don't be afraid to railroad them more than you would a different group. Also, don't be afraid to streamline/bend/mutilate/ignore some of the mechanics. Keeping things moving is the most important part. Enforce timers on turns in combat--make sure to take turns out of combat as well so people don't get stepped on.

As for plot hooks--I recommend starting it in media res. They're already a group, they've worked together in the past, and they have a mission. Don't worry too much about setting details--keep it fuzzy.

Why do I say all this? I run a D&D club at a high school (as a teacher). Currently I DM for 2 groups of 6-8 people who meet 1x per week for about an hour. Most of them brand-new to TTRPGs and all of them new to 5e. We've had lots of fun so far.

Good luck. Big groups can be exhausting.

HidesHisEyes
2017-02-07, 03:23 PM
If you can, at least make a partial set of pre-made characters. Otherwise, character generation will take the whole time due to new people. Don't be afraid to railroad them more than you would a different group. Also, don't be afraid to streamline/bend/mutilate/ignore some of the mechanics. Keeping things moving is the most important part. Enforce timers on turns in combat--make sure to take turns out of combat as well so people don't get stepped on.

As for plot hooks--I recommend starting it in media res. They're already a group, they've worked together in the past, and they have a mission. Don't worry too much about setting details--keep it fuzzy.

Why do I say all this? I run a D&D club at a high school (as a teacher). Currently I DM for 2 groups of 6-8 people who meet 1x per week for about an hour. Most of them brand-new to TTRPGs and all of them new to 5e. We've had lots of fun so far.

Good luck. Big groups can be exhausting.

Thanks for the tips. I like the idea of turn-taking outside combat, I hadn't thought of that.

Funnily enough I also work at a secondary school and this session will be for a bunch of teachers and TAs. I can only imagine what it must be like to run for students!

obstructor
2017-02-07, 03:37 PM
Really as much as some players seem to hate them, get a module (http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset)with pre-built characters to run them through. Steal a couple characters from a different module to get up to enough or build some yourself. Those that have played can bring a character with them.

7 players will probably be a little intense, guess you could run out of combat actions based on initiative order to make sure they all get a turn.

PhoenixPhyre
2017-02-07, 03:54 PM
7 players will probably be a little intense, guess you could run out of combat actions based on initiative order to make sure they all get a turn.

I tend to just go round-robin outside of combat and don't let anyone's actions take effect until everyone has a chance to speak up. That prevents the spotlight hogs from ruining things. With adults you probably don't have to be as strict....hopefully. I'm mostly dealing with teenage boys who are not known for their impulse control after all. One group has 3 girls in it and a whole group of them have broken off and are running their own sessions. I feel like a drug pusher sometimes: "First hit's free!"

I also run a much smaller session with some of my colleagues and their significant others. That one's much more laid back (only 4 and they're adults).

Good luck with your event!

obstructor
2017-02-07, 03:57 PM
I found some free modules created to playtest 5e http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?356005-8-free-5e-adventures!