I already played with a 4 players group with 2 animal companions, it was an absolute slog to wait for everyone turn. I can't imagine how more tiring it would be with two added NPC.
Dont want to acuse anyone or something ... But have you concidered that maybe, just maybe ... the problem was in people?
I mean ... even when i play solo i can easily have 5min turn.
Passage of time is for sure known for being subjective. Turns out having to wait that long between each turns in big encounters wasn't too pleasant for us, especially during big fights like the goblin camp.
