Dungeons and Dragons sessions are always tricky to organize. Mixed with the constraints of adult life, and the logistics of where to play and when, it can be tricky to even get some sessions going. It becomes even more difficult when playing in a large group of 6 or more players. However, there are some campaigns that absolutely excel with larger groups.
Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Drow
D&D's drow are often seen as simply underground-dwelling villains, but there's more to their race and society than meets the eye.
The essential thing when running campaigns for groups of 6+ players comes down to organization and timekeeping. The DM has to balance gameplay so that players aren't waiting forever in between turns, in order to maintain their attention. This means that combat should be avoided as much as possible in larger groups, as this is what takes up the bulk of time. There are methods to overcome these issues, as many of these campaigns address.
8 Out Of The Abyss
A Great Campaign For Large Groups
Tyler Jacobson via Wizards of the Coast
Not only is Out of the Abyss an excellent campaign, it's also one of the best for larger groups. This campaign centers around the Underdark, and it's campaigns that are focused around a particular location that will prove best for large parties. This is mostly due to the freedom that the world gives to the players. They can explore large areas, but it's also contained at the same time, and the DM can keep them along the right track.
Out of the Abyss is an excellent adventure involving Drow Elves and evil demons, and it's got a tight focus on interaction and roleplaying. This makes it great for large parties because, whilst there is still lots of combat, the DM can easily manage combat scenarios and allow room for discussions and roleplaying.
7 Storm King's Thunder
Notoriously Larger Campaign For Larger Groups
Storm King's Thunder is a big campaign, and that might seem intimidating for larger groups, but it actually makes it a great choice. There's a lot going on behind the scenes in Storm King's Thunder, including various political elements and conspiracies in a great setting. This provides a great opportunity for the DM to further worldbuild and tweak the story for a larger party.
Sure, there's a lot of combat throughout the campaign, but if the DM can effectively manage the combat, then they can mold Storm King's Thunder into an unforgettable experience for larger parties where they take down ultimate giant bosses, all whilst getting swept into a highly intriguing and political story.
6 Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
A Great Opportunity To Create A Large Team Dynamic
It can sometimes be tricky to create a sense of teamwork when running a campaign for 6+ players, but Waterdeep: Dragon Heist allows the DM to build exactly that. This is a campaign that's all about working together to pull off a daring heist that will benefit every character.
7 Great D&D Campaigns That Have Very Little Combat
Dungeons & Dragons is known for combat, but there are plenty of fantastic campaigns that emphasize other elements.
It's less focused on combat, which is ideal for large groups, and more focused on worldbuilding within the city of Waterdeep. This is an incredibly immersive experience and will create a fantastic dynamic for all players to work together and accomplish their aims. There is also lots of room for the DM to get creative and implement additional plot hooks or more/less combat encounters where needed.
5 The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
A Vast Sandbox Environment
The Wild Beyond The Witchlight is all about exploration and discovery—and that's exactly what a DM will want to encourage when running a campaign for 6+ players. Again, this is less focused on combat and instead provides a huge sandbox carnival environment for the players to interact with and discover.
Not only that, but it takes players to the world of the Feywild which opens the door for unlimited creative possibilities. The DM can make this one as challenging as they want, or take all the combat out completely and just leave a few bosses here and there. It's a beautiful world, and one of the best campaigns for larger groups.
4 Adventurer's League
Officially Designed For Larger Groups
The Adventurer's League isn't specifically a campaign—it's actually the official organized play association for Dungeons and Dragons. However, many campaigns have been released under the Adventurer's League banner and they are the perfect choice for larger parties looking to get stuck into a fantastic session.
These campaigns are specifically designed to be played at tabletop gaming shops, meaning they're designed for an undisclosed number of players (often some very large groups). These are often smaller campaigns or even one-shots that might only take a few hours to complete but are still highly entertaining. If players are looking for shorter campaigns, then some of the ones featured in the Adventurer's League are among the very best.
3 Lost Mine Of Phandelver
Classic Campaign For Any Number Of Players
Sure, Lost Mine of Phandelver is officially designed for 2-3 players, but who's really counting? Because this is the campaign featured in the starter set, it's quite a basic setting and story (which isn't to say it's not great because it is), meaning it's easily malleable to adjust to any size party.
With a little reworking of combat encounters and enemy numbers, Lost Mine of Phandelver is actually one of the very best campaigns for larger groups. It's not drastically long, it's simple to follow, but it's also super engaging and fun to play with a great mix of combat, exploration and roleplaying.
2 Homebrew
Nothing Beats A Tailor-Made Campaign
Of course, the best way to play a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with a large group is to create a tailor-made experience that specifically caters to the exact number of players. It's easy to write off homebrew campaigns as being too difficult and too time-consuming to create. However, there are so many great tools out there to make this a lot easier—there's no excuse not to give a hombrew campaign a try.
Great Dungeons And Dragons Homebrew Rules You Should Try
D&D has many set rules, but adding a few homebrew tweaks can result in more enjoyable sessions.
No matter how small or large a party is, a homemade campaign will always be the best experience. It's easier for the DM to run a homebrew session as they know everything about it, and can easily adjust scenarios for the number of players. This is also what Dungeons and Dragons is really all about—roleplaying and creativity at its finest.
1 The West Marches Campaign
The No Regular Party Campaign Idea
So, again, this isn't actually a campaign by itself, it's more of an idea. However, it's now commonplace to say a DM is running "The West Marches Campaign" when organizing a campaign for a very large group. Essentially, The West Marches Campaign can use any module mentioned above, as well as any other D&D campaign, or homebrew creation, and morph it into an experience for 10+ players.
The core concept here is that there is no regular party. A player might attend sessions once a week, or once a month, but whenever they choose to play, it doesn't matter, because there is no regular schedule. The players tell the DM what they want to do, or where they want to go in advance in a group chat (which essentially takes the place of a classic tavern discussion), and the DM takes it away from there when the next session starts.
The stories are connected, but it's never the same party playing each session. Each session finishes in a town or a camp to make sure it works as a self-contained experience, but can still connect to the overall campaign. It's an ambitious premise, but it's the most effective way to run a campaign for large groups, and should absolutely be given a go.
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson