Yep, I may have fucked up a bit--I set the player numbers for my session at MACE to 3-6... and I got 5 already (in two days of Pre-Reg).
I am... concerned. Spotlight time is going to be tough to manage, I am thinking. About all I can come up with is to insist that every PC have at least one Best Interest directly aimed at another PC. Alternately, insist that each PC pick another PC as ally and "constant companion". Basically, I know I need a web of conflict which minimizes the amount of NPC interactions; but I don't need a 6-way conflict that will leave very little resolved (i.e. won't finish even the one Chapter I hope to finish). Making folks "team-up," however, could mean a lot of complicated multi-way conflicts (right out the gate, even) and that could lose any beginning players I have.
Help me, Lumpley-Wan...
Do insist that the PCs have best interests pointed at other PCs. Don't insist that everybody pick an ally, but do suggest alliances casually whenever you see the potential for one during character creation.
Don't let everybody have a particular strength, only the people who're done making their characters while everyone else is still at it. That way you keep character creation time down.
Aim for 3 PCs in every scene, and cut from scene to scene in the middle of rolls, like the book suggests, but don't worry about it. It's better to have fully-fleshed scenes and end the chapter prematurely than to rush. A rich, full game leading up to ...dammit! No time to resolve! will be way more fun for everyone than a sketchy, scrambly game with a tidy ending nobody invested in.
-Vincent
OK, I hear ya on the alliances bit and scene shifting.
I'll see about PSes at the table--I have a feeling there'll be some bad feelings if only some folks get "super powerz." I don't know how much story-gaming my sign-ups have done, and I've typically had to deal with some power gamers or minmaxers. I will try to suggest some, for slower folks (I can get gen done in, like, 30 minutes, including some system explanation--or by just having folks put dice in "appropriately" to their character, without thought to efficacy).