D&D 5E (2014) Splitting the Party: Yay or nay?

[Sword of Spirit]

As a DM, I'm not going to stop them from splitting up.

As a player, I do whatever makes sense to the character (and party).

 

[delphonso]

In general, when we are role-playing we tend to split up a lot more. Acting out scenes with two players and one NPC is easier than 4 players and 1 NPC.

In the dungeon or during action we only split up if it seems like we should, and if we have a way to get back together. With this in mind, we usually break into reasonable parties: at least 1 skilled fighter in each group, and 1 person who has good skills, etc.

 

[Rhenny]

More fun seems to happen when we split the party! As a player, in a smaller group, a character feels more important especially if he/she is attempting to accomplish something important (scouting ahead, trying to find a lever or mechanism that will help the others, fighting or holding off enemy forces to buy time for others, etc.). As a DM, I like it too because it makes pcs more vulnerable, which raises the level of tension.

 

[S'mon]

It's almost never a good idea IME. Even when players think it is, it isn't.