Fauchard1520
Adventurer
We all know that splitting the party is bad. But by the same token, allowing a player to have a "spotlight moment" can be good. These include backstory scenes, solo stealth missions, and dramatic confrontations between a small number of party members. These can be tense and exciting encounters, and some of the most meaningful of individual PCs.
I think that the problems tend to come up, however, when these scenes drag on. If you force half the party to sit by and take on an audience role for hours at a time, you're no longer GMing for the full table.
So for GMs that do like to give dramatic moments for individuals: How do you do it well? What's the longest you're willing to linger on an individual character while the rest of the party looks on? And for the players out there: When is it good form to be a good audience, and when does that expectation become unreasonable?
Comic for illustrative purposes.
I think that the problems tend to come up, however, when these scenes drag on. If you force half the party to sit by and take on an audience role for hours at a time, you're no longer GMing for the full table.
So for GMs that do like to give dramatic moments for individuals: How do you do it well? What's the longest you're willing to linger on an individual character while the rest of the party looks on? And for the players out there: When is it good form to be a good audience, and when does that expectation become unreasonable?
Comic for illustrative purposes.