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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8999001" data-attributes="member: 6790260">I mean, beyond the preparation stuff...human beings are generally more capable in groups than they are solo, and generally more capable in full groups than in partial groups. Further, in most games, whether they are D&D-like or not, there is a tendency for the group to choose options that fill gaps: the fundamental concept of division of labor. E.g., if you know someone else in the party is dead set on playing a Paladin, then playing another beefy, high-defense character is probably wasteful unless the party already has most stuff covered. If you're playing Shadowrun and someone else is already playing a decker/rigger, it might be seen as rude to intrude on the stuff they've specialized in, and it would be more useful to be a face, mage, street sam, etc. if the party doesn't already have one of those. A party built along these (very reasonable) lines will thus have gaps appear when forced to split up.Again, that doesn't mean it can't be a good thing. Sometimes it is. Getting your decker and face on the inside, so they can open security doors from the inside in order to let the chromed-up street sam and glowing-like-an-astral-Christmas-tree mage in through the back door is a wonderful plan that highlights weaknesses and strengths in a useful way, but it still means the two relatively squishy folks on the inside (who probably have the lowest personal combat ability) are the ones taking risks now, while the two people least able to sneak and stealth must keep a low profile while still staying close enough to get in, especially if things go loud.Point being: even if people are just tackling context-appropriate challenges in a purely "think about the situation rationally, before any rules come into play" sense, splitting the party often means high-risk, high-reward approaches, which tends to clash with the generally play-it-safe mindset of most folks playing RPGs, tabletop or otherwise.Just wanted to add: this is lovely and helps crystallize some of the...not "issues" I had per se, because I didn't, but more like...tacit assumptions I knew I was bringing but couldn't put into words. Probably will hop over to the "how would you re-do 4e" thread and make mention of this.</blockquote>

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