5 person game works well on the original.

This is a bad idea. Its good the way it is.

ok, I might have a button to start the game after 5 people if everyone agrees

Have the game start after 60, 90, or 120 seconds after the last one ends as long as there are 3 or more players.

Have the next game start 100 seconds after the last one ends as long as there are three or more players.

I'd rather have all human players... perhaps instead allow fewer than 7 players to start with (if all sitting players agree). Each player could enter a min num of players they want (defaults to 7) and if EVERYONE's min has been met then the game begins.

Instead, how about letting each player enter the min number of players they're willing to play with (defaults to 7). If all player's minimums have been met then the game begins. This allows folks to wait for 7 if they want to, but allows the game to go on if there aren't many people around.

Or maybe it should be defined by the table. When you create a table, it lets you pick how many people you want to play with.

I agree with mcherm AND richjkl... each player should be able to set their minimums, and the table setter-upper should be able to set the maximum.

Some people might just want to watch, though.