D&D General Shocked how hard it is to get new players now-a-days

[Velderan]

My oldest son has decided he wants to start playing D&D. The library here is running three full nights of gaming, but every table is full with waitlists. A comic shop has a teen game, but it looks packed - the photo show a table of ten plus.

That seems crazy to me. For one thing, combats would feel like they take forever to run with that many players. I also have no idea how you keep 10 players actively engaged and interested in what's happening. I'm currently running a game for 6 players and that is hard enough at times to make sure everyone has a chance to get involved and shine.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

That seems crazy to me. For one thing, combats would feel like they take forever to run with that many players. I also have no idea how you keep 10 players actively engaged and interested in what's happening. I'm currently running a game for 6 players and that is hard enough at times to make sure everyone has a chance to get involved and shine.

Honestly, I have no problem with running a game for my son and maybe a couple others, but I definitely wouldn't want to go more than 4 players.

For big tables, as someone who's first group had 15 people regularly around the table, it is very chaotic, but I feel a lot of times, it's to feed the ego of the DM/GM because they are always being interacted with. Some other big tables, I feel like it's a policy of 'everyone who shows up gets to play, and we only have space for two big folding tables'.

 

[DarkCrisis]

That seems crazy to me. For one thing, combats would feel like they take forever to run with that many players. I also have no idea how you keep 10 players actively engaged and interested in what's happening. I'm currently running a game for 6 players and that is hard enough at times to make sure everyone has a chance to get involved and shine.

Playing OSE, combat it quick and simple. Modern D&D has bloat from all the hp and powers

 

[Mannahnin]

I understood that Bayushi was talking a current group using 5E.

I've definitely played groups of OSE / B/X or OD&D with 10+ people where combat flowed fine. Both at conventions (my first group of 12 players was Frank Mentzer running Palace of the Vampire Queen in 2010), and a bunch online during the pandemic.

 

[Velderan]

Playing OSE, combat it quick and simple. Modern D&D has bloat from all the hp and powers

My assumption was they were referring to a 5e game. I agree older games generally played faster with simpler options and less actions available, though the keeping a lot of players involved problem still existed. I forget at what point the concept of the party having a caller to declare what the party is doing was killed off (definitely by AD&D 2e), but that was probably a necessity in games with tons of players.

 

[Mannahnin]

My assumption was they were referring to a 5e game. I agree older games generally played faster with simpler options and less actions available, though the keeping a lot of players involved problem still existed. I forget at what point the concept of the party having a caller to declare what the party is doing was killed off (definitely by AD&D 2e), but that was probably a necessity in games with tons of players.

It's definitely helpful in those games. I've been in groups using one a bunch during the pandemic online. Once you get above 6 or so players it starts to be handy.

Frank's 12 player OD&D game at that convention had six players at each table ("party front" and "party rear"), and a caller at each table.

It actually works remarkably well with online play because having a default speaking player for routine decisions cuts down on the talking-over-each-other / audio-streams-clash factor.

Although in combat the caller is not normally a thing. You just go around the table and ask each person what they're doing. If you run action declaration the DM will want to take notes if it's a large group, and the occasional sketch or even use of minatures to show relative positioning can be helpful so people can picture the setup, who's fighting who, and avoid any PCs or hirelings getting forgotten by the DM.

And at other interesting/dangerous moments the DM will also often deliberately spread the spotlight around/give individual players moments to act. The caller is mostly helpful and speeds things up when you're just navigating around the dungeon, enacting SOPs and low-stakes parts of the exploration. Handling routine organizational stuff like confirming marching order and watch schedules and stuff.

 

[R_J_K75]

I hope your dad's ok.

Thank you, I appreciate that, He's had COVID 4 times. I'm like dad, wear a mask...

Definitely part of MY new normal is not engaging in my usual social activities and being in close contact with people while I'm feeling sick, or they're feeling sick. I used to just disregard it. Considered it no big deal and assumed it'd always be a minor inconvenience at worst if one of us got sick from the other.

I can't assume that anymore

As you said later in your post...employers...that's got to hit hard. I think the public at large have moved on from COVID, I'm not advocating or condemning it it's just what I see. I have a permanent tracheotomy, bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, which doctors more commonly now call COPD. So, when the pandemic broke out, I was very careful where I went and who I talked to in person. So, I understand your concerns and hope your S/O gets better.

 

[R_J_K75]

There's not much you can do (other than vote appropriately, and in every election - shameless non-partisan political plug).

The COVID lockdown put a stop to one gaming group and we haven't gotten back together - and won't as a face to face game since my wife was a player and can no longer sustain that energy. The other shifted to online (Roll20) and is now back to face to face - though we CAN go online for weeks where illness mandates it.
One of the big benefits of the online portals that I've experienced, however, is the group that sprung up during the pandemic and has only ever been online (except for one session). Members of our kids' generations who had never played D&D before expressed interest so we played on Roll20. After that campaign more or less finished to try other things like Masks and Call of Cthulhu, my wife was able to join. Being online and not face to face, she can participate as she has the energy and, when tiring out, can lie down on the bed next to her computer desk and still be somewhat engaged via her headset and iPad (we use Discord for audio).
So, even with long COVID, there are ways to adapt and the VTTs really help with that.

That's terrible that the both of you have to deal with that, I'm sorry

 

[Dausuul]

I've seen this a number of times in this thread, is COVID still a thing? Do people still care and treat it any more than a flu?

For most people, probably not. We have reached a steady state with COVID, where there's little prospect of things changing in the foreseeable future, so any precautions folks are not willing to keep up indefinitely are apt to go by the wayside.

That said: It is still significantly more dangerous than the flu (which is itself more dangerous than it gets credit for), and that really really sucks for immunocompromised people. I have a friend who has been forced into a life of permanent near-isolation because of this. Until and unless the doctors figure out how to get her immune system back to where it can do its job without also destroying her body, she may never be able to interact normally with society again.

(I suppose the moral here is, "If somebody asks you to take precautions while around them, they may have good reasons, so please respect that and cooperate." I doubt a lot of people on this board would have a problem with that.)

 

[Oofta]

For most people, probably not. We have reached a steady state with COVID, where there's little prospect of things changing in the foreseeable future, so any precautions you're not willing to keep up indefinitely may as well go by the wayside.

That said: It is still significantly more dangerous than the flu (which is itself more dangerous than it gets credit for), and that really really sucks for immunocompromised people. I have a friend who has been forced into a life of permanent near-isolation because of this. Until and unless the doctors figure out how to get her immune system back to where it can do its job without also destroying her body, she may never be able to interact normally with society again.

(I suppose the moral here is, "If somebody asks you to take precautions while around them, they may have good reasons, so please respect that and cooperate." I doubt a lot of people on this board would have a problem with that.)

Not that I want to derail this much further into COVID discussion, but I recently listened to a podcast on long COVID. It can be truly devastating.