"We Split Up!" [Archive] - Wizards Community

"We Split Up!" [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Rickenbacker
04-16-04, 08:02 AM Dunno 'bout you guys, but when This dm's ears hear those words from the party- I freak.

What have you found to be the easiest way to handle it when they wanna split up to investigate? The ol' take em out the room one-by-one thing? Any advice is appreciated.
Elf_NFB
04-16-04, 08:06 AM Take 'em out of the room one by one. The players know the risk. I was a player in one game where 75% of the party was sitting out on the front porch the whole night. Luckily it was a gorgeous evening and the ice cream man kept driving by the house. :)
Nom
04-16-04, 08:46 AM One metagame rule some of my friends once used: "if the party splits up, the smaller half dies". This is a bit extreme, but it makes a point.
Tenzhi
04-16-04, 08:59 AM Some words of wisdom suit this situation:

"The party that stays together, slays together."

"He who splits shall be split."

"Together we stand, divided you fall."

"They say there's only one degree of seperation between a PC and certain death."
Salla
04-16-04, 09:13 AM I rarely have this problem, as typically, in a four-player group, if one voice says "Let's split up," three voices in unison cry out ...

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR :censored:ING MIND??!!"
WhtKnt
04-16-04, 09:25 AM I try to discourage it as much as possible by telling the players (not the characters) that it really isn't a good idea because it makes them more vulnerable and it also means that half the group gets to spend time in front of the television instead of at the gaming table. In some cases, I've outright prohibited it, for no other reason than I didn't want to deal with it.

If there exists a valid reason why the group would need to split up and the split will not be for long (e.g., the scout is sent ahead of the rest of the party to survey a room), then I might permit it. Otherwise, it's usually sufficient just to say, "Sorry, you can't split up." If they insist, an encounter that they aren't prepared to handle is usually sufficient to change their minds.
Alkaline
04-16-04, 10:47 AM Generally, I don't like when the party splits up. But, I also don't want to force the players into doing something they don't want to do, like stay together.

There have also been times when I purposely WANTED the party to split up. When investigating a ruined monestary, the players split up. I tempted them with two different passages that had equally incenting "hooks". This was done purposely because I wanted the party to split up. Why? Because I had dopplegangers in the monestary and I wanted the dopplegangers to take the form of one half of the party and join up with the other half. :) Of course, my players were pretty mature about it and didn't metagame too badly. I didn't have to split them up physically.

If you REALLY don't want your players to split up, tell them. Just say "Guys, I'd prefer if you didn't split the party up because I want everyone to stay interested in the game." I'm sure they'll understand.

Some tips for splitting parties thoug:

"Flash" to each group frequently. There's nothing more boring than sitting there watching other players be engrossed in the game. Make a point of giving everyone the opportunity to play.

Always flash to the other half of the party at what might be a cliffhanger... "You bash the door open and...! Ok, now you guys were going down to the basement."

Try to keep combat OUT of the situation if possible. Combat takes a long time, and generally people not involved start losing interest. If you must do some combat, have the other half of the party "hear" the sounds of battle behind them or wherever the other half is...

The worst thing you can do as a DM is railroad your players. So like I said earlier, if you really don't want them to splitup, be honest with them and just tell them. DO NOT force them in game to not split up... They'll start to feel like you are forcing them into actions. Tell them you want them to have plenty of freedom, but in terms of everyone having fun, it's better if the party sticks together so you can manage them.

Alkaline
Utumno
04-16-04, 12:57 PM Here is a handy dandy DM trich that usually solves all the player stupidity problems. Just look you players right in the eyes and say "Are...you...sure?"
ck2001wendt
04-16-04, 03:55 PM My party is weird, in that they don't want to split up when there is OR isn't danger..."Hey guys, wait for me before you go to the general store!"

Of course, the first couple of times the party split, the wizard got attacked by an assassin and half the party got attacked by what they thought was the other half of the party (vampire-spawn doppelgangers).
Autosponge
04-16-04, 05:10 PM Some DM's freak out because it can be difficult to organize. It takes some practice but it can be done. I typically do this to manage multiple parties (there is incentive to keep more of the party together or at least have equal groups):

1. Make the groups re-arrange themselves so they are physically sitting next to eachother.
2. Go from left to right (my DM's perspective) and ask each group what they are doing.
3. Give the groups 10 minutes each per member (or until they run out of things to do or their actions depend on the actions of other groups). Obviously if you have a huge party, you will need to assign them less time. If a group stalls, runs out of things to do, etc. move to the next group--KEEP IT MOVING! You can always come back to them (and you will in the proper order).
4. Keep moving left to right through the groups until they are back together.
Mousse
04-16-04, 06:04 PM All right, I've got some room to speak here :D

Our group has a nasty tendency to split/get split up due to circumstances. We've spent... mmm... last four or so sessions split into 3-4 groups (yes, that many). Now, obviously this creates some problems, as (especially considering we play online over AIM) it can take a long time to finish an individual scene.

