Running Descent into Avernus. Shouldn’t be any major spoilers if you happen to be playing it but there is your disclaimer.

Maybe my pacing isn’t as bad as I think and it is just my expectation of how far we should be but I feel like my group is absolutely dragging progressing the story.

We finished session 28 and they just recovered Duke Ravengard and began the ritual. We play online for typically 3-3.5 hours with a short break in the middle for the couple that has kids to put them to bed.

Within the group, there are two that have played before, but I would not say extensively. One that consumed Critical Role at an alarming rate due to his work allowing hours of podcast listening to be done. Two more that are very new, with only a couple of one shots to get them the feel of the mechanics.

We do some roleplay but nothing extreme or extensive. As a DM, I love the game mechanics and do ask for a decent amount of rolls because I love the clickity clack of math rocks bouncing around. I know an easy way for me to speed things up would be to reduce this but talking with my group they enjoy this aspect of the game so I wouldn’t want to reduce too much of it.

We use Owlbear for maps and I reveal the map as they explore it.

Final bit of background, another DM that has played in a campaign ran by me has called me a tough (but his favorite {yes I’m gonna slightly toot my own horn}) DM because I never put the one eyed pirate in the corner of the tavern to say “hey, here’s what you need to do and where you need to go!”

To give context, the group came upon Gideons cemetery at the end of a session as one of the party members flew ahead and found herself in front of the skeleton Minotaurs.

Fast forward, 4 sessions later they finally left the cemetery with Ravengard in tow.

I know having 5 PCs (let alone two that are relatively new and spell casters) can slow combat down. But how can I speed things along? I hate rail roading or having the giant neon signs saying BBEG this way!

Or, am I overthinking everything and my pacing is fine?