Summary
Tabletop gamesare a great way to burn away hours with friends per week, however often everyone’s busy life schedule allows. With one person at the helm acting as the Game Master (GM), or the equivalent of whatever system they are using, they can take their friends on a journey that won’t soon be forgotten, forging bonds, facing dangers, and exploring new, fantasy places.
There are some systems that work better for more tight-knit groups, which can’t work for every friend group, as it wouldn’t be fair to cut out friends to keep the group small. While a crafty GM could stretch most games to fit larger parties, there are already systems designed for larger groups already available.
7Fate
The Amount of Freedom Opens the Doors for Larger Groups
There is a wealth of TTRPGs available on the market, with many being eclipsed by more mainstream systems such asD&D,Pathfinder, andWorld of Darknessgame. However,lesser-known gamesare equally deserving of attention from eager RPG players, especially those looking for a new home for their largest friend group.
Fatemight be a system worth checking out for these groups, doing away with generic core traits such as strength and reducing the number of times players need to roll the dice.Fatedoesn’t have rigid, set-in-stone rules. Instead, it introduces a more free-form style of play, which is sure to allow anyone running the game to tweak this system to the group’s size. All players start on equal footing rather than rolling for traits and hoping they get lucky.
6Forsooth
A GM-Less Game Perfect for Improv and Shakespeare Fans
Game systems that don’t require a GM to run them are rare, but they do exist, and some of them can even accommodate large groups.Forsoothis one such game which challenges all of its players to improviseShakespeare’s lost works, providing a lot of freedom to create a muse for themselves, whether they want to go for drama, tragedy, or comedy.
Fun is the name of the game here, and the more players ham up their performances, the better it will be. Plays usually involve quite a large cast, which makes it the perfect game to gather all of their friends together for a night of fun. Those who want to perform without the pressure of a stage will findForsoothto be the perfect game for them.
5Ryuutama
Combat Takes a Back Seat
Ever wanted to step into aStudio Ghibli world of wonder and fantasy? Well, the closest anyone is going to get to that is through the game systemRyuuamata.The game derives clear inspiration from Miyazaki’s library of work, injecting fun, colorful, and refreshingly unique fantasy into the world of TTRPGs. Originally a Japanese game penned by Atsuhiro Okada, the game was translated into English, so now more groups can be spirited away on a wonderful adventure.
Though there is combat present inRyuutama, it takes a backseat to other forms of play, such as exploration and role-play. This makes it more friendly for bigger groups, as the wonder and exploration won’t be brought to a halt with encounters bloated with too many players.
4Blades in the Dark
A Focus on Cooperative Play
Ever wanted to play the roles of outcasts, scoundrels, and ne’er-do-wells? Then,Blades in the Darkmight be the perfect system. Rather than playing heroes on epic, sprawling quests of might and magic,Blades in the Darkis far moredystopian and darker. The game is in a fictional world where the sun has died, and none of the dead stay in their graves, coming back as vampires or ghosts.
Players choose a character class, known as a playbook, and will be one member of the crew, which also has its own playbook. The crew is at the heart ofBlades in the Dark, and gets its own character sheet, as cooperative play among the crew is imperative. As such, the more players there are, the more formidable their crew will be, ready to face any challenges the game master throws their way.
Pathfinder
Pathfinderstarted as a game based on the 3.5e system ofDungeons and Dragons,with the intention of making the game compatible with previous editions. Instead, it became a game in its own right, featuring unique worlds but with similar character creation rules andthe familiar d20 system.
Though it has never achieved the same level of popularity asD&D,Pathfinderis still a contender for a solid RPG system for a group who might be looking for something a little similar, but with refreshing new possibilities for stories and adventures. Balancing combat, exploration and companionship, it is an ideal game to dive into with a large party.
2Elemental
Provides the Tools to Play Any Type of Game
Most game systems are wedded to specific themes, genres, and settings.Dungeons and Dragonsis rooted in high fantasy, where even worlds such as Ravenloft feel the influence of the overall system.World of Darknessis set in the real world, in real places on Earth. And then there isElemental, a game that promises total creative freedom for its players, giving them the tools to make a game following any genre, any setting, any story they want.
With such freedom, the GM running the game can make up scenarios more befitting for their friends, or use one of the pre-written adventures available. The psychologicalhorror moduleJailbreak, for example, is designed with bigger groups in mind, as it contains nine pre-written characters to play.
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragonsis one of the largest and greatest games, dominating the world of TTRPGs with the sheer number of worlds, campaigns, and character creation choices, which ensures not one single campaign will ever be the same. Even in thepre-written modules, every table will have a different experience just because of all the various ways people prefer to play and DM.
While there are tips and tricks DMs can employ to make this game work for a smaller-sized group,D&Dworks best when more players join in on the fun. They can ensure their party composition is perfect for any encounter, and it reduces the amount of awkward silence between party members. With larger groups, there will always be a few people delving into roleplay, whether it is among themselves, or with the DM.