The best advice I can give is, if the party is going to split, hold a brief discussion to decide what group will go. Once that's decided, send the non-active players to go do something (or just wait there if they want). Let 'em at your gaming systems, at the TV, go out for Chinese, etc

Its not necessarilly the best solution, but as long as you have non-whiny players, it should work.
Capt. Pixel
04-16-04, 09:13 PM I've found that the party will split for many reasons, and some are not necessarily their own choice. hehe

If I had to guess, I'd say that between 25% and 50% of the time the playing group is running in two distinct parties.

When this happens, I tend to drop to round-by-round play. I'll run a couple of rounds with one party and then a couple with the second party. (If they're split into more than two parties - they're just asking to die. :rolleyes: )

If the party should split, I tend to adjust the encounter to accomodate the reduced party size. This doesn't necessarily help them survive. It usually means they'll just die more slowly. :cool:
Autosponge
04-16-04, 11:02 PM I don't adjust jack. The encounter is what it is, whether it was staged or random. If you can't handle it, learn to run.
SnowbearK
04-17-04, 01:33 AM For some bizarre reason, my party never splits up anymore.

Perhaps it's because they have an awful tendency to die horrendously, painfully, and most likely in embarassing ways. Like the guy who walked away from the group in the Underdark, decided to attack a patrol of Drow on his own, fled down the wrong tunnel, and ran into a Gelatinous Cube. Literally.

Like Autosponge, I don't adjust anything because a stupid character decided to run off by himself. Stupid characters die stupid deaths.

I actually take great pride in my DMing knowing that I have never killed a player character. The PCs do it to themselves.

Presented with the option to flee, they instead full-out attack. They are smeared.

