A fellow player of two years has started to run a game for us. He's the best game master I've ever had the privilege of playing for, and we love our game.
However our DM's ambition to run a large group (7 to 8 players) is conflicting with what his core players enjoy (3 to 5 players). I believe that our DM's ambition is specifically for a large group, rather than running for novice players.
Four players plus the DM represent the core group; we've been playing together for a long time and enjoy the natural benefits of this. We're comfortable in roleplay, we understand which niche each player enjoys occupying, and we tag-team well in combat. We also know our DM well enough to play into the game elements he enjoys; dramatic tension, lots of lore, and scene setting.
At the beginning of this year we had a new player join and ask to invite two of his friends, all new to the game. Our DM privately asked me for my input on this decision. I explained to him our concerns, and that we all enjoy the dynamic of a smaller group, but that we'd respect his decision. He still decided to let the new players join reasoning that we'd cap the player count to 7. This is just one example, but it's clear that our DM really aims to run for a large group not just newbies specifically. Mostly I understand our DM's intent because I'm his friend and I can see what he's pushing for.
We suffer from the usual issues of a large group and newbie players: Too many people and not enough time, as well as disruption from newbies who haven't learned the enjoyment of immersion. Also, we'veWe've had multiple people hop in and out of the story, and many of them are less experienced players. This effect tends to be disruptive to story and raw gameplay. Many of the biggest sessions become very disorganised, and quite loud.
I want to emphasise, these are not toxic players; there's just a natural difference in play betweenwith the long-term core group,usual issues of 'too many people and floatersnot enough time', as well as disruption from newbies who may be less experiencedhaven't learned the enjoyment of immersion.
I wish this wasn't the case, and this is where I'd like advice. I wish it was thrilling to have new people play; to introduce new people to the game, and make new friends. But a few weeks ago we had a session where only the "core" group could attend, and it was such a relief. We haven't had such a varied and productive session in a long time. Our DM has asked me about our concerns in the past, and resolved to cap the player count to 7.
I want that feeling of playing a fantastic game with my best friends, rather than babysitting, and I know that's selfish; what should I do?
