How to Run D&D For Large Groups
Greetings gamers, I've got a quick tip article for you today on how to run games for larger groups.
Someone recently asked me over on Bluesky if I had any resources for running games for larger groups and I realized I didn't have anything "official" committed to video or written form to point folks to when this question comes up, so that's the purpose of today's blog!
Other Games
The inevitable comment on an article like this is "you should just play X system, it doesn't have this problem".
And that's true, there are plenty of systems out there that handle larger groups "better" than D&D because they are less mechanically rigid, more narrative driven, or a myriad of other reasons.
I'm personally a big fan of Powered by the Apocalypse style games when I want something that plays a bit faster and looser, which lends itself to larger groups.
There's also the argument that you'd be better off splitting a large group into smaller groups, which is again often true, but not always possible.
So if you do find yourself with a large group who want to play D&D rather than another system, hopefully these tips will help speed things up for you.
Five Tips For Running For Larger Groups
So here are five tips to speed things up and make your life easier when running D&D for larger groups.
1. Fast Dice Rolling
When your group is in combat, you and the players should think of adopting the fast rolling strategy where you roll the attack and damage dice at the same time. If your attack hits, you've already got the damage number there ready to go, if it misses, you're no worse off.
This only saves a handful of seconds with each roll, but compounded over dozens of rolls for each player across a large group this can add up to some serious time savings.
2. Pre Rolling Initiative
The process of rolling initiative can slow the game to a slog at the best of times, but when you as the GM need to manage up to a dozen enemies in each combat, rolling that can slow things down even more.
So when I'm running for large groups I like to generate a big list of random numbers between 1-20 to serve as my initiative rolls for the session, and then I just work down my list, crossing them off for each enemy.
It's another thing that doesn't same much time per individual roll, but compounded over 3-4 hours can help the game to feel more snappy and quick.
3. Turn Timers & Descriptions
Speaking of snappy combat, once your group gets above a certain size, you might want to consider introducing a turn timer to keep things moving at a decent pace. When there are 8+ people at the table, a couple extra minutes per turn can easily turn into someone waiting half an hour or more between their turns, which can lead to players getting bored, distracted, and disengaged from the narrative.
When I am running for large groups, I keep all my combat descriptions super short and impactful. I don't note the dice results unless its a critical hit and will instead say things like
"Zeus, the orc captain slams his warhammer into your chest for 6 Damage, then one of the orc warriors swings their sword at Ollie and misses while another slashes across Seamus' back, dealing 4 damage."
That description covered the turns of 3 different enemies, which as they were all next to each other in the initiative I will have rolled all their attacks at once and resolved simultaneously.
Another thing I do in all combats, but especially for larger groups is when I come back around to the first person in initiative I will give them a brief synopsis of the state of the battlefield.
"The orc captain has Zeus down on the ground, unconscious at his feet. Ollie is surrounded by 2 orc warriors, the west wall is on fire and Seamus is running across the room to reach Zeus. What do you do?"
Just reminding the players where people are at the top of the round and what significant events happened in the preceding round can help reduce the time they spend asking questions and being plagued by decision paralysis.
4. Avoid Subtly
I love playing the long game, weaving intricate webs of subtle plot seeds and watching as the players unravel my clever little schemes.
But that typically doesn't work with a large group. The more people involved, the more subtly and nuance becomes an enemy to progress.
If you make your clues too vague then a group of 7+ people are going to have too many interpretations and spend far too long trying to figure out the "right" answer.
If your villains are too subtle and relatable, someone in a large group will inevitably think that the group shouldn't stand against them because "ThAnOs WaS rIgHt!".
Instead, focus on high-impact bombastic action and all the subtlety of a brick. Over time as you learn your groups quirks you might be able to bring back in some of that multi-faceted intrigue, but to begin with have your bad guys be bad and have your goals be clear and simple.
5. Abstract, Handwave, Fudge
To keep things moving, abstract things wherever possible. Unless its specifically the kind of game your players have come together to play, you probably don't need to be tracking rations, ammunition, and petty cash for food and lodgings for close to a dozen people.
If the group want to do something that you're unsure on whether it is possible in the rules, but it seems plausible enough within the reality of your world, let them do it or abstract it down to a simple roll, because you don't need that many people arguing over rules as written vs rules intended, or to grind the game to a halt to look up some rules - all the while the focus of this massive group drifts further and further off topic.
And finally, fudge! If you're in a combat and the big bad is already defeated and there are just two minions left, have them both die, surrender, or flee on their next turn no matter what their statblocks say, because you'd got a litter of cat-like players to manage and it's better to get to the next scene than watch George miss another firebolt if it makes it back around to him.
So there you have it, five quick tips to speed up play when you're running D&D for a larger group.
I'd love to hear what tips you use for larger groups down in the comments!
But until next time
Happy Gaming.