Thankfully, I have very innovative players who almost never split up unless there is no other option.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rickenbacker 04-16-04, 08:02 AM	Dunno 'bout you guys, but when This dm's ears hear those words from the party- I freak. What have you found to be the easiest way to handle it when they wanna split up to investigate? The ol' take em out the room one-by-one thing? Any advice is appreciated.
Elf_NFB 04-16-04, 08:06 AM	Take 'em out of the room one by one. The players know the risk. I was a player in one game where 75% of the party was sitting out on the front porch the whole night. Luckily it was a gorgeous evening and the ice cream man kept driving by the house. :)
Nom 04-16-04, 08:46 AM	One metagame rule some of my friends once used: "if the party splits up, the smaller half dies". This is a bit extreme, but it makes a point.
Tenzhi 04-16-04, 08:59 AM	Some words of wisdom suit this situation: "The party that stays together, slays together." "He who splits shall be split." "Together we stand, divided you fall." "They say there's only one degree of seperation between a PC and certain death."
Salla 04-16-04, 09:13 AM	I rarely have this problem, as typically, in a four-player group, if one voice says "Let's split up," three voices in unison cry out ... "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR :censored:ING MIND??!!"
WhtKnt 04-16-04, 09:25 AM	I try to discourage it as much as possible by telling the players (not the characters) that it really isn't a good idea because it makes them more vulnerable and it also means that half the group gets to spend time in front of the television instead of at the gaming table. In some cases, I've outright prohibited it, for no other reason than I didn't want to deal with it. If there exists a valid reason why the group would need to split up and the split will not be for long (e.g., the scout is sent ahead of the rest of the party to survey a room), then I might permit it. Otherwise, it's usually sufficient just to say, "Sorry, you can't split up." If they insist, an encounter that they aren't prepared to handle is usually sufficient to change their minds.
Alkaline 04-16-04, 10:47 AM	Generally, I don't like when the party splits up. But, I also don't want to force the players into doing something they don't want to do, like stay together. There have also been times when I purposely WANTED the party to split up. When investigating a ruined monestary, the players split up. I tempted them with two different passages that had equally incenting "hooks". This was done purposely because I wanted the party to split up. Why? Because I had dopplegangers in the monestary and I wanted the dopplegangers to take the form of one half of the party and join up with the other half. :) Of course, my players were pretty mature about it and didn't metagame too badly. I didn't have to split them up physically. If you REALLY don't want your players to split up, tell them. Just say "Guys, I'd prefer if you didn't split the party up because I want everyone to stay interested in the game." I'm sure they'll understand. Some tips for splitting parties thoug: "Flash" to each group frequently. There's nothing more boring than sitting there watching other players be engrossed in the game. Make a point of giving everyone the opportunity to play. Always flash to the other half of the party at what might be a cliffhanger... "You bash the door open and...! Ok, now you guys were going down to the basement." Try to keep combat OUT of the situation if possible. Combat takes a long time, and generally people not involved start losing interest. If you must do some combat, have the other half of the party "hear" the sounds of battle behind them or wherever the other half is... The worst thing you can do as a DM is railroad your players. So like I said earlier, if you really don't want them to splitup, be honest with them and just tell them. DO NOT force them in game to not split up... They'll start to feel like you are forcing them into actions. Tell them you want them to have plenty of freedom, but in terms of everyone having fun, it's better if the party sticks together so you can manage them. Alkaline
Utumno 04-16-04, 12:57 PM	Here is a handy dandy DM trich that usually solves all the player stupidity problems. Just look you players right in the eyes and say "Are...you...sure?"
ck2001wendt 04-16-04, 03:55 PM	My party is weird, in that they don't want to split up when there is OR isn't danger..."Hey guys, wait for me before you go to the general store!" Of course, the first couple of times the party split, the wizard got attacked by an assassin and half the party got attacked by what they thought was the other half of the party (vampire-spawn doppelgangers).
Autosponge 04-16-04, 05:10 PM	Some DM's freak out because it can be difficult to organize. It takes some practice but it can be done. I typically do this to manage multiple parties (there is incentive to keep more of the party together or at least have equal groups): 1. Make the groups re-arrange themselves so they are physically sitting next to eachother. 2. Go from left to right (my DM's perspective) and ask each group what they are doing. 3. Give the groups 10 minutes each per member (or until they run out of things to do or their actions depend on the actions of other groups). Obviously if you have a huge party, you will need to assign them less time. If a group stalls, runs out of things to do, etc. move to the next group--KEEP IT MOVING! You can always come back to them (and you will in the proper order). 4. Keep moving left to right through the groups until they are back together.
Mousse 04-16-04, 06:04 PM	All right, I've got some room to speak here :D Our group has a nasty tendency to split/get split up due to circumstances. We've spent... mmm... last four or so sessions split into 3-4 groups (yes, that many). Now, obviously this creates some problems, as (especially considering we play online over AIM) it can take a long time to finish an individual scene. The best advice I can give is, if the party is going to split, hold a brief discussion to decide what group will go. Once that's decided, send the non-active players to go do something (or just wait there if they want). Let 'em at your gaming systems, at the TV, go out for Chinese, etc Its not necessarilly the best solution, but as long as you have non-whiny players, it should work.
Capt. Pixel 04-16-04, 09:13 PM	I've found that the party will split for many reasons, and some are not necessarily their own choice. hehe If I had to guess, I'd say that between 25% and 50% of the time the playing group is running in two distinct parties. When this happens, I tend to drop to round-by-round play. I'll run a couple of rounds with one party and then a couple with the second party. (If they're split into more than two parties - they're just asking to die. :rolleyes: ) If the party should split, I tend to adjust the encounter to accomodate the reduced party size. This doesn't necessarily help them survive. It usually means they'll just die more slowly. :cool:
Autosponge 04-16-04, 11:02 PM	I don't adjust jack. The encounter is what it is, whether it was staged or random. If you can't handle it, learn to run.
SnowbearK 04-17-04, 01:33 AM	For some bizarre reason, my party never splits up anymore. Perhaps it's because they have an awful tendency to die horrendously, painfully, and most likely in embarassing ways. Like the guy who walked away from the group in the Underdark, decided to attack a patrol of Drow on his own, fled down the wrong tunnel, and ran into a Gelatinous Cube. Literally. Like Autosponge, I don't adjust anything because a stupid character decided to run off by himself. Stupid characters die stupid deaths. I actually take great pride in my DMing knowing that I have never killed a player character. The PCs do it to themselves. Presented with the option to flee, they instead full-out attack. They are smeared. Thankfully, I have very innovative players who almost never split up unless there is no other option.