D&D General DMs, how do you handle 'split party' situations?

[Charlaquin]

I try to think of cutting between different groups of PCs like cutting between scenes in an episode of Law and Order. A scene goes on for a few minutes, then ends (with a “dun dun”) right after a new piece of information is revealed, there’s a dramatic turn in the story that makes the cut away into a mini-cliffhanger, or someone delivers a punchy one-liner.

 

[Jmarso]

I try to think of cutting between different groups of PCs like cutting between scenes in an episode of Law and Order. A scene goes on for a few minutes, then ends (with a “dun dun” right after a new piece of information is revealed, there’s a dramatic turn in the story that makes the cut away into a mini-cliffhanger, or someone delivers a punchy one-liner.

Love it!

 

[Greg K]

I try to think of cutting between different groups of PCs like cutting between scenes in an episode of Law and Order. A scene goes on for a few minutes, then ends (with a “dun dun” right after a new piece of information is revealed, there’s a dramatic turn in the story that makes the cut away into a mini-cliffhanger, or someone delivers a punchy one-liner.

Yeah,while I try to split the time, in general, I look to ensemble tv shows (especially, action shows) for pacing the cuts.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I try to think of cutting between different groups of PCs like cutting between scenes in an episode of Law and Order. A scene goes on for a few minutes, then ends (with a “dun dun” right after a new piece of information is revealed, there’s a dramatic turn in the story that makes the cut away into a mini-cliffhanger, or someone delivers a punchy one-liner.

Exactly, splitting the party is a great way to build tension!

"When you sneak up to the door, you hear something very interesting... Let's check in on the other group before I describe it."

 

[overgeeked]

I split time based on number of players involved. So a solo player gets a quick 2-3 minute scene and the group with four people gets a more involved 8-12 minute scene. Then go back to the solo player. Everyone gets equal time and players tend to want some spotlight so they don’t break off thinking they’ll get the same “screen time” as a whole group of players. Keeps splitting the party to a minimum and moves things along.

I don’t move rooms or anything. I expect the players to be mature enough to not metagame. If they can’t then they don’t last long at my table.

 

[Shiroiken]

I'll never do this, for numerous reasons:
--- IME many players are incapable of separating player knowledge from character knowledge, e.g. if the scout gets into trouble the other PCs will immediately try to mount a rescue mission even though those PCs have no way of knowing the scouting's gone sideways. I-as-DM will shut this down. Arguments follow; arguments that are 100% avoidable if player knowledge and character knowledge are kept aligned.
--- IME some players are also incapable of shutting up and restraining themselves from offering suggestions as to what the scout should do, where it should go, etc. in situations their PCs have no knowledge of. This had led in the past to some fearsome and - again - completely avoidable arguments between players.
--- describing everything to everyone takes away the scout's ability to "tailor" her reporting when she returns to the party, or to (intentionally or otherwise) forget and-or embellish things; further, it denies the scout's player any ability to have the scout do anything the rest of the group might take issue with.

I guess it depends on your group. My group doesn't have issues with it, but we're all experienced, mature players. The key to scouting this way is to only scout to the next decision point. If the character needs to make a decision, such as which way to go, how to handle an obstacle, or when encountering a creature. At that point, the character returns to the group, where they make the decision together. Obviously a player can choose to color their description different than what what see, but that goes back to the out of character information issue you have.

 

[Rabbitbait]

Splitting the party can be deadly. Going a little ahead is fine, but go too far ahead and you might be in big trouble. In my current game a character scouted too far ahead, was suprised by a pack of ghouls and killed in a surprise round. Not great, but certainly made the group realise that this is a scary campaign where death waits around every corner.

We also had an accidental party split in a previous VTT campaign. The party decided that they could not defeat this foe, so ran. However they all ran at different times and ended up going in different directions. One group made their way back to the entrance, the other group got lost, running madly through the dungeon and stirring up all sorts of monsters who then joined in the chase. They managed to get away but it was a close thing.

 

[AtomicPope]

When the party splits I give players who aren't present NPCs to control, even if it's a social situation. I like the energy players bring to the scene for making them sit out. Also, it can be fun when the monsters are being ruthless and clever. You'll also find that the players are eager to immediately start roleplaying as a monster, just diving into their new role. I first started doing this on a whim for an evil D&D game I ran about 20 years ago and I've kept doing it ever since. At first I did it as an experiment, because I saw the other players getting bored so I wanted them to stay active. Then I started doing it on purpose, intentionally creating NPC handouts for the players. Once during a Star Wars Sage campaign I crafted an elaborate session that required the PCs to be in two places at once. When they split up, both parties faced suitable adversaries who were controlled by players. It was really intense. We played for about 8 hours straight. It's been over a decade and we will talk about escaping the ray shield trap, fighting the droid army, and the lightsaber duel that decided the fate of a padawan and the galaxy. Everyone got to be their character in their best moment, and take part in another's time to shine.

I suggest everyone try this at least one. Give the players a minions and you control a "leader" type. In 5e this works really well with Goblins, Orcs, and Hobgoblins since they have built in mechanics for leaders. Then "give orders" and let them have all of the fun. What's even better is when the NPCs controlled by players start rolling 20's. The players don't even know who to be mad at.

 

[Charlaquin]

Exactly, splitting the party is a great way to build tension!

"When you sneak up to the door, you hear something very interesting... Let's check in on the other group before I describe it."

I would generally rather reveal the thing before cutting away, so the player(s) in that group have time to stew on whatever they’ve just discovered. But yeah, definitely good for tension building. I actually quite like split parties, and I think the common advice never to do it is far too limiting,

 

[ECMO3]

Just like the title says. I'm curious how different groups handle it. (I'm always on the lookout for 'best practices'...)

Easy decide which group you like better and kill off the other group so they don't try it again after they roll new characters .... j/k