How can i maintain a group without a leader?

[Nifft]

Based on reports I've seen here, sprinkled with a bit of my own experience, a party can do just fine without a Leader.

Someone around here runs an all-Striker party, with very swingy combats: either they kill everyone dead before the enemy has a chance to lay down its smack, or the enemy does get a chance to lay down its smack and they spend a few rounds stunned / dazed / unable to capitalize on their Striker-ness, and those are lost rounds they can't afford to lose.

But that's just the risk, and their reward is to usually have fast, tense combats with meaningful tactical choices, since they can't afford to let the combat drag on too long. IMHO that sounds awesome.

Cheers, -- N

 

[keterys]

Con runs are a completely different animal than campaign runs though. Con runs are generic and generally run by someone who just read over the module and didn't design it or put much work in to it. I've had those mods go both ways more often than not, usually less dangerous than they appeared. Heck, a three wizard, warlord, bard, swordmage made absolute mincemeat out of what was supposed to be a very dangerous adventure with no grind.

The problem comes up with a well-designed encounter run by a good tactician who has a stake in challenging the party.

Wait... you're saying that a DM who knows the party and their capabilities will intentionally kill them, compared to a con judge who won't pull it off and exploit their lack of healing? We might be playing a different kind of D&D

My point was more that the adventure was designed most likely under the assumption that there was healing, that we were actually doing it high tier when we were a low tier party, and still did fine. Also, our party had less experience working together than in a home game. And no healing potions.

Obviously, con judges do screw some things up, but it was multiple judges and rounds. And a home DM should go 'Hey, they have no leader, I'll give them more healing potions, a healer's sash, dwarven armor, that kinda thing' to be more ready and planned.

 

[Mengu]

The problem comes up with a well-designed encounter run by a good tactician who has a stake in challenging the party.

Perhaps those tacticians can take a page out of the convention gamer's handbook. At a convention we can get through 3 combat encounters or so in 4 hours. At a home game against a DM who is trying to "challenge" the party you may end up with a 20 round combat that takes 6 hours to play because there are a million enemies to activate.

The challenges don't really need to be life or death in every combat. You can just as easily challenge players with "get to the end of the gauntlet in 5 rounds or you lose" type encounters. Sometimes an encounter is there merely as a means to introduce a villain who will only escape in the second round leaving you to fight his relatively easy to defeat minions.

Those 20 round level+4 combats are impossible to survive without a healer (or two!). But if you are running average size encounters that are meant to be completed in 6-8 rounds, then a party of any composition, is quite playable and enjoyable.

A level+1 encounter can be handled in as little as 3 rounds with good tactics and a bit of luck (as my players proved last session).