With a large gathering, organisation can shape the evening as much as the title on the box. Eight people might consider clues simultaneously or wait through seven individual turns. Both count as playing together, but they feel very different. First decide whether the group wants to stay together, work in teams or spend part of the evening at separate tables.
Check involvement during other turns
A game for many people should offer something to do when it is not your turn: thinking, watching or contributing to a shared decision. Check whether players eliminated early must sit out for a long time. Short rounds with a quick return are often more comfortable for an informal evening.
Team size is not the only consideration in a team game. If the same person always answers, the others have little involvement. Rotate designated roles, such as the clue giver, when the rules permit. Invite several suggestions before the team decides. Codenames illustrates how different roles within a team can change the task and the information available.
Remember visibility and sound
Beforehand, place a card at the far end of the table. Can the person opposite read it? Will components constantly need to be passed around? A large table creates space but also distance. Reachable shared displays and adequate light are more useful than another decoration in the middle.
Two teams talking simultaneously in a small room can drown each other out. For several tables, use separate areas or choose an activity that does not involve continuous shouting. A brief explanation to everyone can help, but the individual groups should then be able to start independently without one host running between every decision.
Agree on transitions
Several tables do not need to run in perfect synchrony. Agree on a general time for changing groups and choose games whose rounds roughly fit. Avoid interrupting a decisive phase merely because another table finished sooner. A flexible transition is easier to manage than a rigid schedule built around optimistic playing times.
Keep a short optional activity available for people who finish early. At the changeover, ask whether anyone would prefer to watch or take a break. A large gathering remains manageable when every minute is not filled with compulsory group activity. Record which arrangements worked so the next invitation can describe the evening more clearly.